Comparison of the efficacy of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy on symptoms of treatment of patients with obsessive- compulsive disorder

Aim and Recently, “Third wave” behavioral and cognitive interventions have received extensive attention between researchers.To evaluation of the efficacy of one of these treatments, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), This Study compares this treatment with Cognitive - Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in Obsessive- Compulsive Disorder (OCD).Methods and Materials: In this study a quasi- experimental design with pre - posttest was used. Implementation of this study was from February 2011 to October 2012 in the Parse`s center of Psychiatry and Psychology.The experimental groups were Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (n =13) and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (n =13). Both groups received 10 two-hour treatment sessions once a week. In control group 12 patients participated (wait list). In order to assess the severity of OCD, psychological flexibility and depression, Yale Brown Obsessive- compulsive scale (YBOCS), Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were used. Data were analyzed using Multiple Analysis of Covariance in SPSS. Comparison of the treatment groups suggested that there was significant difference between ACT and wait list groups in all scales and this difference maintains in follow up (P=0.01). In addition, comparison of CBT group with wait list in posttest indicates that there was signifficant difference between two groups, except of psychological flexibility variabele, and these results maintain in follow up too (P=0.01). In post test, two groups show significant difference only in Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (P= 0.05) not in reduction of OCD symptoms and depression. ACT was more effective in increase of psychological flexibility and this superiority maintains in follow up (P= 0.01). Based on the results of this study, both Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, made significant changes in OCD symptoms. So, current study provides an empirical support for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in treatment of OCD.