Bansal H, Chakrabarti S, Grover S. Psychoeducational treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder: A narrative review emphasizing family-based approaches. World J Psychiatry 2025; 15(11): 110239 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i11.110239]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Subho Chakrabarti, MD, Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Sector 12, Chandigarh 160012, India. subhochd@yahoo.com
Research Domain of This Article
Psychiatry
Article-Type of This Article
Review
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Psychiatry. Nov 19, 2025; 15(11): 110239 Published online Nov 19, 2025. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i11.110239
Psychoeducational treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder: A narrative review emphasizing family-based approaches
Himaly Bansal, Subho Chakrabarti, Sandeep Grover
Himaly Bansal, Subho Chakrabarti, Sandeep Grover, Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh 160012, India
Author contributions: Bansal H was involved in carrying out the review of literature and drafting the initial version of the manuscript; Chakrabarti S was involved in the planning of the manuscript, conducting the search, and preparing the final version of the manuscript; Grover S was involved in the planning and preparation of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest regarding this manuscript.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Subho Chakrabarti, MD, Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Sector 12, Chandigarh 160012, India. subhochd@yahoo.com
Received: June 3, 2025 Revised: June 20, 2025 Accepted: September 15, 2025 Published online: November 19, 2025 Processing time: 154 Days and 12.8 Hours
Abstract
Psychoeducation is a structured but straightforward and effective treatment, which consists of educating patients and family members about psychiatric disorders, teaching them to cope with the illness, and supporting them during treatment. Psychoeducation as an independent treatment is effective in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Psychoeducation is a core component of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) or exposure and response prevention (ERP) treatment, which are the standard psychotherapeutic treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, research on the benefits of psychoeducational treatments in OCD is limited compared to schizophrenia and bipolar disorders. Very few studies have examined psychoeducation as an independent treatment for OCD, and its efficacy is not proven. The effectiveness of CBT or ERP for OCD is well established, but the contribution of psychoeducation to the efficacy of these treatments is unclear. Recently, there has been a greater understanding of maladaptive family responses, such as accommodation and antagonism, that worsen the outcome and treatment response in OCD. Family-based psychoeducational treatments targeting inappropriate family responses are effective in reducing obsessional symptoms, attenuating the negative family impact of OCD, and improving patient and family functioning. Family-based psychoeducation is a promising treatment for OCD, but there are methodological issues with the evidence, and trials among adult patients are limited compared to children and adolescents. The other obstacles to the implementation of psychoeducational treatments of OCD are the large treatment gap, lack of research from low- and middle-income countries, and the limited attempts to develop culturally adapted treatments in these countries. Thus, further research should focus on optimising psychoeducational treatments for OCD and efficiently delivering these treatments in routine clinical settings.
Core Tip: Psychoeducation is a simple and effective treatment with proven efficacy in schizophrenia and mood disorders. Psychoeducation is a core component of cognitive-behavioural therapy or exposure and response prevention, which are the standard psychotherapeutic treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, research on the benefits of psychoeducational treatments in OCD is limited compared to other disorders. Maladaptive family responses such as accommodation and antagonism are common in OCD and adversely influence its outcome. Family-based psychoeducation targeting these inappropriate family responses is a promising treatment for OCD, but there are methodological uncertainties. Thus, optimising psychoeducational treatments for OCD remains a challenge.
