0000000001312263
AUTHOR
Vladan Starcevic
The rates of co-occurring behavioural addictions in treatment-seeking individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder: a preliminary report
Objectives: To assess the rates of co-occurring putative ‘behavioural addictions’ in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Methods: Twenty-three international centres specialising in the treatment of OCD were invited to participate in a survey of the rates of behavioural addictions and other relevant comorbidity within their samples. Results: Sixteen of 23 (69.6%) invited centres from 13 countries had sufficient data to participate in the survey. The use of validated diagnostic tools was discrepant, with most centres relying on a ‘clinical diagnosis’ to diagnose behavioural addictions. The final sample comprised of 6916 patients with a primary diagnosis of OCD. The reported rat…
Treatments used for obsessive-compulsive disorder-An international perspective.
Objective The objective of this study was to characterise international trends in the use of psychotropic medication, psychological therapies, and novel therapies used to treat obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). Methods Researchers in the field of OCD were invited to contribute summary statistics on the characteristics of their samples. Consistency of summary statistics across countries was evaluated. Results The study surveyed 19 expert centres from 15 countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States) providing a total sample of 7,340 participants. Fluoxetine (n = 972; 13…
International prescribing practices in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Objectives To assess rates of psychotropic medication use in patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) in seven different countries on five continents and to compare these with international treatment guidelines. Methods Researchers in the field of OCD were invited to contribute summary statistics on the characteristics of their patients with OCD and on their incidence of psychotropic use. Consistency of summary statistics across countries was evaluated. Results The data came from Brazil (n = 955), Italy (n = 750), South Africa (n = 555), Japan (n = 382), Australia (n = 213), India (n = 202) and Spain (n = 82). The majority (77.9%; n = 2445) of the total sample of 3139 participants …
Recent Insights Into Cyberchondria.
Purpose of Review The construct of cyberchondria was introduced relatively recently. This article aims to review the conceptualization, theoretical basis and correlates of cyberchondria, as well as its prevention and management. Recent Findings Although there is no consensus, most definitions of cyberchondria emphasize online health research associated with heightened distress or anxiety. The two theoretical models of cyberchondria involve reassurance seeking and specific metacognitive beliefs. Cyberchondria has relationships with health anxiety, problematic Internet use and symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder, with public health implications pertaining to functional impairment and al…
Expert appraisal of criteria for assessing gaming disorder: An international Delphi study
Background and aims Following the recognition of ‘internet gaming disorder’ (IGD) as a condition requiring further study by the DSM‐5, ‘gaming disorder’ (GD) was officially included as a diagnostic entity by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the eleventh revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD‐11). However, the proposed diagnostic criteria for gaming disorder remain the subject of debate, and there has been no systematic attempt to integrate the views of different groups of experts. To achieve a more systematic agreement on this new disorder, this study employed the Delphi expert consensus method to obtain expert agreement on the diagnostic validity, clinical util…
Working towards an international consensus on criteria for assessing internet gaming disorder: a critical commentary on Petry et al. (2014).
This commentary paper critically discusses the recent debate paper by Petry et al. (2014) that argued there was now an international consensus for assessing Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD). Our collective opinions vary considerably regarding many different aspects of online gaming. However, we contend that the paper by Petry and colleagues does not provide a true and representative international community of researchers in this area. This paper critically discusses and provides commentary on (i) the representativeness of the international group that wrote the ‘consensus’ paper, and (ii) each of the IGD criteria. The paper also includes a brief discussion on initiatives that could be taken to…
“Diagnostic inflation” will not resolve taxonomical problems in the study of addictive online behaviours. •
AbstractThis article suggests that the type of Internet-enabled device should not be prioritised when conceptualizing diagnostic categories of addictive online behaviours. The diagnostic distinction between “predominantly mobile” and “predominantly non-mobile” forms of Internet use disorders (IUD) is not empirically based, may not be clinically useful and may lead to “diagnostic inflation.” Problems with the concepts of smartphone use disorder and IUD on which the proposed distinction is largely based call for their re-examination. Future proposals for the taxonomy of addictive behaviours may not need to be based on online/offline and mobile/non-mobile dichotomies.
The relationships between health anxiety, online health information seeking, and cyberchondria: Systematic review and meta-analysis
© 2018 Background: Cyberchondria refers to an abnormal behavioral pattern in which excessive or repeated online searches for health-related information are distressing or anxiety-provoking. Health anxiety has been found to be associated with both online health information seeking and cyberchondria. The aims of the present systematic review and meta-analysis were to examine the magnitude of these associations and identify any moderator variables. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed across several databases (PsycINFO, PubMed, Embase) and reference lists of included studies. Results: Twenty studies were included across two independent meta-analyses, with 7373 participants. Ra…
Research Directions in the Study of Gaming-Related Escapism: a Commentary to Melodia, Canale, and Griffiths (2020)
AbstractEscapism motivations and related processes (e.g., avoidance, dissociation, relaxation, and emotion dysregulation) have been identified as risk factors for problematic gaming. However, the escapism construct has often been poorly conceptualized and operationalized in assessment instruments. In their systematic review, Melodia et al. (2020) proposed that conceptualizing escapism as an avoidant coping strategy could provide a sound basis for further study of problematic gaming. In this commentary, we critically examine some terminological and conceptual issues in relation to escapism to guide future research.
Comorbidity, age of onset and suicidality in obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD): An international collaboration
Made available in DSpace on 2018-12-11T17:11:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2017-07-01 Objectives To collate data from multiple obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) treatment centers across seven countries and five continents, and to report findings in relation to OCD comorbidity, age of onset of OCD and comorbid disorders, and suicidality, in a large clinical and ethnically diverse sample, with the aim of investigating cultural variation and the utility of the psychiatric diagnostic classification of obsessive–compulsive and related disorders. Methods Researchers in the field of OCD were invited to contribute summary statistics on current and lifetime psychiatric comor…
Data base: Spanish version of the Short Form of the Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS-12)
La presente base de datos incluye los datos referidos a la validación al español de la versión reducida de la Cyberchondria Severity Scale. La cibercondría se refiere a la búsqueda excesiva y repetida en línea relacionada con la salud, que se asocia con un aumento de la angustia y la ansiedad. Este estudio tiene como objetivo validar la medida más utilizada para la evaluación de la cibercondría: la Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS) en su versión abreviada (CSS-12). Se incluyen datos extraídos de la población general española. Una muestra de 432 adultos hispanohablantes de la población general (67,6% mujeres; edad media = 36,00 ± 15,22 años) completó la traducción al español del CSS-12 junt…