Draft:OCD.app

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Declined by Theroadislong 8 days ago. Last edited by Citation bot 7 days ago. Reviewer: Inform author.

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ocd.app

ocd.app is a mobile health application developed by GGtude Ltd. Initially intended to assist individuals in managing symptoms related to Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and related conditions, including Relationship obsessive–compulsive disorder (ROCD), perfectionism, body image distress, anxiety, and depression. The application provides users with brief daily cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) exercises designed to target maladaptive cognitions.

History

GGtude Ltd. initially developed a series of mobile applications, each targeting a specific domain of psychological distress. These included:

GGRO for relationship obsessive-compulsive disorder (ROCD),
GG OCD for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD),
GGBI for body image difficulties, and
GGSE for self-esteem issues.

These applications were consolidated into a multi-track platform now known as ocd.app, offering over 30 therapeutic modules. The expanded app addresses a broad range of difficulties, including OCD, depression, anxiety, anger, PTSD, perfectionism, relationship conflict, caregiver burden, tinnitus, social anxiety, ADHD, and other concerns.

Development

ocd.app was developed by GGtude Ltd., co-founded by Professor Guy Doron, a clinical psychologist and researcher and Gur Ilany a game developer and designer. The platform is based on principles derived from cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and aims to offer accessible, low-intensity psychological support through mobile interventions.

Therapeutic Approach

The app employs a structure in which users are presented with brief, daily tasks encouraging the endorsement of adaptive self-statements and the discarding of maladaptive ones. Various cognitive tasks are used to increase accessibility of helpful over unhelpful cognitions thereby reducing psychological difficulties (Aboody, D.; Siev, J.; Doron, G. (2020). "Building resilience to body image triggers using brief cognitive training on a mobile application: a randomized controlled trial". Behaviour Research and Therapy. 134: 103723. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2020.103723. PMID 32920164.;Ben-Zeev, D.; Chander, A.; Tauscher, J.; Buck, B.; Nepal, S.; Campbell, A.; Doron, G. (2021). "A Smartphone Intervention for People with Serious Mental Illness: Fully Remote Randomized Controlled Trial of CORE". JMIR. 23 (11): e29201. doi:10.2196/29201. PMC 8663659. PMID 34766913.).

Interactive Mobile Exercises

The mobile platform adapts traditional cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) principles into interactive daily exercises designed for smartphone interfaces. These exercises specifically target maladaptive "stuck points"—core dysfunctional beliefs that maintain users' psychological difficulties. The app integrates familiar mobile interaction patterns such as swipe gestures, tap-and-hold actions, and animated transitions to enhance user engagement while maintaining a therapeutic focus.

Users interact with therapeutic content through three primary mechanisms:

Directional Sweeping: Users categorize thoughts using swipe gestures. Adaptive thoughts are swiped in one direction (e.g., downwards to symbolize acceptance), while maladaptive thoughts are swiped in another (e.g., upwards to discard). This mechanism draws on embodied cognition theory, suggesting that coupling physical actions with cognitive categorization may strengthen therapeutic processing.

Paired Statements: Users select between adaptive and maladaptive cognitive statements. Choosing an adaptive statement triggers positive visual reinforcement, while selecting a maladaptive statement results in no feedback. This interaction is based on operant conditioning principles, aiming to strengthen adaptive thinking patterns over time.

Emoji-Based Thought Tagging: Users classify their thoughts as adaptive or maladaptive using simple visual symbols, such as a heart for adaptive and a trash can for maladaptive thoughts. This approach reduces cognitive load by leveraging the brain’s rapid visual processing capabilities, thus facilitating more efficient cognitive restructuring.

Through these interactive exercises, the platform seeks to directly challenge users' maladaptive beliefs related to their specific symptom profiles and enhance cognitive flexibility across a range of psychological conditions.

Research and Efficacy

As of 2025, 18 studies have evaluated ocd.app in peer-reviewed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and real-world observational studies. These include 12 published RCTs conducted across the United States, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and Israel.

The studies included diverse participant samples:

Clinical and high-risk populations (e.g., Ben-Zeev, D.; Chander, A.; Tauscher, J.; Buck, B.; Nepal, S.; Campbell, A.; Doron, G. (2021). "A Smartphone Intervention for People with Serious Mental Illness: Fully Remote Randomized Controlled Trial of CORE". JMIR. 23 (11): e29201. doi:10.2196/29201. PMC 8663659. PMID 34766913.)
Subclinical groups (e.g., Cerea, S.; Ghisi, M.; Bottesi, G.; Carraro, T.; Broggio, D.; Doron, G. (2020). "Reaching reliable change using short, daily, cognitive training exercises delivered on a mobile application: The case of Relationship Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (ROCD) symptoms and cognitions in a subclinical cohort". Journal of Affective Disorders. 276: 775–787. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.07.043. PMID 32738662.)
University students (e.g., Roncero, M.; Belloch, A.; Doron, G. (2019). "Can brief, daily training using a mobile application help change maladaptive beliefs? A cross-over randomized-control study evaluating the efficacy of GGRO in reducing maladaptive beliefs and obsessive-compulsive symptoms". JMIR mHealth and uHealth. 7 (6): e11443. doi:10.2196/11443. PMC 6391643. PMID 30758294.)

Two RCTs also indicated that daily use of the app increased resilience to psychological triggers (Aboody, D.; Siev, J.; Doron, G. (2020). "Building resilience to body image triggers using brief cognitive training on a mobile application: a randomized controlled trial". Behaviour Research and Therapy. 134: 103723. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2020.103723. PMID 32920164.; Gorelik, M.; Szepsenwol, O.; Doron, G. (2023). "Promoting couples' resilience to relationship obsessive compulsive disorder (ROCD) symptoms using a CBT-based mobile application: A randomized controlled trial". Heliyon. 9 (11): e21673. Bibcode:2023Heliy...921673G. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21673. PMC 10656241. PMID 38027836.).

Research findings suggest that the platform's use is associated with reductions in symptoms (e.g., OCD, depression, anxiety, body image distress, anger, PTSD, social anxiety) and maladaptive beliefs (e.g., threat overestimation, perfectionism, intolerance of uncertainty, importance and control of thoughts), as well as improvements in relationship satisfaction.

Published real-world data analyses involving over ten thousand users associate using ocd.app with reductions in OCD symptoms, particularly among individuals with moderate to severe symptoms, as well as with increased self-esteem.

Recent findings suggest that therapeutic effects following app usage may persist for up to six months, as demonstrated by a 2025 randomized controlled trial evaluating sustained self-esteem improvements (Shtoots, L.; Nadler, A.; Gamoran, A.; Levy, D. A.; Doron, G. (2025). "Evaluating the Combined Effects of Mobile Computerized CBT and Post-Learning Oscillatory Modulation on Self-Esteem: A Randomized Controlled Trial". Scientific Reports. 15 (1): 10934. Bibcode:2025NatSR..1510934S. doi:10.1038/s41598-024-83941-z. PMC 11955000. PMID 40157955.).

Published Studies

Multiple studies have evaluated the efficacy of ocd.app and GGtude platforms, including randomized controlled trials and real-world studies:

Aboody, D.; Siev, J.; Doron, G. (2020). "Building resilience to body image triggers using brief cognitive training on a mobile application: a randomized controlled trial". Behaviour Research and Therapy. 134: 103723. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2020.103723. PMID 32920164.
Abramovitch, A.; Uwadiale, A.; Robinson, A. (2024). "A randomized clinical trial of a gamified app for the treatment of perfectionism". British Journal of Clinical Psychology. 63 (1): 73–91. doi:10.1111/bjc.12444. PMID 37864496.
Akin-Sari, B.; Inozu, M.; Haciomeroglu, A. B.; Trak, E.; Tufan, D.; Doron, G. (2022). "Cognitive training using a mobile app as a coping tool against COVID-19 distress: A crossover randomized controlled trial". Journal of Affective Disorders. 311: 604–613. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2022.05.118. PMC 9137239. PMID 35636516.
Akin-Sari, B.; Inozu, M.; Haciomeroglu, A. B.; Cekci, B. C.; Uzumcu, E.; Doron, G. (2022). "Cognitive Training via a Mobile Application to Reduce Obsessive-Compulsive-Related Distress and Cognitions during the COVID-19 Outbreaks: A Randomized Controlled Trial Using a Subclinical Cohort". Behavior Therapy. 53 (5): 776–792. doi:10.1016/j.beth.2021.12.008. PMC 8741627. PMID 35987538.
Ben-Zeev, D.; Chander, A.; Tauscher, J.; Buck, B.; Nepal, S.; Campbell, A.; Doron, G. (2021). "A Smartphone Intervention for People with Serious Mental Illness: Fully Remote Randomized Controlled Trial of CORE". JMIR. 23 (11): e29201. doi:10.2196/29201. PMC 8663659. PMID 34766913.
Cerea, S.; Ghisi, M.; Bottesi, G.; Carraro, T.; Broggio, D.; Doron, G. (2020). "Reaching reliable change using short, daily, cognitive training exercises delivered on a mobile application: The case of Relationship Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (ROCD) symptoms and cognitions in a subclinical cohort". Journal of Affective Disorders. 276: 775–787. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.07.043. PMID 32738662.
Cerea, S.; Ghisi, M.; Bottesi, G.; Manoli, E.; Carraro, T.; Doron, G. (2021). "Short, Daily Cognitive Behavioural Training Using a Mobile Application Reduces Body Image Related Symptoms in High Risk Female University Students: A Randomized Controlled Study". Behavior Therapy. 52 (1): 170–182. doi:10.1016/j.beth.2020.04.002. PMID 33483115.
Cerea, S.; Doron, G.; Manoli, E.; Patania, F.; Bottesi, G.; Ghisi, M. (2022). "Cognitive training via a mobile application to reduce some forms of body dissatisfaction in young females at high-risk for body image disorders: A randomized controlled trial". Body Image. 42: 297–306. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.07.010. PMID 35908296.
Gamoran, A.; Doron, G. (2023). "Effectiveness of brief daily training using a mobile app in reducing obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms: Examining real world data of "OCD.app - Anxiety, mood & sleep"". Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders. 36: 100782. doi:10.1016/j.jocrd.2023.100782.
Gorelik, M.; Szepsenwol, O.; Doron, G. (2023). "Promoting couples' resilience to relationship obsessive compulsive disorder (ROCD) symptoms using a CBT-based mobile application: A randomized controlled trial". Heliyon. 9 (11): e21673. Bibcode:2023Heliy...921673G. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21673. PMC 10656241. PMID 38027836.
Oron, Y.; Ben-David, B.; Doron, G. (2022). "Brief cognitive behavioral training for tinnitus relief using a mobile application: A pilot open trial". Health Informatics Journal. 28 (1). doi:10.1177/14604582221083483. PMID 35349777.
Pascual-Vera, B.; Roncero, M.; Doron, G.; Belloch, A. (2018). "Assisting relapse prevention in OCD using a novel mobile app-based intervention: A case report". The Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic. 82 (4): 390–406. doi:10.1521/bumc.2018.82.4.390. PMID 30589573.
Roncero, M.; Belloch, A.; Doron, G. (2018). "A novel approach of challenging OCD related beliefs using a mobile-app: An exploratory study". Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry. 59: 157–160. doi:10.1016/j.jbtep.2018.01.008. PMID 29425951.
Roncero, M.; Belloch, A.; Doron, G. (2019). "Can brief, daily training using a mobile applications help change maladaptive beliefs? A cross-over randomized-control study evaluating the efficacy of GGRO in reducing maladaptive beliefs and obsessive-compulsive symptoms". JMIR mHealth and uHealth. 7 (6): e11443. doi:10.2196/11443. PMC 6391643. PMID 30758294.
Shtoots, L.; Nadler, A.; Gamoran, A.; Levy, D. A.; Doron, G. (2025). "Evaluating the Combined Effects of Mobile Computerized CBT and Post-Learning Oscillatory Modulation on Self-Esteem: A Randomized Controlled Trial". Scientific Reports. 15 (1): 10934. Bibcode:2025NatSR..1510934S. doi:10.1038/s41598-024-83941-z. PMC 11955000. PMID 40157955.
Podoly, T. S.; Even Ezra, H.; Doron, G. (2025). "A Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating an mHealth Intervention for Anger-Related Cognitions in Misophonia". Journal of Affective Disorders. 379: 350–361. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2025.03.060. PMID 40081589.
Giraldo-O'Meara, M.; Doron, G. (2021). "Can self-esteem be improved using short daily training on mobile applications? Examining real world data of GG self-esteem users". Clinical Psychologist. 25 (2): 131–139. doi:10.1080/13284207.2021.1923126.
Doron, G.; Derby, D.; Gamoran, A. (2025). Gamifying Mental Health Treatment: A Mobile Interface Design for PTSD Intervention. Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA ’25). ACM. p. 5. doi:10.1145/3706599.3720074.

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