The Emotional Schemas and Obsessive-Compulsive Symptom Dimensions in People with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Single-dose psilocybin for treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder: A case report

Classic psychedelics, such as psilocybin, act on the brain's serotonin system and produce striking psychological effects. Early work in the 1950s and 1960s and more recent controlled studies suggest benefit from psychedelic treatment in a number of conditions. A few case reports in recreational users and a single experimental study suggest benefit in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but careful clinical data and long-term follow-up have been lacking. Here we describe a case of a patient with refractory OCD treated with psilocybin and followed prospectively for a year, with marked symptomatic improvement. We provide qualitative and quantitative detail of his experience during and after treatment. Improvement in OCD symptoms (YBOCS declined from 24 to 0-2) was accompanied by broader changes in his relationship to his emotions, social and work function, and quality of life. This individual was an early participant in an ongoing controlled study of psilocybin in the treatment of OCD (NCT03356483). These results are preliminary but promising, motivating ongoing investigations of the therapeutic potential of appropriately monitored and supported psychedelic treatment in the treatment of patients with obsessions and compulsions.

The effect of childhood maltreatment on suicidal ideation through cognitive emotion regulation strategies and specific obsessive-compulsive symptoms in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Childhood maltreatment is thought to be associated with suicidality in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Although the underlying mechanism of this relationship is not clear, cognitive emotion regulation strategies (CERSs) and the specific OC symptoms including unacceptable obsessional thoughts (UOTs) and responsibility for harm (RFH) may underlie this link. Accordingly, the study aimed to assess the effect of childhood maltreatment on suicidal ideation through UOTs, RFH and adaptive and maladaptive CERSs in OCD patients. Three hundred patients meeting a DSM-5 diagnosis of OCD were selected and completed the scales measuring childhood maltreatment, OCD, suicidality and depressive symptoms. After controlling for depressive symptoms and OCD severity, childhood maltreatment was shown to affect suicidal ideation directly. Also, the indirect effect of childhood maltreatment on suicidal ideation was mediated by adaptive CERSs, UOTs and RFH. The findings show that OCD patients with a history of childhood maltreatment, less use of adaptive CERSs and the experiences of UOTs and RFH should be carefully considered regarding suicidal risk.