A case report of the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder in a patient with Cystic Fibrosis: Potential protective role of contamination fears

- This report describes the unique case of an individual with a DSM-5 diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) who also had a general medical diagnosis of cystic fibrosis (CF).
- Delivery of evidence-based treatment to individuals with OCD and CF presents a challenge for clinicians, as they need to consider the necessary contact precautions to reduce the risk for respiratory infection and exacerbations of symptoms of CF.
- Contamination fears are common in OCD and require careful attention within the application of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) with exposure with response prevention (ERP) for individuals with CF as the accompanying cleaning rituals may play a protective role.
- Therapists providing CBT with ERP can work collaboratively with other professionals and individuals (who are themselves experts in the day-to-day management CF) to cipher out the actual versus anxiety driven obsessions and compulsions, and higher versus lower risk contexts.