Shenakht Journal of Psychology & Psychiatry

Introduction: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is one of the common psychological disorders characterized by repetitive, anxiety-provoking thoughts and behaviors.
Objective: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Schema Therapy, and a combined treatment approach in individuals with OCD.
Method: This research was a semi-experimental clinical trial with a pretest-posttest control group design. From among the patients visiting psychiatric clinics in Tehran in 2023, a total of 60 individuals diagnosed with OCD based on a clinical interview and the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) were selected through purposive sampling. Participants were randomly assigned to two experimental groups (15 each) and one control group. Data were collected using the Goldberg Mental Health Questionnaire and analyzed through univariate and multivariate Ancova and Bonferroni post hoc tests.  
Results: The findings indicated that all three therapeutic approaches had a significant positive effect on reducing clinical symptoms and improving the mental health of individuals with OCD. However, no significant difference was observed between the effectiveness of DBT and Schema Therapy, while the combined treatment had a significantly greater impact compared to the other two approaches.
Conclusion: Based on the finding’s, combined therapy is more effective than using each method individually in reducing clinical symptoms and enhancing mental health in individuals with OCD. Therefore, the use of combined treatment is recommended to improve the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions for OCD.
Keywords: Combined Modality Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Mental Health, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Schema Therapy.