
The treatment will benefit those without easy access to other forms of treatment. Image: Shutterstock
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder sufferers can now receive treatment via email.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is one of the most common mental health issues, affecting one in 36 Australians at some point in their lives. Sufferers often experience depression, guilt and/or shame about unwanted compulsions or obsessions.
An evidence-based online treatment, Swinburne University of Technology. Patients can either receive treatment via a free self-assisted program or a government-funded program, which provides them with access to a therapist.
“(It’s a) platform of psychological treatments that are available to all Australians,” said Professor Michael Kyrios, who led the research team.
Prospective patients are initially asked to answer a number of questions about their symptoms in order to assess which treatment they should be receiving. “At the beginning of the treatment, you want to know who you’re treating,” said Dr Kyrios.
OCD sufferers often experience co-morbidity with other mental health issues, which also need to be identified before the treatment can progress. Professor Kyrios said 50 per cent of OCD sufferers also suffer from depression. “These things may complicate treatment.”
The patient is then randomly assigned to either an OCD treatment or an anxiety-management treatment. Both treatments last for 12 weeks, at the end of which patients assigned to the anxiety treatment can also receive OCD treatment or vice versa.
Professor Kyrios said the treatment is great for rural and remote areas, where people often have limited access to psychological services. They can now access information whenever they need to via the internet and work through the program at their own pace.
The program will also benefit those living in cities, as there are few OCD specialists available. Professor Kyrios said that patients can continue to receive medication and/or be treated for other issues and still receive the OCD treatment.
Early results from the research have suggested that OCD STOP has been effective in reducing severity of OCD symptoms. A larger study is now underway to see who can benefit from the treatment via a therapist and will continue until the end of 2012.
The researchers are also looking extending this online treatment method for other clinical problems, such as gambling addiction, compulsive hoarding and other mental health issues.