Evaluating the efficacy of Danger Ideation Reduction Therapy (DIRT) on symptom severity and obsessive beliefs in individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic and incapacitating condition, often characterized by severe symptoms. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of Danger Ideation Reduction Therapy (DIRT) in alleviating symptom severity, behavioral avoidance, obsessive beliefs, and death anxiety among individuals with OCD. The study employed a pre-test and post-test experimental design with a control group. Participants were individuals with OCD in Ahvaz in 2023, with 38 selected through targeted non-random sampling and randomly divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group received eight sessions of 90-minute DIRT, while the control group remained on a waiting list. Data collection involved pre-test and post-test assessments using practical OCD measures and the Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire. Covariance analysis in SPSS 24 software was used for data analysis. Results revealed a significant reduction in symptom severity and obsessive beliefs post-treatment in the experimental group compared to the control group, after controlling for pre-test effects. This suggests that DIRT effectively reduces symptoms and beliefs associated with OCD.