Brief Anxiety Sensitivity Treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Symptoms
Condition: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Symptoms
MeSH terms: Hypersensitivity; Compulsive Personality Disorder; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), characterized by recurrent obsessions and/or
      compulsions, is a disabling psychiatric condition affecting approximately 2-3% of the
      population. Whereas several first-line treatments have been established (e.g.,
      pharmacological and psychological), a substantial proportion of patients (40-60%) fail to
      experience symptom remission, underscoring the need for research in this area. One approach
      to increasing treatment efficacy is to target underlying risk factors or dysfunctions that
      may in turn improve outcomes. One such risk factor is anxiety sensitivity (AS) cognitive
      concerns. AS cognitive concerns reflects fears of mental incapacitation (e.g., "It scares me
      when I am unable to keep my mind on a task"). There is recent evidence that AS cognitive
      concerns is uniquely associated with various obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptom domains.
      However, questions remain as to whether reductions in AS cognitive concerns will lead to
      subsequent reductions in OC symptoms. The purpose of the proposed study is to investigate the
      efficacy of a brief AS cognitive concerns intervention on reductions in OC symptoms.
    


Intervention name(s): Cognitive Anxiety Sensitivity Treatment; Physical Health Education Training
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Cognitive Anxiety Sensitivity Treatment (CAST) is a computerized treatment designed to model the educational and behavioral techniques used in anxiety treatments. The psychoeducational component focuses on the nature of stress and its effects on the mind and body. CAST was designed to dispel myths concerning the immediate dangers of stress on cognitive processes. Individuals are taught that psychological arousal from stress is not dangerous and that they may have developed a conditioned fear to these sensations, as indicated by their elevated levels of AS cognitive concerns. In addition to psychoeducation, interoceptive exposure exercises will be introduced to correct the conditioned fear response. The program will demonstrate exercises that elicit sensations consistent with AS cognitive concerns.; The Physical Health Education Training (PHET) control condition was designed to control for the effects of general education provided in the CAST condition. Participants will be presented with information regarding the importance and benefits of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The program will discuss diet, alcohol and water consumption, exercise, sexual health, and sleep. PHET will instruct the participant how to monitor their daily health habits in order to achieve a healthy lifestyle. PHET will take approximately 45 minutes to complete. Based on the findings of Schmidt and colleagues (in press), this intervention does not appear to exert a strong effect on AS.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Participant)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Obsessive-compulsive disorder; OCD; Anxiety sensitivity; Cognitive Concerns