Ahead of the Curve: Responses From Patients in Treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder to Coronavirus Disease 2019
Alongside concern about the physical health impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis, public health officials have also raised concerns about the potential for massive mental health impact. This has led many to wonder, how are individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2020-10-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.572153/full |
| _version_ | 1811210104292245504 |
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| author | Jennie M. Kuckertz Jennie M. Kuckertz Nathaniel Van Kirk Nathaniel Van Kirk David Alperovitz David Alperovitz Jacob A. Nota Jacob A. Nota Martha J. Falkenstein Martha J. Falkenstein Meghan Schreck Meghan Schreck Jason W. Krompinger Jason W. Krompinger |
| author_facet | Jennie M. Kuckertz Jennie M. Kuckertz Nathaniel Van Kirk Nathaniel Van Kirk David Alperovitz David Alperovitz Jacob A. Nota Jacob A. Nota Martha J. Falkenstein Martha J. Falkenstein Meghan Schreck Meghan Schreck Jason W. Krompinger Jason W. Krompinger |
| author_sort | Jennie M. Kuckertz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Alongside concern about the physical health impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis, public health officials have also raised concerns about the potential for massive mental health impact. This has led many to wonder, how are individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and especially those with contamination fears, doing in the era of COVID-19? We present data from eight patients in our residential treatment program for OCD who were admitted prior to any COVID-19 restrictions and continued in treatment at the facility during the pandemic. Much like the general population, our patients varied in the ways they were impacted by COVID-19, yet the majority experienced improvements in OCD symptoms despite the context. This is not to downplay the many ways in which our patients were personally affected by COVID-19. Rather our patients’ relatively resilient responses mirror our program’s treatment model, which emphasizes exposure and response prevention (ERP) within the complementary framework of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). The intention of this article is to challenge the notion that by definition this population will fare worse than the general public or that ERP cannot proceed effectively during this time. In contrast, we underscore that effective OCD treatment can and should continue in the era of COVID-19. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T04:49:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cf31cf9f26024d1185405d2cc2916a44 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T04:49:21Z |
| publishDate | 2020-10-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-cf31cf9f26024d1185405d2cc2916a442022-12-22T03:47:20ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782020-10-011110.3389/fpsyg.2020.572153572153Ahead of the Curve: Responses From Patients in Treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder to Coronavirus Disease 2019Jennie M. Kuckertz0Jennie M. Kuckertz1Nathaniel Van Kirk2Nathaniel Van Kirk3David Alperovitz4David Alperovitz5Jacob A. Nota6Jacob A. Nota7Martha J. Falkenstein8Martha J. Falkenstein9Meghan Schreck10Meghan Schreck11Jason W. Krompinger12Jason W. Krompinger13Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Institute, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United StatesObsessive Compulsive Disorder Institute, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United StatesObsessive Compulsive Disorder Institute, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United StatesObsessive Compulsive Disorder Institute, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United StatesObsessive Compulsive Disorder Institute, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United StatesObsessive Compulsive Disorder Institute, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United StatesObsessive Compulsive Disorder Institute, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United StatesAlongside concern about the physical health impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis, public health officials have also raised concerns about the potential for massive mental health impact. This has led many to wonder, how are individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and especially those with contamination fears, doing in the era of COVID-19? We present data from eight patients in our residential treatment program for OCD who were admitted prior to any COVID-19 restrictions and continued in treatment at the facility during the pandemic. Much like the general population, our patients varied in the ways they were impacted by COVID-19, yet the majority experienced improvements in OCD symptoms despite the context. This is not to downplay the many ways in which our patients were personally affected by COVID-19. Rather our patients’ relatively resilient responses mirror our program’s treatment model, which emphasizes exposure and response prevention (ERP) within the complementary framework of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). The intention of this article is to challenge the notion that by definition this population will fare worse than the general public or that ERP cannot proceed effectively during this time. In contrast, we underscore that effective OCD treatment can and should continue in the era of COVID-19.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.572153/fullobsessive compulsive disorderanxietyCOVID-19coronavirusacceptance and commitment therapyexposure and response prevention |
| spellingShingle | Jennie M. Kuckertz Jennie M. Kuckertz Nathaniel Van Kirk Nathaniel Van Kirk David Alperovitz David Alperovitz Jacob A. Nota Jacob A. Nota Martha J. Falkenstein Martha J. Falkenstein Meghan Schreck Meghan Schreck Jason W. Krompinger Jason W. Krompinger Ahead of the Curve: Responses From Patients in Treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder to Coronavirus Disease 2019 Frontiers in Psychology obsessive compulsive disorder anxiety COVID-19 coronavirus acceptance and commitment therapy exposure and response prevention |
| title | Ahead of the Curve: Responses From Patients in Treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder to Coronavirus Disease 2019 |
| title_full | Ahead of the Curve: Responses From Patients in Treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder to Coronavirus Disease 2019 |
| title_fullStr | Ahead of the Curve: Responses From Patients in Treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder to Coronavirus Disease 2019 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ahead of the Curve: Responses From Patients in Treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder to Coronavirus Disease 2019 |
| title_short | Ahead of the Curve: Responses From Patients in Treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder to Coronavirus Disease 2019 |
| title_sort | ahead of the curve responses from patients in treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder to coronavirus disease 2019 |
| topic | obsessive compulsive disorder anxiety COVID-19 coronavirus acceptance and commitment therapy exposure and response prevention |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.572153/full |
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