May positive psychotherapy effective for treatment-resistant obsessive compulsive disorder?: A case report

The most frequently used psychotherapeutic interventions in OCD treatment are based on exposure and response prevention. However, it is difficult to apply this intervention to a significant part of the patients. In this article, Positive Psychotherapy, an eclectic approach used in the treatment of a patient with treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder, will be discussed. The patient had OCD for twenty years had attempted suicide a total of six times, including gunshot. The patient had received psychopharmacological interventions, ECT, anterior capsulotomy. She admitted to the clinic because of the there was no regression in the complaints and thought of suicide. During the positive psychotherapy sessions, EMDR technique was applied to the patient who shared that she was raped twice. After completing the steps, there was a decrease in complaints, and then the continuity of rehabilitation checked via behavioral tasks. The patient was discharged with wellbeing. In this article, it is aimed to show the effectiveness of Positive Psychotherapy in the treatment of OCD which is resistant to treatment.