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Evaluation ViewAttendees 20

Clinical Round Table

Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders

Clinical Round Table 13 - Mental Compulsions: Assessment and Treatment Using an EX/RP Approach

Saturday, November 16, 2024
12:30 PM – 2:00 PM EST
Location: Grand Ballroom A, Level 5, Downtown Marriott
Earn 1.5 Credit
Keywords: OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention),
Recommended Readings: Williams, M. T., Farris, S. G., Turkheimer, E., Pinto, A., Ozanick, K., Franklin, M. E., Liebowitz, M., Simpson, H.B., & Foa, E. B. (2011). Myth of the pure obsessional type in obsessive–compulsive disorder. Depression and anxiety, 28(6), 495-500.,   Grayson, J. (2014). Freedom from obsessive compulsive disorder: A personalized recovery program for living with uncertainty. Penguin.,   Sibrava, N. J., Boisseau, C. L., Mancebo, M. C., Eisen, J. L., & Rasmussen, S. A. (2011). Prevalence and clinical characteristics of mental rituals in a longitudinal clinical sample of obsessive–compulsive disorder. Depression and Anxiety, 28(10), 892-898.,   ,  

    Moderator(s)

  • Anthony Puliafico, Ph.D.

    Associate Professor of Medical Psychology (in Psychiatry)
    Columbia University Medical Center
    Tarrytown, New York, United States

  • Joanna A. Robin, Ph.D.

    Director and Founder
    Westchester Anxiety Treatment Psychological Services, PC
    White Plains, New York, United States

    • Presenter(s)

  • Jiayi Lin, Psy.D.

    Assistant Professor of Medical Psychology in Psychiatry; Training Director, CUCARD-Midtown
    Columbia University Medical Center
    New York, New York, United States

  • ST

    Steven Tsao, Ph.D.

    Co-Founder
    Center for Anxiety & Behavior Therapy
    Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States

  • GW

    Geoffrey A. Wiegand, Ph.D.

    Director of OCD-IOP, Clinical Psychologist
    Seattle Children’s Hospital & University of Washington (Psychiatry)
    Bellevue, Washington, United States

Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, affects up to 2% of the population and often disrupts an individual's ability to work, maintain relationships, and complete daily tasks of living. Indeed, the World Health Organization considers OCD one of the top 10 most disabling disorders. OCD is characterized by the presence of obsessions, or thoughts or images that increase anxiety or discomfort, and compulsions intended to relieve feelings of anxiety or discomfort. Whereas compulsions can be physical (e.g., checking an oven) or mental (e.g., reviewing one's recent drive to ensure she did not hit someone), mental compulsions can often go unnoticed as they typically more subtle and less observable than physical compulsions. Indeed, individuals primarily experiencing mental compulsions are often misclassified as having "pure Obsession" OCD or another anxiety disorder as the individual's compulsions are not properly identified. Thus, proper assessment and treatment of mental compulsions are essential skills for clinicians working with OCD populations.This clinical roundtable will focus on the assessment and treatment of mental compulsions as they present in OCD. In specific, the roundtable will (a) review common mental compulsions that present across the lifespan and discuss obsessions and underlying fears typically associated with these compulsions, (b) outline best practices for assessment of mental compulsions, (c) review EX/RP interventions that target mental compulsions, (d) discuss the presentation and treatment of mental compulsions in children, and (e) comment on common barriers to treating mental compulsions and how to overcome them.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, the learner will be able to:
  1. Describe up to three common mental compulsions that present in individuals with OCD.
  2. Summarize a strategy for effectively assessing for mental compulsions and differentiating mental compulsions from obsessions.
  3. Discuss a cognitive-behavioral treatment technique to reduce the frequency of mental compulsions.
  4. Explain a developmentally appropriate intervention to address mental compulsions when presenting in children.
  5. Outline a common barrier to treating mental compulsions and an approach to overcome this barrier.
  6. Appropriately identify mental compulsions and their relationship to obsessions during an assessment of OCD symptoms.