To learn more, and to register, go to ocd2014.org.
This presentation will provide an overview of the state of the field of the neuropsychology of OCD, including a synopsis of specific domains (such as attention, executive functions, memory and visuospatial abilities). Subsequently, current issues and controversies, such as the question regarding a causal and etiological role of cognitive functions in OCD, as well as methodological and theoretical caveats, will be discussed. Finally, a proposed conceptual framework and future directions for research in the field will be suggested.
Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the best supported first-line interventions for people with OCD. However, treatment alternatives and augmentation strategies are commonly used for partial- and non-responders. We will review and discuss established models as well as promising therapies for treatment-resistant OCD. This session will summarize evidence-based treatment options, highlight emerging future directions, and facilitate audience interaction.
Four panelists will present data from their IOCDF grant funded projects. Discussions will include results from: 1) an experimental investigation of attentional processes in scrupulous and contamination-focused OCD; 2) a postpartum OC symptom prevention program; 3) an investigation of the psychophysiological correlates of hoarding; and 4) a family history study of hoarding that suggest that hoarding is familial. Finally, Dr. Sabine Wilhelm will reflect on the implications of the research and suggest future directions.
The presenters will provide the latest research on PANDAS/PANS. Guidelines for the diagnosis of PANDAS/ PANS will be presented, as will suggestions for medical and laboratory evaluation of acute-onset cases. Updated treatment options will be presented, including the latest findings of clinical trials of IVIG and antibiotics. Data from recent microbiological and immunologic investigations also will be presented for discussion. The session will conclude with a discussion of “hot topics” in PANDAS/PANS research.
Being able to understand, verbalize, and distinguish felt experiences is a key component of psychological interventions. This plenary session will review research in clinical, social, and health psychology that offers insights into the transdiagnostic adaptive value of putting feelings into words. The ability to precisely describe and differentiate emotions has been shown to alter the association between negative emotions and emotion regulation difficulties. These findings shed light on how negative emotions and stressful experiences can be transformed by how people label and distinguish what they are feeling. Implications for the study of emotions and emotion regulation, and psychological treatment will be discussed.
Welcome Remarks
Denise Egan Stack, LMHC
Master of Ceremonies
Jeff Bell
Awards Presentation
Patricia Perkins IOCDF Service Award- Wendy Mueller
IOCDF Outstanding Career Achievement Award- Steven Rasmussen, MD
Keynote Address
Ethan S. Smith
This is the story of Ethan S. Smith - writer, director, actor, producer, and life long OCD sufferer. Join Ethan as he passionately, humorously, and kindly shares his journey from being bedridden in his parents’ guest room, to living across the country making it in Hollywood. Live through Ethan as he shows you incredible personal video from his most vulnerable and darkest hours to his most triumphant return to life. Ethan’s singular goal is to not only tell you his story, but also to impart the knowledge, lessons, and skills he learned along the way so that you, too, may have your own Hollywood ending.
There are many issues unique to those with comorbid OCD and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) which can complicate assessment and treatment. In this symposium, we will present the latest findings with respect
to assessment and treatment of youth and adults with OCD and comorbid ASD. Presenters will discuss the phenomenology of OCD and comorbid ASD, assessment issues and best practices, psychological treatment, common barriers to treatment, psychopharmacological treatment, and research on evidence-based treatment of OCD and comorbid ASD.
The purpose of this talk is to provide research updates regarding developments in the field of pediatric OCD. An expert panel of researchers will provide synopses of their recent studies, and ample time for audience questions/discussion will be allotted. Topics include metabolic changes in the brain in youth receiving CBT for OCD; outcome data from a group, family-based CBT trial; the feasibility and efficacy of a stepped care CBT protocol; and the efficacy of sequential sertraline and CBT treatment relative to CBT with pill placebo in youth with OCD.
This symposium will present new research findings on body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), a common and often severe disorder. Topics will include anger, aggression, and violent behavior in BDD, brain connectivity in BDD versus anorexia nervosa, BDD in children with and without comorbid psychiatric disorders in Argentina, and the development of CBT for individuals with BDD by proxy. The workshop will conclude with a discussion of the clinical and research implications of each topic.
This panel will explore the impact that OCD has on families and how family responses can play an integral role in treatment outcome for both pediatric and adult populations in both outpatient and intensive treatment. New instruments for measuring family variables will be discussed, as well as the role accommodation plays in predicting treatment outcome. Strategies for intervention will be suggested, including novel family approaches for treatment refusal/resistance, in addition to future areas of OCD family research.
Click here to view the slides from the this presentation.
Previous research has indicated that pregnancy and the postpartum period are risk factors for the development of OCD as compared to those in the general population, and the occurrence of OCD is higher in these periods than previously believed. This presentation will review prevalence of OCD in the perinatal and postpartum period, and share multiple case studies using the CBT-ER/P model. In addition, information will be shared regarding the dimensions of OCD observed in perinatal and postpartum OCD, as well as a novel early intervention model. Furthermore, this presentation will share information about future directions and implications for research.
Our ability to study the whole genome continues to expand, and with it our knowledge that there is a complex genomic risk for OCD and that a number of genes likely play a role in the illness. Furthermore, we are increasingly realizing that genetic studies need to account for the phenotypic heterogeneity of OCD. Certain symptom or phenotypic features may represent traits that are common to all OCD-related disorders, whereas other traits may differentiate these disorders. This workshop will present new findings in the genomic, neuroimaging, and neurocognitive facets of OCD and related disorders.
