Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Related to the Fear of Internet Use: A Case Study

Obsessive-compulsive disorder's (OCD's) symptomatology appears to evolve with modern developments, with recent reports highlighting the influence of modern technologies (e.g., the Internet); for instance, some OCD cases are characterised by an excessive fear of Internet use. Meanwhile, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on modifying dysfunctional thoughts, behaviours, and emotions, and has proven effective for various psychological issues, including OCD; however, research on OCD related to the fear of Internet use and its treatment remains limited. The present study presents a case of a patient who had been suffering from severe OCD for approximately one year, exhibiting a fear of using the Internet due to intrusive urges to send offensive messages (e.g., death threats) when near computers. This fear led to avoidance of Internet use and compulsive checking to ensure that Internet-connected devices were turned off. The treatment involved a combination of CBT and medication (fluvoxamine). The case formulation focused on identifying thought-action-fusion-misinterpretations that exacerbate and maintain OCD (maladaptive appraisals about an increase in the probability of an unpleasant event by merely thinking about it); it also addressed cognitive and behavioural factors, including safety behaviours such as reassurance-seeking and thought suppression. To address and alter maladaptive interpretations and behaviours, CBT was implemented using various techniques, including behavioural experiments, which included the 'on duty versus off duty' tactic to relieve the patient from the responsibility of controlling aggressive thoughts, refraining from covering his computer or smartphone, intentionally looking at them frequently, and browsing various Internet forums and review sites. Through these experiments, the patient realised that his negative predictions were unfounded and that avoiding Internet use was unnecessary. The patient's self-reported OCD symptoms, measured using the Japanese versions of the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale and the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory, decreased over the course of 10 sessions. This case study demonstrates that empirically supported CBT can effectively treat OCD related to aggressive obsessions and the fear of Internet use. Its limitations included that the patient was receiving both fluvoxamine and CBT (thus making it difficult to attribute the improvement solely to CBT) and that this study focused on a single patient setting (thereby making it difficult to generalize its findings).