Case Study 12
CALD Child and Adolescent Mental Health Resource
eCALD Supplementary Resources
The following case study illustrates CBT for OCD with a Japanese adolescent girl. The case study provides a question for viewers to consider and reflect on.
Case study 12: Cognitive behavioural therapy (Japanese)
(Adapted from Friedberg, et al., 2016).
Asuka, a 14-year-old Japanese girl, migrated to New Zealand with her parents, brother, and grandparents when she was 10. Asuka was diagnosed with OCD and displayed contamination fears related to “sharing air” with people; she could not talk to others unless she stood several feet away to ensure she breathed “fresh” air. This dramatically interfered with her ability to develop a social support system despite the fact she found a group of girls who shared her passions for anime and manga—animated adventures in video and graphic novel formats. When she reached the cognitive restructuring module, her therapist suggested that she make her own manga to chronicle her “battles” against the OCD. Asuka delighted in the exercise and created extraordinary pages illustrating her cognitive contests against the OCD villain living in her mind. Not only did this exercise make cognitive interventions literally come alive for Asuka, it also established a way for her to open communication with her friends.