Intrusive Thoughts Research Articles

MIMIC MODEL OF PROBLEMATIC INTERNET USE SHORT FORM (PIUQ-SF 6) IN INDONESIA

The Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire (PIUQ) consists of three dimensions (Demotrovics, 2016): Obsession (i.e., obsessive thoughts about the internet, and mental withdrawal symptoms when there is a lack of internet use), neglect (i.e., ignoring basic needs and daily activities), and impaired self-control (i.e., difficulty in controlling the internet). This study aims to analyse the PIUQ measuring instrument further using the Rating Scale analysis technique. The number of respondents in this study was 550, who was chosen voluntarily by spreading it on social media. The findings show that this unidimensional PIUQ has excellent validity quality and good item reliability and can be profitable if used on a large scale because of the small number of items. The MIMIC model is ideal; the absence of susceptibility to differences in characteristics indicates that the scale used in the measurement remains consistent in a heterogeneous population.

Opening new vistas on obsessive-compulsive disorder with the observing response task

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a highly prevalent and debilitating disorder, is incompletely understood in terms of underpinning behavioural, psychological, and neural mechanisms. This is attributable to high symptomatic heterogeneity; cardinal features comprise obsessions and compulsions, including clinical subcategories. While obsessive and intrusive thoughts are arguably unique to humans, dysfunctional behaviours analogous to those seen in clinical OCD have been examined in nonhuman animals. Genetic, ethological, pharmacological, and neurobehavioural approaches all contribute to understanding the emergence and persistence of compulsive behaviour. One behaviour of particular interest is maladaptive checking, whereby human patients excessively perform checking rituals despite these serving no purpose. Dysfunctional and excessive checking is the most common symptom associated with OCD and can be readily operationalised in rodents. This review considers animal models of OCD, the neural circuitries associated with impairments in habit-based and goal-directed behaviour, and how these may link to the compulsions observed in OCD. We further review the Observing Response Task (ORT), an appetitive instrumental learning procedure that distinguishes between functional and dysfunctional checking, with translational application in humans and rodents. By shedding light on the psychological and neural bases of compulsive-like checking, the ORT has potential to offer translational insights into the underlying mechanisms of OCD, in addition to being a platform for testing psychological and neurochemical treatment approaches.

The Effectiveness of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety-related disorder. Obsessions are experienced as recurring, unwanted thoughts. In response to obsessions, people feel driven to act with repetitive behaviours, known as compulsions. Obsessions and compulsions cause significant distress and impairment in an individual’s daily life and relationships. OCD is relatively common, with a lifetime prevalence rate between 2%-3%. Thus, research must find an effective treatment for individuals with OCD. This paper examines a relatively new area of research that explores the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to treat OCD. TMS is a non-invasive brain stimulation that has recently shown promising effects in treating psychological disorders. Studies researching TMS on OCD, primarily with individuals who have not responded to previous treatments, have found it to be effective, with symptoms significantly decreasing post-treatment, and with effects lasting up to 3-months post-treatment. Overall, TMS appears to offer an effective alternative for individuals with treatment-resistant OCD. However, while studies on TMS show significant results, participants with greater OCD symptoms and/or sleep disturbances tend to report a decreased response to treatment. Also, studies using TMS typically have limitations with their sample sizes, lack of control groups, and lack of long-term follow-up assessments. Overall, TMS appears to be effective for OCD, but future research needs to address current limitations to determine the true effectiveness of this new treatment.

Perceived worsening of obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms after childbirth in women and men: An understudied phenomenon.

The aim of this study was to examine worsening of OCD symptoms after childbirth in individuals seeking assessment or treatment of OCD. The postpartum period may make parents biologically and psychologically vulnerable to OCD symptoms. Participants included 222 parents with OCD who completed surveys through a self-help website. Most women and almost half of men with self-reported OCD reported an increase in OCD symptoms following childbirth. Retrospective report of perceived worsening of OCD symptoms after childbirth was associated with more aggressive obsessions for both men and women, in comparison to individuals whose OCD symptoms did not worsen around childbirth. Women whose OCD symptoms worsened after childbirth reported more impairment in social functioning than individuals whose symptoms did not worsen. These results highlight the need to develop a better understanding of aggressive obsessions in parents, and improve education about prevalence, content, assessment, and intervention for aggression-focused intrusive thoughts.

Factors affecting the fear of recurrence in Breast cancer patients

The fear of cancer recurrence is defined as a mental state of anxiety or concern that cancer may return or spread. It is assumed to be the commonest unpleasant psychological disorder among cancer survivors. Breast cancer is assumed to be one of the commonest cancers in women. Also, the treatment modalities for breast cancer are strongly developed and there is an increase in the cure rate in recent years. However, surviving cancer patients are still feared of recurrence of the neoplasm. The fear of cancer recurrence affected negatively the patients' health and lowered their quality of life. Therefore, we sought to establish effective preventive strategies to improve the psychological health of patients. We searched the literature and reviewed the most recent available data from 2017 to 2023 to clarify the different factors affecting the fear of cancer recurrence in breast cancer patients.We identified different factors that increase the fear of cancer recurrence in breast cancer patients including; anxiety, chemotherapy, avoidance, intrusive thoughts, distress and exhaustion. Also, we identified other factors that decrease the fear of cancer recurrence in breast cancer patients including; younger age patients, having a good quality of time, good social support and good self-efficacy. Regarding preventive measures; our meta-analysis showed that breast cancer patients who underwent Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction had significant improvements on the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale (P<0.0001), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory scale (P=0.0002) and perceived stress scale (P=0.0004). Also, we noticed that breast cancer patients who underwent blended cognitive behavior therapy or Smartphone problem-solving therapy had lower fear of cancer recurrence than those who received usual care. Finally, we advocate more research articles applying different modalities to overcome FCR in patients with breast cancer. Also, we recommend the use of different psychological treatments for patients with breast cancer to decrease their fear of cancer recurrence and improve their health.

Relationship between transcranial magnetic stimulation markers of motor control and clinical recovery in obsessive compulsive disorder/Gilles de la Tourette syndrome: a proof of concept case study.

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) are neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by difficulties in controlling intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and undesired actions (tics), respectively. Both conditions have been associated with abnormal inhibition but a tangible deficit of inhibitory control abilities is controversial in GTS. Here, we examined a 25 years-old male patient with severe OCD symptoms and a mild form of GTS, where impairments in motor control were central. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was applied over the primary motor cortex (M1) to elicit motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) during four experimental sessions, allowing us to assess the excitability of motor intracortical circuitry at rest as well as the degree of MEP suppression during action preparation, a phenomenon thought to regulate movement initiation. When tested for the first time, the patient presented a decent level of MEP suppression during action preparation, but he exhibited a lack of intracortical inhibition at rest, as evidenced by reduced short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) and long-interval intracortical inhibition (LICI). Interestingly, the patient's symptomatology drastically improved over the course of the sessions (reduced obsessions and tics), coinciding with feedback given on his good motor control abilities. These changes were reflected in the TMS measurements, with a significant strengthening of intracortical inhibition (SICI and LICI more pronounced than previously) and a more selective tuning of MEPs during action preparation; MEPs became even more suppressed, or selectively facilitated depending on the behavioral condition in which they we probed. This study highlights the importance of better understanding motor inhibitory mechanisms in neurodevelopmental disorders and suggests a biofeedback approach as a potential novel treatment.

Gradual improvement in functioning and mental distress during long-term outpatient SUD treatment – A prospective pre-post study

BackgroundGlobally, outpatient programs for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment have gained prominence. To assess the broader clinical implications of this trend we investigated shifts in functioning experienced by outpatients undergoing treatment. MethodsWe describe the clinical characteristics of a cohort of 93 SUD patients in a Norwegian outpatient treatment clinic. Using paired-samples t-tests, we examined changes in perceived functioning, mental distress, and other clinically relevant outcome variables in a 5-month time interval during the treatment course. ResultsWe obtained follow-up data for 67 (72%) of the included patients, with no significant difference in patient-related factors between those who completed the treatment course and those who were not assessed at follow-up. Perceived functioning increased significantly from study inclusion (Time 0) (mean 19.8, standard deviation ± 8.8) to its conclusion (Time 1) (24.3, ±9.3; t (66) = 4.5, (95% CI: 2.5–6.5, p < 0.001). We also identified significant improvement in most other measured variables, including mental distress, self-reported sleep quality, restlessness, and obsessive thinking. Substance use–related variables showed a modest, non-significant improvement at T1. ConclusionDuring a 5-month course of outpatient treatment, patients’ subjective experience of functioning improved significantly. Those with the lowest functioning levels at T0 improved the most. Structured monitoring may be a valuable clinical tool for personalizing intervention, enhancing treatment outcomes, and supporting the clinical decision-making process.

A Systematic Review of Thought Control Strategies in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Among all the neurotic conditions obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) considered as a debilitating one. Obsessive thoughts are categorized as unwanted, repetitive and intrusive thoughts, impulses or images that lead a sufferer to an unpleasant sate, called anxiety. In order to get relief from the unpleasant state caused by the obsessive thoughts, some repetitive behaviors or rituals performed by the sufferers which are regarded as compulsions. Basically, these rituals are performed with the intent to alleviate the anxiety stemming from obsessive thoughts. These obsessive thoughts are also common among people without having OCD (Clark &amp; De Silva, 1985). The cognitive formulations of OCD have proposed theories regarding how “normal” Intrusive thoughts have the potential to evolve into diagnosed obsessions (Clark, 2004; Rachman, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2003; Salkovskis, 1985, 1999). The ego-dystonic thought contents, such as aggressiveness, blasphemy, and infection, in the first instance, encourages frightening interpretations of their appearance. These unhelpful interpretations lead individuals to consciously try to manage or ignore intrusive thoughts in an attempt to lessen the discomfort they feel or to avoid anticipated negative outcomes. (Rachman, 1998). Therefore, it is thought that efforts to suppress and/or control intrusive thoughts are crucial in the development and/or upkeep of clinical obsessions. However, it has been found that intrusive thoughts are less distressing in case of normal people compared to those having OCD (Rachman&amp; De Silva, 1978; Salkoskis&amp;Harrison 1984). If obsessive thoughts are experienced by both people having OCD and without having OCD then why do these thoughts are distressing among former than the latter?

Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Interventions in the Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic and debilitating mental health condition characterized by persistent intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions). While cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) involving exposure and response prevention (ERP) and pharmacotherapy with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are first-line treatments, many individuals continue to experience persistent symptoms or achieve only partial remission. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), which aim to cultivate present-moment awareness and acceptance of internal experiences, have emerged as a promising adjunctive or alternative treatment approach for OCD. This review synthesizes the existing literature on the use of MBIs, such as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), for OCD. Potential mechanisms by which MBIs may benefit individuals with OCD include improved attentional regulation, enhanced emotion regulation skills, reduced cognitive inflexibility through promoting cognitive defusion, and decreased experiential avoidance of intrusive thoughts and urges. Several studies have demonstrated the efficacy of MBIs in reducing OCD symptom severity, and providing insights into how MBIs can increase acceptance, improve emotion regulation, and foster a greater sense of control over symptoms.

The moderating role of food cravings in the relationship between weight suppression and eating disorder psychopathology in college students.

Weight suppression (WS), the difference between an individual's current and highest adult weight, is predictive of eating-related pathology across diagnostic categories and poor eating disorder treatment outcomes, but findings from non-clinical samples have been mixed. Cravings are strong urges for specific foods that are subjectively difficult to resist. Food cravings are now widely conceptualized as cognitive-affective states characterized by intrusive thoughts that are perceived as distressing and can interfere with adaptive functioning. Food cravings are known antecedents of binge eating, but little is known about how they interact with WS. We examined the obsessive-compulsive aspects of food cravings as potential moderators of the association between WS and eating disorder symptoms in general, and binge eating specifically in a cross-sectional study of college students. Participants (n = 144, 60.4% female) self-reported their height and current and past highest adult weight and completed the Binge Eating Scale (BES), Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q), and Obsessive Compulsive Eating Scale (OCES). Main and interactive effects of WS and OCES scores on EDE-Q global and BES scores were examined in regression models. There were significant main effects of OCES scores on overall eating disorder symptom severity as well as binge frequency, with those endorsing more craving-related intrusive thoughts and compulsive urges engaging in maladaptive behaviors more frequently. WS alone did not consistently cross-sectionally predict eating disorder psychopathology. Findings suggest that food cravings are significantly associated with disordered eating symptoms and specifically binge eating frequency and should be accounted for in future research on WS in clinical and non-clinical samples.

The post-traumatic in the story “My Star, My Wormwood…” by Tetiana Lavrova

The need for a literary interpretation of the manifestations of post-traumatic stress determines the relevance of the study. The purpose of this article is to characterize the manifestations of the post-traumatic issues in the short story “My Star, My Wormwood…” by Tetiana Lavrova (2002). To achieve this goal, contextual and psychological analysis, comparative, structuralist methods were used. The novelty of the article consists of the introduction of a story by the little-known writer T. Lavrova (married Mitsinska), which was published in the pages of the magazine “Vitchyzna”. The results of the study. The manifestations of the post-traumatic disorder of the character of the story at the mental, emotional, physical, and behavioral levels were analyzed. The following emotional reactions to trauma were identified: despondency, anxiety, disorientation, denial, emotional swings, intrusive thoughts about trauma, lack of control, a tendency to isolate, feelings of alienation, a decrease in interest in everyday activities, or depression. The results of the study prove that the manifestation of the character’s post-traumatic disorder is the lack of verbalization of emotions, realized due to the incompleteness of sentences. It is noted that T. Lavrovа realizes the reflection of the psyche of a person affected by trauma by resorting to the techniques of direct psychologism (“stream of consciousness”, “inner speech”). The writer uses forms of self-narrative with numerous self-reflective passages. The traumatic bifurcation of the character of the story “My Star, My Wormwood…” by T. Lavrova is revealed linguistically. The writer focuses on the individual issues (in this case, the tragedy of the nameless woman). At the same time, the namelessness of the character indicates the orientation towards the typicality of the tragic situation. It turns out that the author presents not the image of the events themselves, but the image of how they are reflected in the mind of the character. The analysis of fragments of the story makes it possible to understand the search for answers to questions of existence, the main categories of which in this work are sin and atonement. Special emphasis is placed on disclosing the donor zone of the ontological metaphor with the “liquid” element.

Unpacking Teachers' Mental Health: Unveiling the COVID-19 Impact on Intrusive Thoughts, Hyperarousal, and Avoidance

Unpacking Teachers' Mental Health: Unveiling the COVID-19 Impact on Intrusive Thoughts, Hyperarousal, and Avoidance

PTSD biomarkers: Neuroendocrine signaling to epigenetic variants.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by exposure to traumatic events and involves symptom domains such as intrusive thoughts, avoidant behaviors, negative mood, and cognitive dysfunction. The disorder can be chronic and debilitating, and the heterogenous nature and varied presentation of PTSD has afforded difficulty in determining efficacious treatment. The ability to identify biomarkers for PTSD risk, prognosis, or for the purposes of treatment, would be highly valuable. There is evidence for peripheral biomarkers related to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, the immune system, neurotransmitters and neurohormones, while genome and epigenome wide association studies have identified genes of interest relating to neurocircuitry, monoaminergic function, and the immune system. Importantly, however, reproducibility is a persistent issue. Considerations for future research include the need for well-powered and well-designed studies to determine directionality, in addition to considering biomarkers as they relate to symptom domains and the spectrum of symptom severity rather than dichotomous diagnostic outcomes. We conclude by recommending the staging of biological processes and PTSD symptoms, from subsyndromal to chronic, which could eventually facilitate selection of personalized treatment interventions for individuals with PTSD, in addition to serving as a future framework for biomarker data.

Effectiveness of Transdiagnostic Child Therapy Combined with Maternal Acceptance and Commitment Intervention on Anxiety and Depression in Anxious Children and Obsessive Thoughts Related to COVID-19 in Mothers with Corona Anxiety

Objective: The aim of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of transdiagnostic child therapy with and without maternal acceptance and commitment intervention on anxiety and depression in anxious children and obsessive thoughts related to COVID-19 in mothers with corona anxiety. Methods and Materials: The method of this research was a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test-post-test (two experimental groups and one control group) along with a two-month follow-up period. The population included all anxious elementary school students in the second half of the year 2021-2022 in districts 1 and 2 of Sari city whose mothers also had corona anxiety. Transdiagnostic child-parent centered intervention combined with acceptance and commitment therapy for the parent was applied in the first group, and transdiagnostic child-parent centered intervention without acceptance and commitment therapy for the parent in the second experimental group, while the control group received no intervention. Sixty participants were selected through purposive sampling. They were then randomly assigned into 3 groups (Group 1; transdiagnostic child-parent centered intervention with parental acceptance and commitment intervention (20 participants), Group 2; transdiagnostic child-centered intervention without parental acceptance and commitment intervention (20 participants), and Group 3; as the control group (20 participants)). For data collection, depression and anxiety questionnaires were used for children, and a practical obsessive-compulsive questionnaire with COVID-19 was used for mothers. For the implementation of interventions, Ehrenreich-May et al.'s (2019) transdiagnostic intervention (12 90-minute group sessions twice a week), and Eifert et al.'s (2017) acceptance and commitment therapy (12 90-minute group sessions twice a week) were utilized. For data analysis, repeated measures ANOVA with SPSS software, version 26 was used. Findings: The results of the repeated measures ANOVA regarding the children showed that the effectiveness of transdiagnostic child therapy combined with maternal acceptance and commitment intervention was significantly greater than transdiagnostic child therapy without acceptance and commitment intervention for the mother, in terms of anxiety and depression. Although anxiety and depression decreased in both experimental groups and were stable over time. The results of the repeated measures ANOVA regarding mothers showed that there was no significant difference in the effectiveness of transdiagnostic child therapy combined with maternal acceptance and commitment intervention with transdiagnostic child therapy without acceptance and commitment intervention for the mother regarding obsessive thoughts, although both interventions showed significant effectiveness over time. Conclusion: Therefore, it is recommended that therapists and counselors use this treatment in conjunction with other therapeutic interventions to improve the interaction between children and parents.

COVID-19-related Obsessions and Compulsions after the Full Control of the Pandemic: A Sample of the Nonpsychiatric Saudi Young Adults

Abstract Background: Symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), contamination type has increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, whether these symptoms would decrease after introducing the vaccines is unknown. Thus, this study examined the prevalence of COVID-19-related OCD among young adults who had never been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder after fully controlling the pandemic. Methods: A sample of 351 young adults from all Saudi regions, whose ages ranged from 18-year-old to 25-year-old, were collected virtually in March and April 2022, via using an Arabic online survey that was distributed through social networks which included socio-demographic characteristics, COVID-19-related items, and COVID-19-related obsessions and compulsions assessment items. Results: Most of the participants were females (83.2%), had received the 3rd dose of the vaccine (69.80%), and reported having no obsessive thoughts or compulsive behaviors related to COVID-19 (91.5%, 96.6%). Despite this, males still had lower scores of OCD symptoms related to COVID-19 compared to females (9.98 vs. 14.29). The results also show that the mean scores of OCD symptoms decreased with each vaccine shot, 16.80 ± 18.91, 14.12 ± 10.85, and 13.27 ± 11.27 for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd doses, respectively. Conclusion: Introducing the COVID-19 vaccine may reduce the onsets of obsessions and compulsive behaviors related to contamination. Some compulsive behaviors might be considered the new normal as they do not cause functional impairment.

Structure and features of psychopathological symptoms in forced migrants and internally displaced persons

Aim: To study the structure and characteristics of psychopathological symptoms in FM who left Ukraine as a result of the full-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, and internally displaced persons, in a comparative aspect. Materials and Methods: Examination was performed in compliance with the principles of biomedical ethics, based on informed consent. Research was provided on the basis of the Ternopil Regional Clinical Psychoneurological Hospital. Inclusion criteria were women who were forced to leave the territory of Ukraine as a result of hostilities after February 24, 2022, and who left for temporary residence in the territory of the Republic of Poland (Poland) (FM), and women who were temporarily relocated within Ukraine in connection with connection with hostilities (IDP). Exclusion criteria from the study were presence of language disorders, pronounced cognitive disorders, severe somatic condition. The examination was organized by the method of a semi-structured clinical interview according to the developed by us protocol and was conducted remotely. During the examination, depressive, anxiety-phobic, asthenic and dyssomnic disorders, addictive behavior and symptoms of PTSDwere identified and verified. Statistical and mathematical processing a was carried out using Fisher’s exact test. Results: The data we obtained indicate a significant spread of psychopathological symptoms in FM and IDP. Conclusions: FM and IDP are characterized by a high incidence of psychopathological symptoms. The most frequent were: depressed mood (FM – 67.2%, IDP – 58.5%), feelings of anxiety and fear (FM –52.5%, IDP – 43.6%), obsessive thoughts (FM – 58.9 %, IDP – 49.5%).

Orgasmic Disorder as Correlates of Marital Satisfaction among Couples in Tertiary Institutions in Benue State, Nigeria

The study examined orgasmic disorder as correlates of Sexual Satisfaction among couples in tertiary institutions in Benue State – Nigeria. Correlational survey design was adopted for the study. The population of the study was 2626 academic staff while 322 married academic staff were sampled using multi-stage sampling procedure for all the 9 tertiary institutions in Benue State for the study. The instruments for data collection used in the study were Couple Satisfaction Index (CSI) and Sexual Functioning Questionnaire (SFQ) with reliability coefficients of 0.793 for Couple Satisfaction Index (CSI) and 0.0675 for Sexual Functioning Questionnaire (SFQ) respectively. Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMC) was used to test hypotheses at 0.05 significance. The result showed that there is a significant negative relationship between orgasmic disorder and marital satisfaction. Based on the findings, it is suggested that treatment plans for couples with orgasmic disorder should consider the client’s connection with their spouse, recognizing the interdependence between the two. Counsellors can utilize a Mindfulness-Based approach to help couples identify their thoughts and feelings, model adjustments, and offer encouragement during therapy. This facilitates the development of acceptance, compassion, and control over intrusive and ruminative thoughts. The study concluded that there is negative correlation between orgasmic disorder and marital satisfaction of couples in tertiary institutions in Benue State – Nigeria.

Impact of repetitive negative thinking on subjective cognitive decline: insights into cognition and brain structure.

Individuals with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) express concern about self-perceived cognitive decline despite no objective impairment and are at higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Despite documented links between SCD and repetitive negative thinking (RNT), the specific impact of RNT on brain integrity and cognition in exacerbating the SCD condition remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the influence of RNT on global cognition and brain integrity, and their interrelationships among healthy middle-aged and older adults experiencing SCD. Out of 616 individuals with neuroimaging and neuropsychological data available, 89 (mean age = 56.18 years; 68.54% females) met SCD criteria. Eighty-nine non-SCD individuals matched by age, sex, and education were also selected and represented the control group (mean age = 56.09 years; 68.54% females). Global cognition was measured using the preclinical Alzheimer's cognitive composite (PACC5), which includes dementia screening, episodic memory, processing speed, and category fluency tests. RNT was calculated through three questionnaires assessing intrusive thoughts, persistent worry, and rumination. We generated cortical thickness (CTh) maps and quantified the volume of white matter lesions (WML) in the whole brain, as grey and white matter integrity measures, respectively. SCD individuals exhibited higher RNT scores, and thinner right temporal cortex compared to controls. No differences were observed in PACC5 and WML burden between groups. Only the SCD group demonstrated positive associations in the CTh-PACC5, CTh-RNT, and WML-RNT relationships. In this cross-sectional study, RNT was exclusively associated with brain integrity in SCD. Even though our findings align with the broader importance of investigating treatable psychological factors in SCD, further research may reveal a modulatory effect of RNT on the relationship between cognition and brain integrity in SCD.

Blended individual and group CBT for OCD in adolescents: model description and a feasibility study

Abstract Cognitive-behavioural treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is effective across the lifespan but is not widely available across the range of services. Delivering CBT as a blended treatment combining individual and group-based treatment with flexible parental involvement, adapted to the operational style of any particular service, is a promising option which we aimed to examine in OCD with adolescent samples. In a young people’s service based in a University Hospital, we evaluated the impact of a blended treatment combined with flexible parental involvement with adolescents (age 14–18 years of age). The CBT model used with OCD sufferers was a formulation driven approach, emphasising the importance of providing an alternative account linked to the way responsibility beliefs lead to compulsive behaviour. Six consecutively referred adolescents with their parents participated in a treatment group. Intervention consisted of eight individual meetings, eight group meetings and two meetings with parents. Five of six adolescents carried out the whole intervention. Of all participants, 5/5 scored in the clinical range for OCD at baseline, and 5/5 were no longer in the clinical range by the end of treatment; 5/5 were in the clinical range on general psychiatric problems at baseline, and 4/5 were rated as recovered at the end of treatment. Comparable changes were noted in measures of responsibility linked to intrusive thoughts. Use of a blended individual/group treatment based on a CBT model is feasible, with the results obtained being consistent with previous work on individual CBT treatment. Key learning aims (1) Delivering CBT to adolescents with OCD as a blended treatment combining individual and group-based treatment with flexible parental involvement is a promising option which merits further evaluation. (2) OCD symptoms and general psychiatric symptoms were reduced during and after treatment. (3) Use of a blended treatment based on a CBT model is feasible.

The level and quality of understanding of intrusive thoughts in preschool children

The level and quality of understanding of intrusive thoughts in preschool children