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Bradley C. Riemann, PhD, Clinical Director of Rogers’ OCD Center and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Services (CBT) and David M. Jacobi, PhD, Behavior Specialist and Clinical Specialist, recently attended the annual convention hosted by the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) in National Harbor, Maryland. The conference had a record attendance with more than 3,000 professionals taking advantage of roundtable discussions and presentations.

“We’re excited about the collaborations that have begun from the presentations of three Rogers’ research studies,” Dr. Riemann said. As part of the convention, Dr. Riemann addressed research on: 1) how Asperger’s may or may not affect obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) outcomes; 2) how attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may or may not affect OCD outcomes; 3) how minority participants with OCD are not seeking treatment even though the prevalence rate is the same.

“Although affected equally, fewer minorities are seeking treatment,” Dr. Riemann said. “It’s an unfortunate scenario. Even our OCD residential program is indicative of this trend; it formally established that minorities are not seeking treatment at any level of care despite a similar prevalence rate.” Future collaborations will address why and what can be done to change this outcome.

ABCT is a multidisciplinary organization committed to the advancement of scientific approaches to the understanding and improvement of human functioning through the investigation and application of behavioral, cognitive, and other evidence-based principles to the assessment, prevention, treatment of human problems, and the enhancement of health and well-being. The convention draws thought leaders and highly esteemed professionals in the industry and offers them the opportunity to discuss factors that affect disorders like OCD and how to overcome them.