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As part of our Lecture Series, we are excited to announce that we are hosting a presentation by Christopher Pittenger, MD, PhD, director of the Yale OCD Research Clinic. Dr. Pittenger will discuss how cognitive-behavioral therapy affects the brain.

This special event will be held on the evening of Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at 6:30 pm in the Cohen Auditorium at the Yale Child Study Center, 230 S. Frontage Road, NIHB E-02, New Haven, CT. Doors open at 6:00 pm.

Dr. Pittenger earned his MD and PhD degrees from Columbia University, where his graduate work was done with Nobel Prize recipient Eric Kandel. He returned to Yale University, his undergraduate alma mater, for residency and research training in psychiatry in 2003. He joined the faculty as an Assistant Professor in 2007 and is now Elizabeth Mears and House Jameson Professor of Psychiatry, Professor of Psychology and in the Child Study Center, and Deputy Chair for Translational Research in the Department of Psychiatry.

Dr. Pittenger has always been fascinated by the question of how the brain, a complex but ultimately a physical structure, creates thought, feeling, consciousness, and other aspects of the mind. As a psychiatrist, he is additionally focused on how these processes go wrong—how brain dysregulation leads to dysregulated cognition, emotion, and behavior and to mental suffering, and how advancing our understanding of these relationships can guide us to new strategies to alleviate that suffering.

Dr. Pittenger’s website is https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/christopher-pittenger/.
The Yale OCD Research Clinic website is https://medicine.yale.edu/psychiatry/ocd/.

For driving and parking directions to the Cohen Auditorium, click here.

If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to ct.ocdf@gmail.com by June 11, 2026. We hope to see you there!

The FDA recently approved a brain-stimulation headset from Swedish company Flow Neuroscience as a first-line treatment for depression. Utilizing transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS), the device delivers a weak electric current to the brain to help neurons fire more effectively. Unlike the more intensive electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), which triggers seizures and can cause memory loss, tDCS is designed for home use and typically results in only minor, temporary side effects like skin irritation or headaches.

The approval marks a significant shift in psychiatry, offering an alternative or supplement to traditional antidepressants like SSRIs. While many treatments focus on chemical imbalances, neuromodulation views depression as a matter of impaired neural connectivity. Proponents argue that electricity is the “lingua franca” of the brain, and using a device to “tickle neurons” could help patients move past old mental patterns. In some cases, clinicians have used the headset to help patients avoid additional medications or taper off existing ones.

Despite the milestone, the technology remains in its early stages with varying clinical results. While a recent trial showed that 45% of participants achieved full remission using the device, the FDA noted a “moderate level of uncertainty” regarding its benefits compared to placebos. Researchers are now looking to refine the technology through personalized brain mapping and higher voltages. For patients like Sophie Davies, who used the device alongside medication, the therapy provided a much-needed sense of clarity and emotional recovery during a mental health crisis.

To read the entire article on The New York Times website, click here.

Changing medications abruptly can result in dangerous side effects. Elizabeth, a long-time caregiver for her two autistic sons, experienced a mental health crisis after her doctor advised an abrupt switch from Celexa to Zoloft. Instead of finding relief from burnout, she suffered from “protracted withdrawal,” enduring severe psychological distress and physical symptoms like heart palpitations and suicidal thoughts. Her story highlights a dangerous gap in medical practice, where a lack of standardized guidelines leads some physicians to switch potent medications too quickly, leaving patients vulnerable to debilitating side effects.

Experts suggest that switching medications should often be a last resort, preceded by dosage adjustments or adding supplemental treatments like psychotherapy. When a change is necessary, the gold standard is “cross-tapering”—gradually reducing the old drug while slowly introducing the new one over several weeks. This method helps minimize withdrawal symptoms such as “brain zaps” and extreme anxiety, ensuring that patients like Elizabeth can safely transition without enduring the trauma of sudden chemical shifts.

To read the entire article on The New York Times website, click here.

SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) is an evidence-based program developed by Dr. Eli Lebowitz to assist children and adolescents struggling with anxiety, OCD, and related challenges. A unique aspect of this treatment is that it focuses on empowering parents rather than the child, meaning the child does not typically need to attend the sessions to experience the benefits.

Instead of focusing on changing the child’s behavior, the program teaches parents to adjust their own responses to their child’s needs. By learning how to provide more effective support and reducing accommodations that may inadvertently reinforce anxious behaviors, parents can help their children overcome symptoms and improve their overall functioning.

To learn more about SPACE and how it works, visit its website at spacetreatment.net.

Please RSVP to ct.ocdf@gmail.com by Tuesday, April 28th, so we can keep an eye on numbers.

This is an in-person session only.

The Hubbard Room seats 80 people.

Parking: Parking for the Russell Library is available in several nearby municipal lots and metered street spaces, with over 200 spots within half a block. Parking is generally enforced from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Monday through Saturday. Key options include the adjacent Broad Street Lot, the Kid City Lot, and the Middlesex Corporate Center Garage, with payments accepted via the ParkMobile App or kiosks. 

Russell Library website: russelllibrary.org.

As part of our continuing Lecture Series, we were honored to host a virtual Zoom event featuring a presentation by Rev. Dr. Katie O’Dunne on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at 7:00 pm. Katie spoke about a topic that sits at the heart of many individuals’ recovery journeys: The Intersection of Religious Faith and OCD.

Katie founded and leads an inclusive virtual community for those navigating faith and OCD, called Stick with the Ick (formerly Faith & Mental Health Integrative Services). The organization helps individuals with OCD and related disorders live into their faith traditions as they navigate evidence-based treatment.

An ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, Katie spent 7 years as the Academy Chaplain and Chair of Religious Studies at Woodward Academy in Atlanta, simultaneously consulting on interfaith programming nationwide. Drawing on this experience, she educates clinicians and clergy, promoting culturally responsive treatment across religious/spiritual traditions.

Katie is a Lead Advocate for the IOCDF and leads the IOCDF Faith & OCD Action Council. She consults on Religion & OCD with OCDI Texas and received Vanderbilt’s Doctor of Ministry Award for Distinction in Integrative Care Practices. She is a frequent presenter at the IOCDF annual conferences and is the host of the Faith & OCD Roundtable series on IOCDF’s YouTube channel.

This event has been transcribed and recorded. Links to the transcription and recordings are below:

• Transcription
• Video
• Audio Only

Citation:
Ekici, E., Rışvanoğlu, D. P., Tüzün, Ş., Berçin, Y., Aslan, Ş., & Malkoç, D. (2025). Quality and reliability analysis of YouTube videos on obsessive compulsive disorder and its treatment. Journal of Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy and Research, 14(3), 210–217. https://doi.org/10.14744/JCBPR.2025.62091. Full text PDF: https://jcbpr.org/storage/upload/pdfs/1756120353-en.pdf.

Abstract:

The Internet is a crucial and popular health knowledge resource for individuals. YouTube ranks among the most frequently used social media platforms globally. Multiple studies have reported that the quality of health information in YouTube videos is low, and many YouTube users are exposed to such low-quality information.

This study aims to establish the quality and reliability of the most-viewed videos about obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and its treatment.

On September 15, 2024, the terms “obsessive-compulsive disorder,” “OCD,” “obsessive-compulsive disorder treatment,” and “OCD treatment” were searched on YouTube. Video features (duration of the video, number of likes, comments, and views) and upload sources were noted. Quality and reliability were evaluated based on the Quality Criteria for Consumer Health Information (DISCERN) and the Global Quality Scale (GQS) scores.

A total of 126 most-viewed YouTube videos were assessed, and exclusion criteria were subsequently applied. The analysis showed that 31.8% of the YouTube videos on OCD and OCD treatment were very poor or poor, 31.8% were fair, and 36.4% were good or excellent.

Our findings revealed that DISCERN (p=0.004) and GQS (p=0.000) scores were significantly higher for YouTube videos uploaded by healthcare providers than for those uploaded by independent users.

There were no relationships between DISCERN scores and video duration and popularity indices (likes, comments, view ratio, Video Like Ratio, and Video Power Index [VPI]). However, the view ratio, number of likes, and VPI were significantly higher for videos rated as fair compared to those in the other groups (p<0.05).

Platforms such as YouTube have become significant public resources for mental health education. To increase the impact of medical videos, efforts should be focused on maintaining high-quality content while keeping the video length concise. Optimizing both content quality and video length can significantly improve the effectiveness of health-related videos as primary sources of information from health professionals.

Unique Identifier: 2026-84039-005
Publication Date: 2025

Publication History:

• First Posting: Aug 25, 2025
• Accepted: Aug 2, 2025
• Revised: Jul 8, 2025
• First Submitted: May 16, 2025

Language: English
Authors: Ekici, Esengül; Rışvanoğlu, Damla Pınar; Tüzün, Şemal; Berçin, Yeşim; Aslan, Şeyma; Malkoç, Dolunay
Email: Ekici, Esengül, gulekici09@gmail.com
Correspondence Address: Ekici, Esengül: Yuksek Ihtisas Universitesi Tip Fakultesi, Psikiyatri Anabilim Dali, Ankara, Turkey, gulekici09@gmail.com

Affiliation:

• Ekici, Esengül, Department of Psychiatry, Yuksek Ihtisas University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
• Rışvanoğlu, Damla Pınar, Yuksek Ihtisas University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
• Tüzün, Şemal, Yuksek Ihtisas University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
• Berçin, Yeşim, Yuksek Ihtisas University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
• Aslan, Şeyma, Yuksek Ihtisas University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
• Malkoç, Dolunay, Yuksek Ihtisas University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey

Source: Journal of Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy and Research, Vol 14(3), 2025, 210-217.
ISSN: 2636-8765 (Electronic); 2146-9490 (Print)
Publisher: Turkey: Association for Cognitive and Behavioral Psychotherapies
Format Covered: Electronic
Publication Type: Journal, Peer Reviewed Journal
Document Type: Journal Article
Digital Object Identifier: 10.14744/JCBPR.2025.62091
Keywords: DISCERN; global quality scale; OCD; OCD treatment; YouTube; quality; reliability
Index Terms: *Digital Video; *Internet; *Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; *Quality of Life; *Health Information
PsycINFO Classification: 3215 Anxiety Disorders
Population Group: Human
Methodology: Empirical Study; Quantitative Study
Release Date: November 13, 2025 (PsycINFO)

The Online OCD Camp sponsored by Mclean OCD Institute is a weekend full of interactive sessions, educational activities, and FUN for youth aged 6-17 who have OCD or a sibling with OCD.

In addition to programming for elementary, middle, and high schoolers, OCD Camp also offers support for caregivers and families, including strategies and education about caring for a child with OCD and socialization with families with similar experiences.

You can choose from four audience tracks:

• Elementary Schoolers (Suggested Ages: 6–11)
• Middle Schoolers (Suggested Ages: 12–14)
• High Schoolers (Suggested Ages: 15–17)
• Parents and Caregivers

Organized by the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), the Faith & OCD Conference Sponsored by Stick with the Ick began out of the recognition that many people living with OCD initially seek assistance from a faith leader before a mental health provider.

This unique, online event was specifically created to address the needs of a diverse community — spanning all faiths, ethnicities, and backgrounds. We’ll provide education about effective treatment and ways to support those in the faith community living with OCD.

Wednesday, November 19, 2025
12:00pm–5:45pm ET (9:00am–2:45pm PT)

Join us for this collaborative conversation between faith leaders, mental health providers, and the OCD community!