This week, GGtude co-founder and CSO Prof. Guy Doron participated as a panelist in International OCD Foundation’s special event about Relationship OCD.
Join IOCDF lead advocate Chris Trondsen, MS, AMFT, APCC and panelists Prof. Guy Doron, Dr. Danny S. Derby, and Zoe Homonoff as they discuss Relationship OCD (ROCD) and answer your questions.
If you have been struggling with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), you know, all too well, that it can inflict an immense amount of pressure, distress, and conflict on your everyday life. OCD can get in the way of essentially everything you do, interfering with work, relationships, social outings, and your leisure time. Even in those moments when you try to relax—when you yearn for a break from the constant obsessions and compulsions—your OCD is still there, like a cloud, lingering over you at all times.
Effectively managing OCD is possible. In fact, implementing effective cognitive and behavioral coping strategies can not only decrease and eliminate obsessions and compulsions, but it can also empower you as you discover your inner strength and courage to confront this challenging and trying disorder. Below we will discuss five of the most effective coping methods for your OCD.
Challenging? Yes, it sure is. Exposure to your most feared situations or activities will require all of your innermost bravery. Most of all, executing this strategy takes your wholehearted commitment to ridding yourself of your obsessions and of performing compulsions.
Exposure works by creating a hierarchy of the situations or activities that you avoid or fear and then gradually—at your own pace—exposing yourself without engaging in the compulsion. Think of exposure as getting comfortable with the things you dread and avoid the most.
If actual exposure to your fears—and the situations, things, or activities that you avoid—seems like too much, too soon, there’s another very effective method of exposing yourself. Imaginal exposure is a strategy that involves picturing yourself in the feared or avoided situation as you successfully conquer those situations or tasks. If it means envisioning yourself touching a doorknob and then not washing your hands, imaging this scenario opens up the possibility that you can eventually build up to—and get comfortable with—not washing your hands afterwards in real-life.
If you haven’t jumped on the mindfulness, deep breathing, or meditation bandwagon yet, don’t delay! These exercises are critical in managing your OCD. Relaxation strategies can alleviate tension, stress, and worry on the spot, but these techniques tend to have a cumulative effect. You will be able to see the benefits when you practice them every day.
The underlying force that contributes to and maintains your OCD are a myriad of negative thoughts and beliefs that you might not even be fully aware of. However, those negative cognitions are there and they certainly influence obsessions and compulsions.
You can cope with OCD by doing your own, personal research experiment. Rituals are likely a big part of your daily life as you struggle with OCD, but you can take small steps to not do a certain ritual. The purpose of this is to see for yourself whether the consequence(s) that you fear most will actually occur. Since not doing a ritual might cause you to feel distress, fear, or other unpleasant emotions, you can begin this test by not doing a ritual that won’t stress you out too much, but will still challenge you a bit. Tell yourself that you will “just let this one go” as you stop yourself from doing the ritual. Then, watch and see if the scenario that you fear most actually occurs. This exercise breaks the connection you have created in your mind between the ritual and preventing something bad from happening. With practice and repetition, you can discover that the ritual has no real power.
DISCLAIMER: This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Body dissatisfaction is prevalent in young women and is associated with symptoms of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and Eating Disorders (EDs).
Prof. Guy Doron, co-founder of GGtude, together with a team of students and researchers, wanted to assess the positive effect of our mobile application, based on cognitive behavioral principles, in reducing body dissatisfaction and BDD/ED (Body Dysmorphic Disorder) symptoms in female university students, considered at high-risk of developing Body Image Disorders (BIDs).
Fifty university students at high-risk of developing BIDs (using self-report questionnaires assessing BIDs and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 Clinical Version) were assigned to two random groups: an immediate-use group (iApp group; n = 25) and a delayed-use group (dApp group; n = 25). The iApp group started using the app at baseline for 16 days (T0 to T1). The dApp group waited for 16 days before starting to use the app (T1 to T2). Participants completed questionnaires at baseline (T0), 16 days from baseline (T1), and 32 days from baseline (T2).
Repeated measure Analyses of Variance (ANOVAs) showed a Group interaction on BDD symptoms indicating medium effect size reductions in the iApp group compared to dApp group; post-intervention means for BDD symptoms were under the cut-off for extreme body dissatisfaction/BDD symptoms in both groups.
Training 3 minutes a day for 16 days with our OCD mobile app may lead to reductions in some forms of body dissatisfaction, including BDD symptoms in female university students at high-risk of developing BIDs.
The results show that it’s possible to reduce some forms of body dissatisfaction using the app for 16 days, 3 minutes every day.
You are welcome to try the app for free and see for yourself.
Cerea S., Ghisi, M., Bottesi, G., Manoli, E., Carraro., T., & Doron (in press). Short, Daily Cognitive behavioural Training Using a Mobile Application Reduces Body Image Related Symptoms in High Risk Female University Students: A Randomized Controlled Study. Behavior Therapy.
Doubt is a defensive mechanism. Its purpose is to warn and protect us from mistakes and danger. A good balance between confidence and doubt ensures we can operate in this world freely and happily, and maintain a healthy relationship.
However, some people find it much more common to be unsure about things that for others can be more straightforward. For example, we can get preoccupied or obsessed about our partner, spouse or loved ones. This obsessive behaviour and thinking can prevent us from seeing clearly and making the right choices. Instead of protecting us, it can damage our relationships and our well being.
Worrying, having doubts or even being preoccupied with a particular relationship does not automatically suggest a diagnosis of a relationship obsession.
Like other OCD symptoms, relationship-related OCD symptoms require psychological intervention only when causing significant distress and are incapacitating. Assessing ROCD symptoms, however, is further complicated by the fact that such experiences, even if distressing, may still be a part of the normal course of a still developing relationship, mainly during the flirting and dating stages of a relationship, or reflect real life problems.
When we developed the app, we decided to focus on beliefs as a catalyst for changing maladaptive behaviours. Beliefs are interesting: We often forget about them, but they sit there in the back of our minds and control us, making us respond in specific ways to various stimuli.
Our app is focused on helping people improve their condition whether they have normal doubts or if they suffer from Relationship OCD.
Research shows training for 3-5 minutes a day can benefit users by reducing symptoms and challenging beliefs that hinder judgement.