Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as a first line treatment for OCD: A clinical case study

Abstract

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is one of most resistant psychiatric disorders and with elevated levels of related suffering. Hence, the combination between pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy is recommended as a clinical approach. Although, this therapeutic option may also show significant rates of therapeutic failure, sometimes related to psychotherapeutic components, the majority of them coming from a cognitive behavioral tradition. This study aims to analyze the effect of a treatment based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on TOC symptomatology and satisfaction with the valued goals. Thereupon, an OCD clinical case is presented. An ACT based treatment was applied along 18 individual sessions. As a result, a decrease in OCD psychopathology, anxiety, and depressive symptomatology, was observed; moreover, the pharmacological treatment was cut down; furthermore, higher levels of satisfaction about their valued directions were also found. To sum up, this study highlights the feasibility of implementing an ACT based treatment as a first-line intervention for people suffering an obsessive-compulsive disorder.