Papers by Joseph Slimowicz
Sexual orientation obsessions in OCD (SO-OCD) are common but under-recognised and frequently misd... more Sexual orientation obsessions in OCD (SO-OCD) are common but under-recognised and frequently misdiagnosed. SO-OCD may include worries of experiencing an unwanted change in sexual orientation, fears that others may perceive one as a member of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered (LGBT) community, or fear that one has hidden same sex desires. The phenomenology of SO-OCD is described and contrasted with internalised homophobia/heterosexism. Examples of SO-OCD and related obsessions and compulsions are provided. Cognitive behavioural treatment of SO-OCD with exposure and ritual/response prevention (Ex/RP) is described using psycho-education, in vivo exposure, imaginal exposure, and ritual/response prevention, along with mindfulness/acceptance approaches. Due to the extreme distress caused by sexual orientation symptoms, it is important that clinicians properly identify and treat this manifestation of OCD. 3
Opioids have long been-and continue to remain-important in treating, but their use has increased ... more Opioids have long been-and continue to remain-important in treating, but their use has increased exponentially over the past 20 years and resulted in near-identical increases in misuse of, abuse of, and addiction to these drugs. This lesson reviews the history of the paradigm shift in opioid prescribing, the scope and extent of the resulting problems associated with that shift, and the evidence of efficacy and safety when chronic non-cancer pain is treated with prescription opioids.
Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 2014
Previous research has reviewed the quality of online information related to specific mental disor... more Previous research has reviewed the quality of online information related to specific mental disorders. Yet, no comprehensive study has been conducted on the overall quality of mental health information searched for online. This study examined the first 20 search results of two popular search engines-Google and Bing-for 11 common mental health terms. They were analyzed using the DISCERN instrument, an adaptation of the Depression Website Content Checklist (ADWCC), Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level readability measures, HONCode badge display, and commercial status, resulting in an analysis of 440 web pages.
Behavior Therapy, 2015
Sexual obsessions are a common symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), often classified i... more Sexual obsessions are a common symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), often classified in a broader symptom dimension that includes aggressive and religious obsessions, as well. Indeed, the Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DOCS) Unacceptable Thoughts Scale includes obsessional content relating to sexual, violent, and religious themes associated with rituals that are often covert. However, there is reason to suspect that sexual obsessions differ meaningfully from other types of unacceptable thoughts. We conducted two studies to evaluate the factor structure, initial psychometric characteristics, and associated clinical features of a new DOCS scale for sexually intrusive thoughts (SIT). In the first study, nonclinical participants (N=475) completed the standard DOCS with additional SIT questions and we conducted an exploratory factor analysis on all items and examined clinical and cognitive correlates of the different scales, as well as test-retest reliability. The SIT Scale was distinct from the Unacceptable Thoughts Scale and was predicted by different obsessional cognitions. It had good internal consistency and there was evidence for convergent and divergent validity. In the second study, we examined the relationships among the standard DOCS and SIT scales, as well as types of obsessional cognitions and symptom severity, in a clinical sample of individuals with OCD (N=54). There were indications of both convergence and divergence between the Unacceptable Thoughts and SIT scales, which were strongly correlated with each other. Together, the studies demonstrate the potential utility of assessing sexually intrusive thoughts separately from the broader category of unacceptable thoughts.
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Papers by Joseph Slimowicz