Updates

ROCD research news: Six ROCD related papers were given at the World Congress of Behavioral Cognitive Therapies (WCBCT), Melbourne, 2016

Four papers were given in A symposium dedicated to ROCD  (see our previous post) and the additional two papers were given as a part of two additional symposiums on OCD.

Doron, G., Karp , E., & Szepsenwol, O. (2016). Assessing cognitive factors in Relationship obsessive compulsive disorder (ROCD) symptom using International Intrusive Thoughts Interview Schedule: Relationship Intrusive thoughts version (IITS-RR). Paper presented at the 8th World Congress of Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies 2016, ‘Advances and Innovations in the Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies Across the World’ (WCBCT 2016), Melbourne, Australia, 22-25 June 2016.

Doron, G., Levi , A., & Szepsenwol, O. (2016).Parents who obsess about their children’s flaws: Assessing the double-self vulnerability model. Paper presented at the 8th World Congress of Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies 2016, ‘Advances and Innovations in the Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies Across the World’ (WCBCT 2016), Melbourne, Australia, 22-25 June 2016.

2nd Symposium dedicated to ROCD symptoms was given at the WCBCT, Melbourne, Australia, 2016

The symposium was entitled: “Common and specific factors associated with relationship obsessive-compulsive disorder (ROCD) symptoms in a variety of close relationships and contexts” and included the following papers.:

Doron, G., Efrati , Y., & Szepsenwol, O. (2016). Relationship obsessions as an inter-related category of OCD: an experimental investigation. Paper presented at the 8th World Congress of Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies 2016, ‘Advances and Innovations in the Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies Across the World’ (WCBCT 2016), Melbourne, Australia, 22-25 June 2016.

Moulding, R., Bari, R., & Doron, G. (2016). Association between parent-child obsessive preoccupations and the child’s psychopathological symptoms. Paper presented at the 8th World Congress of Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies 2016, ‘Advances and Innovations in the Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies Across the World’ (WCBCT 2016), Melbourne, Australia, 22-25 June 2016.

Melli, G., Carraresi, C., Doron, G., (2016). Examining the cognitive predictors of relationship obsessive-compulsive disorder (ROCD) in a clinical sample. Paper presented at the 8th World Congress of Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies 2016, ‘Advances and Innovations in the Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies Across the World’ (WCBCT 2016), Melbourne, Australia, 22-25 June 2016.

Clark., A., O’Sullivan., L. F. (2016). Obsessing About Your Ex: Depressive and Suicidal Symptoms in Young Canadian Adults after Relationship Breakup. Paper presented at the 8th World Congress of Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies 2016, ‘Advances and Innovations in the Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies Across the World’ (WCBCT 2016), Melbourne, Australia, 22-25 June 2016.

New podcast: Associate Prof. Guy Doron explains about the new app GGRO

https://youtu.be/uP-a9hGguOg

Show notes:

What questions have been asked at Guy’s talks (3:40)

Why is ROCD, OCD? (5:00)

The thought process behind the ROCD app (8:00)

Why long distance relationships can affect ROCD (17:00)

What ROCD sufferers have in common (20:10)

What Guy may research next (24:10)

Guy’s advice for living a good life (28:00)

The new app for helping in the treatment of ROCD is out!

'GG relationship' the new app developed to help in the treatment of ROCD symptoms is out. To download the app from Google Play press HERE. To download from the iTunes store press HERE To read more about eh new app click HERE.

Associate Prof. Guy Doron and Gur Ilany explain about the new App for ROCD named ‘GG Relationship’

According to Professor Guy Doron and his colleague Gur Ilany, the application developed (named ‘GG Relationship’) was especially designed for dealing with relationship doubts and fears. The application is based on the principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – one of the most research-supported psychological therapies.

According to CBT models, negative self-talk – individuals’ ongoing interpretations of the self, others and the world – maintain psychological difficulties such as obsessive preoccupation, low mood, and maladaptive behaviors. In ROCD, for instance, individuals negative self-talk often relates to fear of being in the wrong relationships or/and missing the ‘right’ relationship. Individuals with such fears will continuously say to themselves (in their heads) phrases such as ‘Maybe my partner is not the ONE’, ‘He is not smart enough for me’ or ‘I will regret my decision to stay/leave with my partner forever‘. Such negative self-talk, of course, ultimately increases relationship doubts/fears, intensifies negative mood and often provokes relationship conflict.

Professor Guy Doron says ‘GG Relationship was developed in order to provide an accessible CBT training platform that would allow individuals with relationship fears and doubts to better deal with negative self-talk’. According to Gur Ilany, the application is designed to ‘(1) increase individuals’ awareness of negative self-talk, (2) train individuals’ to better identify and challenge negative self-talk, (3) increase individuals’ access to neutral and positive self-talk, and (4) increase the automaticity of the above processes’.

The core gameplay of the training  is simple: individuals are presented with ‘blocks’ featuring self-talk statements such as “I am proactive”, “I am reliable” or “I am a loser”- and have to respond by pulling the supportive ‘blocks’ towards themselves (i.e., downwards) and throwing away from themselves the negative ‘blocks’ (i.e., rejecting them upwards). A/Prof Doron says ‘to further strengthen learning of supportive self-talk, each level the player completes is followed by a small memory game in which one has to identify a supportive statements that appeared in the previous level’. As the game progresses, the individual passes through thematically relevant issues such as self-esteem, beliefs in change, dealing with relationship doubts, facing uncertainty, overcoming perfectionism, coping with embarrassment, commitment anxiety, etc.,.

Training using this application, Gur says ‘will hopefully allow for gradual, steady learning of more positive self-talk thereby helping to break the vicious thought cycle maintaining relationship doubts and preoccupations’.

New App to help in the treatment of ROCD symptoms: coming soon !

A/Prof. Doron and his colleague Guy Ilany are working on an innovative training application (App) to help with the treatment of ROCD symptoms. The app is planned to include over 30 levels addressing ROCD related difficulties such as relationship doubts, intolerance for uncertainty, perfectionism, commitment anxiety and embarrassment. They said it is going to be ready to download from the App store and Google Play by June. We will keep you posted !

New paper entitled: “Relationship obsessive compulsive disorder (ROCD): Interference, symptoms and maladaptive beliefs”

Press this link: Relationship obsessive compulsive disorder (ROCD): Interference, symptoms and maladaptive beliefs.

Opening Keynote speech on ROCD research by A/Professor Guy Doron

16/12/16

  • See Opening Keynote given by A/Professor Guy Doron in Ankara, Turkey on the current state of ROCD related research.

Starts at (1:30)

Opening Keynote speech on ROCD research by A/Professor Guy Doron