Industry's Largest Peer-Reviewed Longitudinal Study on Behavioral Telehealth Reveals Levels of Treatment Effectiveness, Duration, and Cost Compared to Traditional Treatment

Medical evidence indicates cost-efficient clinical effectiveness of virtual behavioral healthcare treatment for OCD, with durable reductions in obsessive-compulsive symptoms and comorbidities—including stress, anxiety, and depression—and improved quality of life

Today NOCD, the #1 telehealth provider for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), announced the results of the industry’s largest peer-reviewed retrospective longitudinal observational study on the use of virtual care to provide behavioral health therapy to OCD patients.

The study examined the outcomes of 3,552 adults with a primary OCD diagnosis—the largest reported sample to date of a treated cohort of patients with OCD—who received Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy provided via NOCD’s telehealth platform.

Consumers who believe they have OCD download NOCD’s smartphone app or engage via NOCD’s website. They are then screened and matched with a licensed ERP therapist, provided a personalized treatment plan, and conduct face-to-face ERP therapy sessions online. The app also provides additional tools, a community, and advocates (former patients) to support patients before, during, and after their treatment regimen. In addition, patients had messaging support from their therapists between sessions.

The researchers found the behavioral telehealth treatment was highly effective, with outcomes similar to traditional in-office ERP therapy in reducing OCD and comorbid symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, and stress. The study’s measured impact on symptoms via virtual behavioral health treatment were:

In addition, the study found that quality of life for OCD patients improved by a mean of 22.7%. The response rates and symptom reductions were comparable regardless of whether the patient presented with mild, moderate, or severe symptoms.

Notably, these meaningful improvements in patients’ behavioral health were maintained at 3, 6, 9, and 12 month intervals, yet were achieved in half calendar time and total therapist hours—a mean duration of 11.4 weeks and 10.6 total therapist hours—compared to the common medical standard of once-weekly outpatient cognitive-behavioral therapy for 25 hours, which can take up to six months (24 weeks) to complete.

“For an industry focused on transitioning to value-based care, these results represent equivalent quality outcomes at substantial cost savings over traditional ERP treatment, through an enhanced patient experience,” said Stephen Smith, chief executive officer of NOCD. “This breakthrough study provides strong clinical evidence that behavioral telehealth works as well as traditional in-office visits, with faster time-to-relief at a significantly lower cost for consumers, employers, and health plans—and certainly a more convenient delivery model that makes it easier for people to seek care for a condition that is often stigmatized.”

The full report, “Online Video Teletherapy Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Exposure and Response Prevention: Clinical Outcomes From a Retrospective Longitudinal Observational Study,” was published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research and is available online at no charge.

"I've had OCD for over 20 years and due to the misconceptions surrounding the disorder and lack of awareness surrounding mental health in general, it took me many years to get a diagnosis,” said Ria Fay, NOCD Member. “Then I found NOCD. It must have taken about a week from my very first inquiry to setting up my first appointment. I couldn’t believe this, as I was used to waiting months to get help!

My NOCD therapist gave me an official diagnosis in our first session and worked with me each week to achieve realistic and personalized goals. If something wasn’t working, I could contact my therapist between sessions to come up with a solution rather than having to wait a week feeling frustrated. The app that accompanied my treatment provided resources to help when I experienced a spike and ways to set out your ERP goals in a clear and easy-to-follow way. I honestly can’t recommend NOCD enough."

About NOCD Inc.

NOCD (https://www.nocd.com) is the #1 telehealth provider for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). We help people reclaim their lives with clinically proven OCD treatment, by removing barriers to OCD care, and by reducing the stigma associated with OCD. Our innovative telehealth platform lets members quickly access our national network of licensed therapists who specialize in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), the “gold standard” for OCD treatment. Working together with our therapists, patients, health plans, providers, and employers, we are improving the lives of people with OCD. Please visit our website for more information about NOCD.

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