Innovation in obsessive compulsive disorder: A commentary

Abstract

As noted in this commentary, the research in this special issue presents several conceptual and methodological innovations that advance out understanding of obsessions and compulsions. The issue spans a broad range of topics from basic psychological processes such as selfhood themes, perceptions of internal states, and preference for visual symmetry to new insights into compulsions and other forms of neutralization to promising treatment approaches for special OCD symptom presentations. The implications of this research for understanding vulnerability to OCD and the role of compulsions are discussed and three methodological challenges are highlighted that require further attention by OCD researchers.