A Comparative Review on the Efficacy of Third-Wave Cognitive Therapies (DBT and ACT) Versus Traditional CBT in Managing Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Siddharth Ranjan Banerjee; Sajid Parwez; Surender Kumar Dhalwal

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| Published: June 30, 2025

A Comparative Review on the Efficacy of Third-Wave Cognitive Therapies (DBT and ACT) Versus Traditional CBT in Managing Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Siddharth Ranjan Banerjee

Ph.D Scholar, Department of Clinical Psychology, Sona Devi University, Ghatsila, Jharkhand Google Scholar More about the auther

, Sajid Parwez

Associate professor, Department of Clinical Psychology, Sona Devi University, Ghatsila, Jharkhand Google Scholar More about the auther

, Surender Kumar Dhalwal

Assistant Professor & Head, Department of Clinical and Rehabilitation Psychology and Research, National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Visual Disabilities, Dehradun Google Scholar More about the auther

DIP: 18.01.454.20251302

DOI: 10.25215/1302.454

ABSTRACT

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a chronic and debilitating psychiatric condition that severely affects individuals’ quality of life. Traditional Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the gold standard for treating OCD, but third-wave cognitive therapies, such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), offer promising alternatives. This review examines the comparative efficacy of these therapies in managing obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors, emphasizing their mechanisms, advantages, and limitations. The article synthesizes findings from existing studies to identify gaps and potential directions for future research, particularly focusing on cultural adaptations relevant to non-Western populations like India.

Keywords

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

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This is an Open Access Research distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any Medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

How to cite this article: Banerjee, S.R., Parwez, S. & Dhalwal, S.K. (2025). A Comparative Review on the Efficacy of Third-Wave Cognitive Therapies (DBT and ACT) Versus Traditional CBT in Managing Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. International Journal of Indian Psychology, 13(2), 5148-5151. DIP:18.01.454.20251302, DOI:10.25215/1302.454