Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavior Therapy (ICBT) for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Abstract

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common and disabling condition. Efficacious treatments have been developed, but many patients have difficulty accessing such treatments and the rate of untreated individuals with OCD is high. Internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy (ICBT) for OCD has been investigated by a number of research groups over the past 5 years with the aim to improve access to evidence-based treatment for this disorder. Results to date are promising for both guided and unguided treatments, and while ICBT is a promising treatment format, there are a number of important future directions that remain unstudied. While investigating these unanswered questions is an important next step, it is hoped that the research conducted to date can be adapted and will lead to similar research in other underserved OCD-related disorders such as body dysmorphic disorder, hoarding disorder, trichotillomania, and excoriation (skin picking) disorder.