Neurobehavioural treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder in an adult with traumatic brain injury

Abstract

Although obsessive-compulsive disorder has been reported as one of many anxiety-related sequelae of brain injury, few empirical data of its responsiveness to psychological intervention are available. In this study, a single participant changing criterion experimental design was used to evaluate a neurobehavioural intervention for compulsive behaviour of an adult with severe traumatic brain injury. The participant, a man aged 24 years, had sustained frontal-temporal lobe brain trauma 12 months earlier, and presented with compulsive counting and voiding of bladder. The neurobehavioural intervention consisted of regular in-home consultations, self-regulation procedures including self-recording of compulsive behaviour, stress-coping strategies, errorless remediation, social reinforcement, and gradual fading of intervention. Baseline showed counting occurred on average 80% of daily hourly intervals, and voiding 12 times per day. Intervention produced elimination of compulsive counting, acceptable voiding at 8 times per day, and reports of the participant's satisfaction with intervention methods and outcomes. At 6 months follow-up, counting remained at zero levels, and voiding had decreased further to 7 times per day.

Keywords:

• Brain injury rehabilitation
• Neurobehavioural rehabilitation
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Self-regulation
• Traumatic brain injury.

This paper is based on an earlier presentation at the 29^th Annual Conference of the Australian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment, Sydney, April, 2006.