Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Pilot Study

• Published in: Journal of psychiatric practice Vol. 25; no. 2; p. 156
• Main Authors: Didonna, Fabrizio, Lanfredi, Mariangela, Xodo, Erica, Ferrari, Clarissa, Rossi, Roberta, Pedrini, Laura
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.03.2019
• Subjects: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - methods; Adult; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Empathy; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Mindfulness - methods; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - therapy; Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Pilot Projects; Psychotherapy, Group; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1538-1145
• DOI: 10.1097/PRA.0000000000000377

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is the first-choice intervention for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD); however, a notable proportion of patients either do not respond to treatment or relapse after CBT. Mindfulness-based treatment has been suggested as an alternative or complementary therapeutic strategy for OCD. However, only a few studies have focused on its application in clinical samples. To evaluate the impact of a new treatment, called "Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy for OCD." It is an 11-session manualized group intervention that integrates elements of CBT, mindfulness, compassion-focused therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy. The program was delivered to 35 patients with a primary diagnosis of OCD. Participants demonstrated good adherence to the intervention. There was a significant reduction in mean total score on the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS-TS) (P<0.001; Cohen d=-0.72). One third of the participants (n=13) showed at least a 25% reduction on the Y-BOCS-TS, and 40% of the sample (n=14) were assigned to a lower Y-BOCS severity category after treatment. Significant changes were also found in depression (P<0.001; d=-0.80), worry (P<0.001; d=-0.79), alexithymia (P<0.01; d=-0.41), dissociation (P<0.05; d=-0.46), and general psychopathology (P<0.001; d=-0.58). Repeated measures linear mixed models showed that OCD symptom reduction was associated with an increase in mindfulness skills, in particular on the acting with awareness (P=0.006), nonjudging (P=0.001), and nonreactivity (P=0.001) facets. Overall, these findings are promising and they suggest that randomized controlled studies be conducted to test the effectiveness of this new treatment program for this challenging and disabling mental disorder.