Assessing the Effectiveness of Virtual Psychotherapies for OCD by Developing a Novel Software Application

Overview

The goal of this research project was to assess the effectiveness of virtual psychotherapy treatments and to develop an intuitive self-help software application for treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Available for Windows and Android, the application is intended to help patients overcome their symptoms and to assist mental health physicians with treating the disorder. The application is unlike other existing tools because it gives OCD and anxiety patients regular access to 3 novel virtual treatments (Gentle Tree of Thoughts, Relaxation Journey, and Personal Journal) based on existing psychotherapies. After development of the application, this study investigated the effectiveness of the overall software program and the individual virtual treatments at reducing OCD symptoms and anxiety levels. A group of research participants used the app for a designated period and anonymously provided daily data regarding each treatment's effectiveness. This study found that the overall application caused a noticeable, quantitative reduction in OCD symptoms over the testing period.

Competition history

• ISEF 2016 Biomedical and Health Sciences · Entry BEHA051

Resources

• ISEF abstract page ↗

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