Internet-Based CBT Is Effective for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

A randomized, controlled trial shows this treatment's superiority to online supportive therapy.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is effective for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but few patients have access to this treatment. Internet-based CBT is effective for other psychiatric conditions, such as panic disorder and social anxiety disorder. Now, researchers in Sweden have conducted a randomized, controlled, 10-week trial of Internet-based CBT, with therapist support, among 101 adults with a primary diagnosis of OCD (mean age, 34; mean duration of illness, 18 years).

Patients with severe or minimal symptoms, current substance use disorders, or primarily hoarding were excluded. CBT consisted of psychoeducation, cognitive restructuring, and exposure and response prevention (ERP), tailored to the patient's OCD symptoms. The therapi…

Reviewing Author

Deborah Cowley, MD

Disclosures

Grant / Research supportHealth Resources and Services Administration; Katz Family Foundation

Deborah Cowley, MD

Disclosures

Grant / Research supportHealth Resources and Services Administration; Katz Family Foundation

Internet-Based CBT Is Effective for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

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Reviewing Author