Narrative Therapy for Treatment-Resistant Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Phase

N/A

Condition

Panic Disorders

Anxiety Disorders

Kleptomania

Treatment

N/A

Clinical Study ID

NCT04154085

4136016

Ages 18-65
All Genders

Study Summary

This is a prospective exploratory study using narrative therapy in group format, over 20 sessions, 2 hours per session, weekly, to determine whether this modality can provide any benefit to OCD symptoms, mood, sense of social connectedness, sense of identity, and/or quality of life in individuals living with treatment-resistant OCD. NOTE: an amendment is now in place so that the group can occur virtually given the COVID pandemic; Zoom will be used as our platform.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion

Inclusion Criteria:

Able to speak and write fluently in English.
Patients who have participated in the intensive/residential program or group programsand/or have received pharmacotherapy with a psychiatrist at the Frederick W. ThomsponAnxiety Disorder Centre
Patients between the ages of 18-65
Only patients who have treatment-resistant OCD are eligible. For the purposes of thisstudy we are defining this as: failure to achieve remission after having tried 1) Atleast two first-line SSRI's AND either clomipramine or atypical antipsychoticaugmentation, and 2) at least one full course of exposure and response prevention (ERP), or our intensive/residential program.

Exclusion

Exclusion Criteria:

those with active substance abuse/dependence within three months
suspected organic pathology
recent suicide attempt/active suicidality
current self-injurious behaviour
active bipolar or psychotic disorder
history of aggression

Study Design

January 02, 2021

September 02, 2021

Study Description

Many patients referred to the Thompson Centre at Sunnybrook have severe OCD, and have significant and disabling symptoms even after completing our treatment protocols, including our intensive and residential programs. These patients have already undergone traditional cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and exposure and response prevention (ERP), as well as pharmacotherapy. Patients voice distress at their poor quality of life and high symptom burden, and can feel hopeless, if they have exhausted numerous evidence-based treatment options without significant improvement. Narrative therapy is a unique approach, based on the premise that language reflects a social construction of reality. Individuals with severe mental illness hold within themselves life narratives that reinforce their painful beliefs about themselves, the world, and others. Evidence indicates that narrative therapy can help to create a more cohesive identity and a more flexible view of the self and the future.

Our primary goal is to determine whether narrative therapy could improve OCD symptom burden and quality of life in a highly treatment-resistant population. Domains such as mood, identity, and interpersonal connectedness are secondary measures. The research questions are: could narrative therapy lead to symptomatic improvement in treatment-resistant OCD? And could narrative therapy improve the domains of mood, interpersonal connectedness, and/or identity in patients with treatment-resistant OCD?

Connect with a study center

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Toronto, Ontario M4N3M5
Canada
Site Not Available

Not the study for you?

Let us help you find the best match. Sign up as a volunteer and receive email notifications when clinical trials are posted in the medical category of interest to you.