Obsessive-compulsive disorder and comorbid depression: the role of OCD-related and non-specific factors

Although comorbid depression is a predictor of poor treatment response in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), there is limited understanding of factors that contribute to depression severity in OCD. The current study examines the influence of OCD-related factors (autogenous obsessions and obsessional beliefs) and non-specific factors (avoidance and anxiety) on depression severity in a sample of OCD patients. There were 56 participants with only OCD and 46 with OCD and comorbid depression. Self-report questionnaires measuring depression, OCD-related factors, and non-specific factors were completed. Although there were no significant differences between the two groups on these variables, depression severity was positively correlated with anxiety, avoidance, obsessional beliefs, and autogenous obsessions in the whole sample. When entered into a multiple regression model to predict depression severity, these factors accounted for 51% of the variance. While OCD-related factors remained significant predictors after controlling for non-specific factors, the non-specific factors made the most significant contributions to the model. Our findings suggest that in addition to dealing with autogenous obsessions, addressing anxiety and avoidance might lead to improvements in the treatment of OCD with comorbid depression

Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial of internet-based cognitive-behavioural therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a common chronic psychiatric disorder that constitutes a leading cause of disability. Although Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy (CBT) has been shown to be an effective treatment for OCD, this specialised treatment is unavailable to many due to access issues and the social stigma associated with seeing a mental health specialist. Internet-based psychological treatments have shown to provide effective, accessible and affordable treatment for a range of anxiety disorders, and two Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) have demonstrated the efficacy and acceptability of internet-based CBT (iCBT) for OCD, as compared to waitlist or supportive therapy. Although these initial findings are promising, they do not isolate the specific effect of iCBT. This paper details the study protocol for the first randomised control trial evaluating the efficacy of therapist-assisted iCBT for OCD, as compared to a matched control intervention; internet-based therapist-assisted progressive relaxation training (iPRT). It will aim to examine whether therapist-assisted iCBT is an acceptable and efficacious treatment, and to examine how effectiveness is influenced by patient characteristics

Screening and assessment tools for gaming disorder: A comprehensive systematic review

The inclusion of gaming disorder (GD) as an official diagnosis in the ICD-11 was a significant milestone for the field. However, the optimal measurement approaches for GD are currently unclear. This comprehensive systematic review aimed to identify and evaluate all available English-language GD tools and their corresponding evidence. A search of PsychINFO, PsychArticles, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar identified 32 tools employed in 320 studies (N = 462,249 participants). The evaluation framework examined tools in relation to: (1) conceptual and practical considerations; (2) alignment with DSM-5 and ICD-11 criteria; (3) type and quantity of studies and samples; and (4) psychometric properties. The evaluation showed that GD instrumentation has proliferated, with 2.5 tools, on average, published annually since 2013. Coverage of DSM-5 and ICD-11 criteria was inconsistent, especially for the criterion of continued use despite harm. Tools converge on the importance of screening for impaired control over gaming and functional impairment. Overall, no single tool was found to be clearly superior, but the AICA-Sgaming, GAS-7, IGDT-10, IGDS9-SF, and Lemmens IGD-9 scales had greater evidential support for their psychometric properties. The GD field would benefit from a standard international tool to identify gaming-related harms across the spectrum of maladaptive gaming behaviors.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Investigation of attentional bias in obsessive compulsive disorder with and without depression in visual search

Copyright: © 2013 Morein-Zamir et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are creditedWhether Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is associated with an increased attentional bias to emotive stimuli remains controversial. Additionally, it is unclear whether comorbid depression modulates abnormal emotional processing in OCD. This study examined attentional bias to OC-relevant scenes using a visual search task. Controls, non-depressed and depressed OCD patients searched for their personally selected positive images amongst their negative distractors, and vice versa. Whilst the OCD groups were slower than healthy individuals in rating the images, there were no group differences in the magnitude of negative bias to concern-related scenes. A second experiment employing a common set of images replicated the results on an additional sample of OCD patients. Although there was a larger bias to negative OC-related images without pre-exposure overall, no group differences in attentional bias were observed. However, OCD patients subsequently rated the images more slowly and more negatively, again suggesting post-attentional processing abnormalities. The results argue against a robust attentional bias in OCD patients, regardless of their depression status and speak to generalized difficulties disengaging from negative valence stimuli. Rather, post-attentional processing abnormalities may account for differences in emotional processing in OCD.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Farming fit? Dispelling the Australian agrarian myth

Background: Rural Australians face a higher mental health and lifestyle disease burden (obesity, diabetes andcardiovascular disease) than their urban counterparts. Our ongoing research reveals that the Australian farmingcommunity has even poorer physical and mental health outcomes than rural averages. In particular, farm men andwomen have high rates of overweightness, obesity, abdominal adiposity, high blood pressure and psychologicaldistress when compared against Australian averages. Within our farming cohort we observed a significantassociation between psychological distress and obesity, abdominal adiposity and body fat percentage in thefarming population.Presentation of hypothesis: This paper presents a hypothesis based on preliminary data obtained from anongoing study that could potentially explain the complex correlation between obesity, psychological distress andphysical activity among a farming population. We posit that spasmodic physical activity, changing farm practicesand climate variability induce prolonged stress in farmers. This increases systemic cortisol that, in turn, promotesabdominal adiposity and weight gain.Testing the hypothesis: The hypothesis will be tested by anthropometric, biochemical and psychological analysismatched against systemic cortisol levels and the physical activity of the subjects.Implications of the hypothesis tested: Previous studies indicate that farming populations have elevated rates ofpsychological distress and high rates of suicide. Australian farmers have recently experienced challenging climaticconditions including prolonged drought, floods and cyclones. Through our interactions and through the media it isnot uncommon for farmers to describe the effect of this long-term stress with feelings of &lsquo;defeat&rsquo;. By gaining agreater understanding of the role cortisol and physical activity have on mental and physical health we maypositively impact the current rates of psychological distress in farmers.<br /

Mindfulness-Based Online Intervention to Improve Quality of Life in Late-Stage Bipolar Disorder:A Randomized Clinical Trial

Objective: Adjunctive psychological interventions improve outcomes in bipolar disorder (BD), but people in latter stages likely have different clinical needs. The objective here was to test the hypothesis that for people with ≥⃒ 10 episodes of BD, a brief online mindfulness-based intervention (ORBIT 2.0) improves quality of life (QoL) relative to a Psychoeducation control. Method: A rater-masked, pragmatic superiority randomized clinical trial compared ORBIT 2.0 with active control. Both interventions were 5-week coach-supported programs with treatment as usual continued. Inclusion criteria included age 18–65 years, confirmed diagnosis of BD, and history of ≱ 10 episodes. Measures were collected at baseline, postintervention, and 3 and 6-month follow-ups. The main outcome was QoL, measured on the Brief Quality of Life in Bipolar Disorder (Brief QoL.BD) at 5 weeks, using intentiont treat analyses. Results: Among N = 302 randomized participants, the primary hypothesis was not supported (Treatment × Time β = −0.69, 95% CI [−2.69, 1.31], p =.50). The main effect of Time was not significant in either condition, indicating no improvement in either group. Recruitment was feasible, the platform was safe, both interventions were highly acceptable, but usage was suboptimal. Post hoc analyses found both interventions effective for participants not in remission from depression at baseline.Conclusions: In people with late-stage BD, an online mindfulness-based intervention was not superior to psychoeducational control in improving QoL. Online delivery was found to be safe and acceptable.Future interventions may need to be higher intensity, address engagement challenges, and target more symptomatic individual

A clinician\u27s quick guide of evidence-based approaches: obsessive-compulsive disorder

Abstract not availabl

Experimental evidence for the influence of cognitions on compulsive buying

Compulsive buying is a disabling condition, where individuals are unable to resist or control their buying behavior, leading to substantial social and financial problems. Cognitive models implicate the role of beliefs as one factor in buying behavior, for example, &quot;this item is unique and will help me improve my life&quot;