Videoconference- and cell phone-based cognitive-behavioral therapy of obsessive-compulsive disorder: A case series

For most patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) the availability of exposure-based therapy is limited. In our study six outpatients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) received 15 sessions of therapy delivered only over teleconference (six sessions) and cell phones (nine sessions) over a 3-month period of time. Five of the patients were women and the average age of the participants was 31.5 (SD = 8.1). Patients presented a variety of OCD symptoms which were treated with standard exposure and response prevention exercises both during treatment sessions and as a part of homework exercises. All patients rated the treatment format as acceptable and rated the quality of the working alliance as high. At the end of therapy four of the six patients were highly improved and no longer met diagnostic criteria for OCD according to the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV and the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale. The same was true at 3-month follow-up although some small increases in OCD symptoms had occurred. The innovative treatment format shows promise as a method of delivery that may make treatment accessible for patients with poor access to specialty clinics.

► CBT was delivered exclusively by videoconference- and cell phone sessions to six adults with OCD.
► Average reductions of 50% in o-c symptoms were comparable to reductions after face-to-face CBT.
► Patients rated the delivery methods and the quality of the therapeutic alliance as highly acceptable.
► This method may potentially make evidence supported treatments more available in rural locations.