I chose to conduct research into the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). I chose this topic because my best friend’s fiancé struggles with it. The severity of his impairment is not only affecting his quality of life, but her quality of life as well. She has told me numerous times that she will not have kids until he seeks treatment, but he is resisting therapy for fear of exposure to his triggers. By educating myself, I may be able to help her support him. 

Manarte et al., (2021) conducted a study on how insight in OCD is associated with empathetic concern and emotion recognition. They conducted a clinical interview on 57 OCD patients and administered the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive scale to determine the severity of their symptoms. This was then cross-examined with their scores on emotional awareness and insight. They discovered that patients with OCD are more likely to experience discomfort when confronted with the emotions of others, they were more likely to adopt negative thought patterns, and less likely to identify negative emotions within themselves (Manarte et al., 2021).  Manarte et al. (2021) concludes that individuals with OCD and poor insight “have lower emphatic concern and biased emotion recognition, particularly regarding negative emotions.” The information that can be gained from examining the relationship between insight and OCD will allow for better treatment outcomes. As of right now, treatment is ineffective in 33 percent of all OCD cases (Manarte et al., 2021). By expanding the scope of comprehending OCD, it may be possible to target other cognitive functions during treatment. 

Reference

Manarte, L., Andrade, A. R., do Rosário, L., Sampaio, D., Figueira, M. L., Langley, C., Morgado, P., & Sahakian, B. J. (2021). Poor insight in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD): Associations with empathic concern and emotion recognition. Psychiatry Research, 304, 114129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114129