Prof. Guy Doron is a clinical psychologist and a professor at the Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University (IDC Herzliya). He has been researching obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and related phenomena since 2000, and he is one of the researchers who first described relationship obsessive-compulsive disorder (ROCD).
Identifying and researching ROCD
Together with Dr. Danny Derby, Prof. Doron began to develop the concept of ROCD in 2007: obsessive-compulsive symptoms that focus on close relationships, such as persistent doubts about a relationship or preoccupation with a partner’s perceived flaws. Systematic research began in 2010, and the first ROCD papers were published in 2012. He founded the Relationship OCD Research Unit (ROCD-RU) in collaboration with Dr. Derby.
The research program has produced a cognitive behavioral model of ROCD and two questionnaires, the ROCI and the PROCSI, that are now used by researchers and clinicians in many countries. It has also extended the study of relationship-focused obsessions to parent-child relationships and to a person’s relationship with God. See our ROCD papers and ROCD measures pages, or watch and listen to Prof. Doron on our podcasts and videos page.
ocd.app: bringing the research to a mobile app
Prof. Doron is a co-founder of GGtude and a co-creator of ocd.app, a self-help app based on cognitive behavioral therapy. The app offers short daily exercises that train more flexible ways of responding to the thinking patterns that keep obsessional doubt going, with tracks for OCD, relationship OCD, depression, self-esteem, body image and more. According to the developers, the app is based on 22 published research papers, including 10 randomized controlled trials. Read more on our ocd.app page.
An app is not a replacement for therapy, and it is not designed to tell anyone whether their relationship is the right one. Its aim is to help people practice relating differently to doubt.
Background
- BA in Psychology (magna cum laude) and BA (Hons) in Psychology with High Distinction, University of Melbourne, Australia.
- PhD and Master of Psychology (Clinical Psychology), University of Melbourne.
- Clinical experience in hospitals, clinical research centers and private practice.
- Research grants include a Marie Curie Reintegration Grant from the European Union, an Israel Science Foundation grant and a US-Israel Binational Science Foundation grant.
Where to start
If you are wondering whether your experience fits ROCD, see Do I have relationship OCD?. If your symptoms are affecting your daily life, consider speaking with a professional trained in CBT for OCD.