Here’s a 10-minute presentation script based on your slide deck titled "Obsessive-
Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Unraveling the Cycle", plus a top expert-level question and
answer for Q&A.
Presentation Speech (within 10 minutes)
Slide 1: Title Slide
Good [morning/afternoon], everyone. I'm M M Shanjid Hossain Rishan, Intern Clinical
Psychologist. Today, I’ll be presenting a case on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). We’ll
walk through the patient's background, symptoms, diagnosis, and therapeutic progress.
Slide 2: Demographics & Chief Complaints
Our client is a 33-year-old married female housewife from Rajshahi, with a postgraduate
education.
She presents with:
• Behavioral: Repetitive rituals like washing and intrusive thinking, avoidance of triggers.
• Cognitive: Obsessions, intrusive thoughts, and perfectionist thinking.
• Emotional: Persistent anxiety, irritability, and fear.
• Motivational: Reduced interest in daily life, inner conflict over rituals.
• Physiological: Palpitations, fatigue, and reduced physical intimacy.
Slide 3: History of Present Illness
Symptoms began 7 years ago after a traumatic miscarriage during her first pregnancy.
Compulsions and obsessions significantly disrupt her daily life.
Triggers include contamination fears, intrusive thoughts, and uncertainty.
Associated with high anxiety, phobic tendencies, and panic-like episodes.
Functionally, she struggles with household responsibilities and maintaining relationships.
Slide 4: Personal and Family History
She has a normal developmental history and no prior psychiatric illness.
There’s no family history of psychiatric conditions, though her father had cardiovascular and
diabetic conditions.
Her social circumstances are generally stable, but she tends to avoid large family gatherings.
Slide 5: Premorbid Personality & MSE
She’s cooperative, orderly, and perfectionistic.
Mood is anxious, with guilt.
MSE shows:
• Normal speech and behavior, anxious facial expression
• Thought and perception are intact
• Good insight and judgment
Slide 6: Diagnosis & Formulation
Primary diagnosis: OCD – DSM-5: 300.3
Comorbidities: Major Depression, Anxiety, Panic Disorder
Formulation:
• Predisposing: First pregnancy miscarriage
• Precipitating: Overprotection during second pregnancy
• Perpetuating: Compulsions and poor coping
• Protective: Self-awareness and motivation for recovery
Slide 7: Treatment Goals
Short-Term Goals:
• Reduce compulsions by 70%
• Use CBT to decrease intrusive thoughts
• Improve sleep and self-confidence
Long-Term Goals:
• Maintain remission
• Enhance problem-solving and relationships
• Prevent relapse
Slide 8: Intervention Plan
Psychological management involved CBT with ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention):
• Psychoeducation about OCD
• Cognitive restructuring of distorted beliefs
• Exposure hierarchy and response prevention
Medication was managed separately by a psychiatrist.
Slide 9: Session Outcomes
• Session 1: Psychoeducation improved awareness
• Session 2: Cognitive restructuring challenged faulty beliefs
• Session 3: Gradual exposure and meditation helped reduce anxiety
• Session 4: Response prevention lowered compulsions
Her subjective well-being improved, and she reports feeling more in control.
Slide 10: Conclusion
This case reflects how a tailored CBT-based approach can break the OCD cycle and restore
functioning.
Thank you for your attention. I welcome your questions.
Expert-Level Question
Question:
"How did you ensure that Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) was both effective and
ethically applied, especially given her history of miscarriage and emotional sensitivity?"
Suggested Answer:
That’s a valuable question.
ERP was introduced gradually after building trust and psychoeducation. We carefully avoided
trauma-linked content and instead focused on milder, non-traumatizing triggers like
contamination concerns.
An exposure hierarchy was collaboratively developed, and she had full consent and control
throughout the process.
Additionally, we combined ERP with meditative techniques and cognitive restructuring to
ensure emotional support. This balanced method reduced distress and promoted therapeutic gains
ethically and effectively.
Let me know if you'd like audience-friendly questions or a visual summary slide for Q&A!
Absolutely! Here are several likely questions you may receive during your presentation — from
both experts and general audience members — with clear, confident answers you can use.
Expert-Level Questions & Answers
Q1: Why was CBT with ERP chosen over other therapeutic approaches for
this case?
Answer:
CBT with ERP is the gold standard for treating OCD. It directly targets the obsession-
compulsion cycle by helping the patient confront feared thoughts (via exposure) and resist
ritualistic responses (via response prevention).
In this case, ERP allowed the patient to gradually face contamination fears, reducing anxiety and
compulsive behaviors over time. Other therapies may offer support, but CBT-ERP has the
strongest evidence base for OCD.
Q2: How did you handle the patient’s comorbid depression and panic
disorder during OCD treatment?
Answer:
We maintained a holistic approach, addressing all comorbidities in coordination with her
psychiatrist. While CBT for OCD was the primary focus, relaxation training and mindfulness
techniques also helped with panic symptoms.
For depression, cognitive restructuring was particularly useful to challenge negative core
beliefs and improve mood alongside OCD symptom relief.
Q3: Did family dynamics or involvement influence the therapeutic outcome?
Answer:
Yes. While the patient’s family dynamics were generally stable, her avoidance of family
programs hinted at social withdrawal tied to OCD. We encouraged family education and
gentle involvement to reduce accommodation behaviors and build emotional support at home —
both of which positively influenced progress.
Q4: What challenges did you face during ERP, and how did you overcome
them?
Answer:
Initial resistance and anxiety during exposure exercises were expected. We overcame this by
using a graded exposure hierarchy, starting with lower-anxiety situations and integrating
meditation and breathing techniques.
Client autonomy and reinforcement of her protective factors — like motivation and insight —
helped her stay engaged despite discomfort.
Audience-Friendly Questions & Answers
Q5: What’s the difference between OCD and being just “a little
perfectionist” or “clean freak”?
Answer:
Great question! The difference lies in distress and dysfunction. People with OCD experience
intrusive thoughts and feel compelled to do rituals to relieve anxiety, which can significantly
interfere with daily life.
In contrast, being organized or clean by choice doesn’t cause distress or impair functioning.
OCD is not a preference — it’s a mental health disorder.
Q6: Can OCD go away completely with treatment?
Answer:
Yes, many individuals with OCD experience significant symptom reduction or even full
remission with proper treatment like CBT and medication.
While it can be a chronic condition, ongoing management and relapse prevention strategies can
help maintain long-term stability and improve quality of life.
Q7: Is medication necessary, or can OCD be treated with therapy alone?
Answer:
CBT with ERP can be effective on its own, especially in mild to moderate cases.
However, in moderate to severe cases, combining therapy with SSRIs (like fluoxetine or
sertraline) often leads to better outcomes. In this case, medication was prescribed by her
psychiatrist to support her therapy process.
Let me know if you'd like to include a Q&A slide with these sample questions, or if you'd like
help building visuals like an OCD cycle chart or ERP ladder!
