OCD News & Resources

A Cool New APP to Help OCD Patients

OCD News | 03 May 2012

Dr. Kristen Mulcahy, director at the Cognitive Behavioral Institute in Falmouth, has created an application to treat obsessive compulsive disorder. 

Trained at the Behavioral Institute in New York, Mulcahy has been treating patients with OCD for 15 years using exposure and response prevention, and  has applied that same treatment to a mobile app, Live OCD Free. Mulcahy launched Pocket Therapist LLC in Falmouth with funds she received from her mother Carolyn who passed away a little more than two years ago and support from six other people, including former actor Jim Frangione, who provides the voice of some of the characters in the app.  

The treatment is a specific form of behavior therapy, and the only evidence-based treatment for OCD, according to Mulcahy. There is an estimated 4-7 million people in United States alone with OCD and many of them don’t receive treatment, she said.  

“That was the huge reason why I thought about developing this app,” she told Mass High Tech. “There is such a huge need for those who don’t have access to a therapist.” 

Mulcahy said the app was designed to work best in conjunction with therapy, but said it is the best alternative for those with no other resources.