Management of a young adult female of chronic OCD with religious obsessions and cleaning compulsions

Pages: 696-699
Mukta Mrinalini (Clinical Psychologist, Mental Health Unit, Department of Women Child Development, Delhi)
Shweta Singh (Department of Psychiatry, KGMU, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh)

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is one of the common mental disorders with which youth are being affected. Even though people understand the symptoms of OCD they are not aware how to manage the obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors. We present management of a case of young adult Muslim female with religious obsessions and cleaning compulsions by using Cognitive Behavior Therapy. The patient reported to Psychiatry OPD, KGMU with the complaints of excessive cleaning compulsions especially while performing religious rituals since last six years. She was not willing to seek pharmacological treatment, hence was managed by Cognitive Behavoir Therapy which included Cognitive Therapy and Exposure Response Prevention. The 45 minute sessions were scheduled twice weekly for one month and once weekly for the next two months. In addition follow up sessions were also planned. As the therapy progressed, the patient reported improvement in terms of her clinical condition and her general well being. There was 80-85 % improvement according to the patient and her mother. Cognitive Behavior Therapy done by integrating ERP and Cognitive Therapy proved to be beneficial for treating the religious obsessions and cleanining compulsions in a young adult female with chronic OCD but also helped to improve her general well-being.