"It's Mentally Painful to Stop": Design Opportunities in In-Situ Self-Management Technology for People with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Abstract: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition significantly affecting people's quality of life. Although OCD can be effectively treated with evidence-based therapy (e.g., exposure and response prevention), Managing OCD symptoms independently, as an indispensable part of successful treatment, remains challenging due to fear confrontation and lack of appropriate support. We aim to comprehensively understand the challenges and needs in OCD self-management from the perspectives of both people with OCD and OCD therapists. Through interviews with 10 participants with diverse OCD conditions and seven therapists, we characterized different OCD symptoms, typical triggering factors, strategies, technology use, and barriers both inside and outside of therapy. Our findings highlighted gaps between OCD self-management needs and currently available support. Building on these insights, we suggest in-situ self-management technologies for OCD, including personalized symptom tracking, in-situ interventions, and discuss how OCD-specific privacy and social needs can be fulfilled with technology and beyond.