An interventional study of Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Habit Reversal Training (HbRT in Obsessive - Compulsive Disorder, Tic Disorder, Chronic Motor or Vocal and Tic Disorders, sponsored by University College London Hospitals. Recruiting at 2 sites in United Kingdom. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-07-27.
Sponsored by University College London Hospitals · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Tic Disorders frequently co-occur, and a subgroup of patients - those with a Tourettic Subtype of OCD (TOCD) - present with concurrent obsessive-compulsive and tic symptoms. Existing psychological interventions typically target one condition or the other, but rarely both together. This study aims to test whether a combined psychological therapy integrating Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Habit Reversal (HbRT) is more effective at reducing symptoms than either therapy delivered alone, in adults with TOCD.
Participants are randomly allocated to one of four groups: (1) combined ERP and HbRT, (2) ERP alone, (3) HbRT alone, or (4) a supportive psychoeducation control. All participants receive 12 weekly one-to-one sessions (either in-person or remotely) of approximately fifty minutes. Symptoms will be assessed using the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) and Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) by an independent clinician at the start of treatment, at Week 12, and again at Week 24.
240 studies on the registry are indexed under Tourette Syndrome; 40 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 40 is above the median of 36 across 183 interventional studies indexed under Tourette Syndrome.
Browse Tourette Syndrome studies →University College London Hospitals is the lead sponsor of 62 studies on the registry; 8 are open to participants now.
Compared within Tourette Syndrome, this study's primary condition as ClinicalTrials.gg classifies it; the registry's first condition term is Tic Disorders. The counts are of registry records indexed under each term, refreshed daily. How we classify →
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
a. Tourettes Disorder / Tourette Syndrome b. Persistent Motor or Vocal Tic Disorder / Chronic Motor or Vocal Tic Disorder c. Provisional Tic Disorder / Transient Motor Tics d. Other Specified Tic Disorder e. Unspecified Tic Disorder f. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder [d] Participants taking psychotropic medication are eligible provided medication type and dose remain stable throughout the intervention period [e] Ability to provide sustained [f] A minimum score of 16 on YBOCS [g] A minimum score of 5 on the Premonitory Urge for Tics Scale (PUTS)
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraindication
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants allocated to this arm will receive a 12-week individual psychological intervention integrating Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Habit Reversal Training (HRT). ERP will involve planned exposure to obsessional fears, distress, sensory discomfort, premonitory urges, and "not-just-right" experiences while reducing compulsions, avoidance, reassurance seeking, and other safety behaviours. HRT will include awareness training, identification of premonitory urges and tic-related cues, development and practice of competing responses, and strategies to support generalisation. Sessions will last approximately 50 minutes and will be delivered face-to-face or remotely.
Behavioral: Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) · Behavioral: Habit Reversal Training (HbRT
Participants allocated to this arm will receive a 12-week individual psychological intervention based on Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). Treatment will involve gradual and systematic exposure to obsessional fears, distress, sensory discomfort, premonitory urges, and "not-just-right" experiences while refraining from compulsions, avoidance, reassurance seeking, and other safety behaviours. The intervention aims to reduce obsessive-compulsive symptoms by promoting inhibitory learning and increasing tolerance of uncertainty and internal experiences. Sessions will last approximately 50 minutes and will be delivered face-to-face or remotely.
Behavioral: Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
Participants allocated to this arm will receive a 12-week individual psychological intervention based on Habit Reversal Training (HbRT). Treatment will include awareness training to improve recognition of tics and premonitory urges, identification of antecedents and contextual triggers, development and practice of competing responses, and strategies to promote generalisation of skills to everyday settings. The intervention aims to reduce tic severity and improve voluntary tic management. Sessions will last approximately 50 minutes and will be delivered face-to-face or remotely.
Behavioral: Habit Reversal Training (HbRT
Participants allocated to this arm will receive a 12-week individual psychological intervention consisting of psychoeducation and supportive therapy. Sessions will provide information about obsessive-compulsive disorder, tic disorders, Tourettic obsessive-compulsive disorder, stress, and wellbeing, together with supportive discussion and general problem-solving. This intervention will not include structured Exposure and Response Prevention, Habit Reversal Training, or other targeted behavioural techniques. Sessions will last approximately 50 minutes and will be delivered face-to-face or remotely.
Behavioral: Psychoeducation and Supportive Intervention
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a behavioural intervention that involves gradual and systematic exposure to obsessional fears, distress, sensory discomfort, premonitory urges, and "not-just-right" experiences while refraining from compulsions, avoidance, reassurance seeking, and other safety behaviours. Treatment is delivered individually over 12 weekly 50-minute sessions, either face-to-face or remotely.
Habit Reversal Training (HbRT) is a behavioural intervention that includes awareness training, identification of premonitory urges and antecedents to tic expression, development and practice of competing responses, and strategies to generalise skills across settings. Treatment is delivered individually over 12 weekly 50-minute sessions, either face-to-face or remotely.
Psychoeducation and Supportive Therapy consists of structured education about obsessive-compulsive disorder, tic disorders, Tourettic obsessive-compulsive disorder, stress, and wellbeing, together with supportive discussion and general problem-solving. The intervention does not include Exposure and Response Prevention, Habit Reversal Training, or other targeted behavioural techniques. Treatment is delivered individually over 12 weekly 50-minute sessions, either face-to-face or remotely.
Change From Baseline in Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale Total Score
Obsessive-compulsive symptom severity will be assessed using the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). Total scores range from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating greater obsessive-compulsive symptom severity. Change from baseline will be assessed at Week 12 and Week 24.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 12 and Week 24
Change From Baseline in Yale Global Tic Severity Scale Total Tic Severity Score
Tic symptom severity will be assessed using the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) Total Tic Severity Score. Scores range from 0 to 50, with higher scores indicating greater tic symptom severity. Change from baseline will be assessed at Week 12 and Week 24.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 12 and Week 24
Change From Baseline in Yale Global Tic Severity Scale Global Severity Score
Overall tic symptom severity and tic-related impairment will be assessed using the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) Total Score. The Global Score is calculated by summing the Total Tic Severity Score (0-50) and the Impairment Score (0-50), resulting in a global score ranging from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate greater overall tic severity and impairment. Change from baseline will be assessed at Week 12 and Week 24.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 12 and Week 24
Plan to share: Undecided
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Started Jul 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Aug 2027, 12 months after the start.
Of 65 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Tourette Syndrome, half reached primary completion within 33 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 22 and three quarters within 50. This study's planned 12 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 65 studies reached it within 33 months; a quarter within 22 and three quarters within 50.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
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University College London Hospitals