Improvement in Distress Tolerance as a Mechanism of Symptom Reduction During Intensive Exposure and Response Prevention-Based Treatment for OCD

Are the Unified Protocols for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders in Children and Adolescents as Effective for OCD as for Anxiety and Depression?

Background: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in youth commonly co-occurs with other affective disorders (e.g., anxiety, depression). Exposure and response prevention (ERP) is the front-line treatment for OCD but may require significant adaptation to treat co-occurring symptoms or complex comorbidity patterns. Preliminary evidence suggests that the Unified Protocols for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders in Children and Adolescents (UP-C/A) are effective in reducing OCD symptoms. Still, it is not yet known if the UP-C/A are comparably effective to treat OCD as they are for anxiety and depression, the disorders for which there is the most robust empirical support. Methods: This study compared trajectories of OCD, anxiety, and depression symptom change among 388 youth who received UP-C/A treatment (M = 15 sessions) at a university-based research clinic. We also examined whether youth with (n = 60) and without (n = 328) an OCD diagnosis demonstrated comparable improvements in anxiety, depression, and transdiagnostic treatment targets (i.e., anxiety sensitivity, cognitive flexibility, and distress tolerance). Results: OCD symptoms improved at a slower rate than anxiety and depression symptoms during the first half of UP-C/A treatment but at a comparable rate to anxiety and depression symptoms during the second half of treatment. Youth with and without OCD exhibited comparable improvements in anxiety, depression, anxiety sensitivity, cognitive flexibility, and distress tolerance across the treatment course. Conclusions: Findings support the efficacy of UP-C/A treatment for co-occurring OCD and affective disorders but suggest that initiating exposure earlier in the treatment course may confer additional benefits.

High intensity approaches to exposure and response prevention for obsessive-compulsive disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a debilitating psychiatric condition with multidetermined etiological and maintaining mechanisms. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), specifically exposure and response prevention (ERP), is the first line behavioral intervention to treat OCD. ERP directly targets threat learning that characterizes OCD through processes of habituation (fear extinction) and inhibitory learning, in addition to eliciting neuronal changes implicated in OCD. Although ERP has a strong evidence base, not all OCD patients respond fully to standard, weekly or twice-weekly outpatient ERP. High intensity ERP-treatment delivered through more and/or longer sessions in a condensed manner-is a potential alternative approach that has also demonstrated efficacy for adults and youth with OCD. The goal of this review article is to describe the nature, rationale, and evidence for high intensity ERP for OCD treatment. We describe the foundations of ERP for OCD, various formats of intensive ERP, clinical research on the efficacy of this approach including neuronal changes, and potential pharmacological and neurosurgical augmentation strategies. We conclude with limitations of the current literature on intensive approaches and recommendations for future directions. While additional research is needed, high intensity ERP may be a promising approach for patients who have not responded to standard ERP or for patients requiring rapid symptom improvement.