Effectiveness of Meta-cognitive Therapy on Decreasing of Thought- fusion Beliefs in Patients with Washing Type of Obsessive- compulsive Disorder

Introduction: Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a severe disabling psychiatric affliction with a strong impact on life quality. This study was planned to investigate the effectiveness of meta-cognitive therapy on decreasing of thought-fusion beliefs in patients with washing type of obsessive- compulsive disorder. Methods: A single case study with multiple baselines was implemented. The study sample consisted of three subjects who were OCD patients (washers), chosen from private clients of counseling centers of Hamedan city (Iran). They had been registered from Spring of 2013, and were selected via purposeful sampling. In fact, the patients received 10 sessions of meta-cognitive therapy. Thought Fusion Instrument (TFI) was used to determine the baseline in the first step. This questionnaire was also completed in sessions of 2, 4, 6, 8, as well as the end of treatment. Visual analysis and percentage of improvement were used in order to analyze the data via SPSS 18 software. Moreover, descriptive statistics, ANOVA with repeated measure, and paired T- test were used. Results: statistically significant clinical developments were found in improving thought-fusion beliefs after treatment. Moreover, at the 3-month follow-up, the attained improvements during treatment were retained. Conclusion: The study results confirmed the role of meta-cognitive therapy in decreasing thought-fusion beliefs in patients with washing type of obsessive- compulsive disorder