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Completed

NCT Number: NCT06944366

Comparing Exposure v Imagery Rescripting in People With OCD: a SCED

Individuals with OCD may experience intrusive future orientated thoughts and images, which are extremely distressing and interfering in life. This project aims to explore whether imagery rescripting or exposure may be a more effective intervention for individuals with OCD experiencing such images.

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Key information

Conditions

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Anxiety Disorders Mental Disorders Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma

London, United Kingdom

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • 18 years or over
  • Main diagnosis of OCD (assessed by the Structured Clinical Interview for ICD11)
  • Must report future orientated images that are distressing and ego-dystonic

Exclusion criteria

  • Psychosis, bipolar disorder, or trauma disorder
  • Current stimulant or hallucinogenic misuse, alcohol or substance misuse or dependence
  • Intellectual disability, dementia, serious cognitive impairment, or organic brain disorder
  • Personality Disorder as the main problem
  • Active suicidality
  • Concurrent engagement in other psychotherapy
  • A patient may be taking anti-depressant medication so long as the dose has been stable for 6 weeks and there is no plan to increase the dose.

Treatment and study plan

Imagery intervention

Other

Imagery rescripting or imaginal exposure

Primary outcomes

  1. Obsessive Compulsive Inventory (OCI).

    Time frame: From the start of treatment until the end of treatment at 12 weeks.

    A 42-item self-report scale to assess the severity and type of OCD symptoms; the OCI uses a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely) and measures distress relating to 7 different subscales (washing, checking, doubting, ordering, obsessions, hoarding, and mental neutralizing). The total summed score of all items ranged between zero and 168. This measure will be completed at the beginning and end of each phase. Higher scores suggest more severe OCD symptomology.

  2. Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive scale (Y-BOCS).

    Time frame: From the start of treatment until the end of treatment at 12 weeks.

    A 10-item self-rated scale used to measure the severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms and response to treatment; each item is scored from 0 (no symptoms) to 4 (extreme symptoms), with a total ranging from zero to 40. It will be completed at the beginning and end of each phase. Higher scores suggest more severe OCD symptomatology.

  3. The Impact of Future Events Scale (IFES).

    Time frame: From the start of treatment until the end of treatment at 12 weeks.

    A 24-item self-rating scale used to measure the impact of intrusive prospective, personally relevant imagery. Each item is scored from 0 (no symptoms) to 4 (extreme symptoms), with a total ranging from zero to 96. Higher scores indicate greater symptomatology. This will be completed at the beginning and end of each phase.

  4. The Florida Obsessive Compulsive Inventory (FOCI).

    Time frame: From the start of treatment until the end of treatment at 12 weeks.

    Designed to measure the severity and frequency of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in individuals. The severity scale (Part B) of the FOCI was used in the project. Part B is a 5-item self-rating scale used to measure the frequency, severity, and impact of obsessive-compulsive symptoms; each item is scored from 0 (no symptoms) to 4 (extreme symptoms), with a total ranging from zero to 20. Higher scores indicate greater symptomology.

  5. Visual Analogue Scales (VAS).

    Time frame: From the start of treatment until the end of treatment at 12 weeks.

    Five daily self-report scales to be designed by the researchers using fixed scale (0=not at all; 10=extremely) answers to measure the following:

    Frequency of future orientated imagery Severity of future orientated imagery Vividness of future orientated imagery Degree of distress and aversive emotions associated with such imagery The urge to engage in compulsions/to neutralise the imagery.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

King's College London

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Comparing Exposure v Imagery Rescripting in People With Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD): a Single Case Experimental Design (SCED)

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Apr 25, 2025
Registry last updated
Jun 22, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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