/“Distant but Still Connected” - Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in the Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder During a Health Crisis

Abstract

/The aim of this paper was to present a case of a ten-year-old boy suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, to describe the symptoms of the disorder and to present cognitive-behavioral treatment with psychopharmaceutical therapy. A boy aged 10 years and 4 months came in for an urgent examination to a child and adolescent psychiatrist due to worsening anxiety difficulties, and a psychiatric examination established a diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder. An obsessive thought of threatening content came to mind in the daily functioning of the boy, and the goal of his compulsions was to reduce the elevated level of anxiety and prevent some frightening event, which was not specified. The boy was then included in cognitive-behavioural treatment with psychopharmacological therapy prescribed by the child and adolescent psychiatrist. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the treatment was adapted to the new circumstances and during the pandemic the treatment was maintained via video call. In the treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in children and adolescents, timely diagnosis and involvement in treatment, as well as the involvement of parents in the therapeutic process are of utmost importance. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy has shown success in reducing the boy's anxiety difficulties, which is in line with numerous scientific studies, so cognitive-behavioural therapy is considered the therapy of choice in the treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in children and adolescents. The current health crisis has changed the way psychotherapy is provided in the world, which requires further adaptation to the new conditions, both for therapists and recipients of psychotherapeutic services.