SAVE THE DATE! SAVE THE DATE!

Ninth Annual Conference

The New Jersey Affiliate of the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation

Presents

“A Couples-Based Approach to the Treatment of OCD”

Dr. Jonathan Abramowitz

Sunday, September 14, 2008 l Doubletree Hotel, Somerset, NJ

Registration fees include a buffet brunch! Look for registration information in the next newsletter!

              NJOCF is thrilled and honored to have Dr. Jonathan Abramowitz as our headline speaker at our next annual conference. Dr. Abramowitz  is Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is also Associate Chair of the Department of Psychology and Director of the Anxiety and Stress Disorders Clinic at Carolina. Before moving to North Carolina in 2006, Dr. Abramowitz was Director of the OCD/Anxiety Disorders Program at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

              Dr. Abramowitz received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Memphis and completed his predoctoral internship training at the Eastern Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute in Philadelphia, PA. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania Center for Treatment and Study of Anxiety, also in Philadelphia. He has authored or edited 5 books and more than 100 research papers, book reviews, invited commentaries, and book chapters, mostly in the areas of cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and other anxiety disorders.  Here is a description of Dr. Abramowitz’s presentation in his own words:

              “Many people with OCD have close interpersonal (e.g., marital) relationships. Although often a means of support, these relationships can negatively impact the course of OCD and the outcome of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Relationship dissatisfaction, for example, serves as a stressor that can make OCD symptoms worse. Even if a couple does not seem to be having relationship problems, some types of behavioral patterns between partners can maintain OCD symptoms and interfere with CBT. Examples include a spouse who willingly engages in avoidance of certain “contaminated” areas to appease his partner with OCD, and a girlfriend who willingly provides reassurance to her partner when repeatedly asked questions about obsessional fears.  Because such behaviors prevent the affected individual from overcoming OCD, they should be addressed in CBT. At the University of North Carolina, we are presently developing a couples-based CBT program for OCD. In my talk, I will first describe ways in which maladaptive couple behaviors can interfere with CBT. Next, I will describe how we are working to enhance CBT for OCD using couple therapy strategies that facilitate exposure therapy and promote new learning for the partner with OCD.”

2007 Annual Conference Information:

Charley Mansueto, Ph. D. presented “OCD and Tourette’s Syndrome:

Re-examining the Relationship”

by Rachel Strohl, Psy. D.

Click here to see pictures of this event!

On Sunday, October 28, Charley Mansueto, Ph. D. was the keynote speaker at the NJOCF eighth annual conference. Dr. Mansueto is the Director of The Behavioral Therapy Center of Greater Washington and is on the Scientific Advisory Board of the National OC Foundation, as well as Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Trichotillomania Learning Center. He has published numerous articles and has presented dozens of times at a national level on the topic of OCD and OCD Spectrum Disorders.

Dr. Mansueto began by explaining that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Tourette’s Syndrome (TS) are “more closely related than commonly appreciated.” OCD is defined by obsessions with ritualized behaviors that a person feels compelled to perform, while TS is a disorder with multiple motor tics and at least one phonic tic. Tics are simple or complex, repetitive, stereotyped movements or phonic emissions that are often perceived as involuntary or are sometimes preceded with urges.

Based on clinical experience and research, Dr. Mansueto went on to describe the concept of “Tourettic OCD (TOCD),” which has several distinguishing features. A person with TOCD experiences somatic discomfort, sensory phenomena, and urges (not anxiety) that drive the compulsions. There is a preoccupation with unrelenting discomfort, as opposed to obsessions and catastrophic consequences, and compulsions involve “just right” requirements.

The concept of TOCD has important implications for treatment. He explained the gold standard for OCD treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), specifically exposure and response prevention (ERP). Based on symptom severity, pharmacotherapy with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s) should be used.

For Tourettic OCD, ERP should be used plus augmentation with the following: 1) relaxation training, 2) habit reversal (substitution strategies), 3) contingency management (develop degrees of control with reward systems), and 4) rote practice.  Pharmacotherapy should include neuroleptics or alpha-2 agonists, or the augmentation with SSRI treatment.

His presentation focused primarily on children with TOCD, and he described them as “being extra alive with so much energy it bubbles out.” Their nervous systems are easy to arouse, but difficult to settle. Dr. Mansueto provided an encouraging metaphor by comparing these children to Ferraris: they are more difficult to handle and manage, but once they master their “engines,” it’s a beautiful thing.

 Dr. Mansueto’s innovative and educational lecture was followed by a panel entitled, “Living with OCD.” Members of the panel included individuals with OCD, ages 11, 15, 18, and 20, parents of the 11 year old, and a mother of a 6 year old with OCD. Audience members had the opportunity to ask a multitude of questions at a microphone stand or anonymously through index cards. By sharing their personal stories of achievement and adversity, the panel members inspired, informed, and offered hope to the individuals with OCD, their loved ones, and the professionals that treat them. DVD’s of the entire conference are available through the website, http://www.njocf.org.

Dr. Rachel Strohl is a licensed psychologist at Stress and Anxiety Services of NJ in East Brunswick. She is on the Board of Directors at NJOCF. She may be reached at 732-390-6694 x3.