Compulsive Personality DisorderOSPNCT06355284
Overcontrol and Suicide in PTSD
An observational study of Compulsive Personality Disorder and Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, run by VA Office of Research and Development at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
High standards and self-discipline are prized in military culture, but drawbacks of overcontrol are often ignored. Overcontrol is characterized by over-regulated behavior and cognitive rigidity, driven by an intense need for perfection and control. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 65 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Compulsive Personality Disorder, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
- What is being tested?
- Functional MRI
- How many people
- 59 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 1 Jul 2024to 30 Apr 2026
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 65 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Study population: The study population will include Veterans 18-65 years old. They will be men or women from the greater Providence area receiving care at the VA who have been discharged from active duty, or who served in the National Guard or reserve units. Over 15 months, the investigators plan to screen 74 Veterans aged 18-65 receiving care in VAPHS's Trauma Recovery Clinic (TRC) and Women's Health Clinic (WHC), the latter included to boost female participation.
Who may be able to join
- General Inclusion:
- All prospective participants must be able to comprehend the study's procedures and associated risks and be capable of providing informed consent.
- Mean scores on at least three subscales of the Pathological Obsessive Compulsive Personality Scale (POPS) must be greater than an average score of four (4 = "slightly agree") across subscale items.
- The POPS is a 49-item self-report assessment of maladaptive behaviors and thought patterns associated with OCPD.
- While Veterans with primary psychotic disorders will be excluded, the presence of other disorders related to obsessive-compulsive tendencies or personality will not be grounds for exclusion.
- Psychiatric medication usage will be assessed during enrollment, but this will not serve as an inclusion or exclusion criterion (with an additional stipulation outlined below for the MRI subsample).
Who cannot join
- General Exclusion:
- The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.) will be used to exclude participants with current psychosis or with past psychosis that was unrelated to depression.
- Additional MRI Criteria:
- Participants interested in taking part in the MRI portion of the study will undergo a thorough screening to ensure MRI compatibility (e.g., absence of metal in the body, absence of claustrophobia).
- Interested participants must meet the following additional criteria:
- no medical contraindications for MRI (e.g., pacemakers, non-MRI safe implanted devices)
Show all 13Show fewer
- absence of neurological disorders
- no moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (e.g., head trauma with loss of consciousness >5 minutes)
- no ongoing poorly controlled substance use disorder.
- Lifetime history of seizures, primary or secondary CNS tumors, stroke, or cerebral aneurysm will also be exclusionary.
- For participants in the MRI segment of the study, continued medication use will not be a disqualifying factor if the medication regimen has remained stable for the past month, with no intentions of altering dosages during the study duration.
- This medication criterion will not be applied to participants who do not complete MRI scans.
- For this feasibility trial, individuals exhibiting active suicidal behavior or a score >3 on the suicidal ideation module of the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale will be ineligible.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Providence VA Medical Center, Providence, RI
Providence, Rhode Island, 02908-4734
About this study
Official title: Pathways to Hope: Pilot fMRI Study of OCPD and Suicide Risk in Trauma-Exposed Veterans
High standards and self-discipline are prized in military culture, but drawbacks of overcontrol are often ignored. Overcontrol is characterized by over-regulated behavior and cognitive rigidity, driven by an intense need for perfection and control. It is frequently observed in people with obsessive-compulsive (OC) spectrum disorders, especially OC Personality Disorder (OCPD). Their inclination to set high expectations for others can strain social bonds. When grappling with mental health challenges, overcontrolled individuals often do so with limited social support, and as a result, tend to be at greater risk of developing more severe mental health symptoms, or suicidal thoughts and behaviors, over time.
New treatments are needed to improve social functioning in these vulnerable Veterans. Adding brain stimulation to psychotherapy is one method that might speed learning of social skills discussed in therapy. However, before this technology can be developed and tested more broadly, the investigators must make sure that the methods used to measure social functioning and related brain circuits are acceptable to most potential patients and can be used consistently.
Read more
In this pilot project, the investigators aim to recruit trauma-exposed Veterans with overcontrolled traits and study the feasibility and acceptability of:
- Our recruitment strategy and social functioning and mental health symptom assessments
- A three-session, weekly fMRI protocol.
- A three-week online protocol for remote monitoring of social and emotional functioning.
Read the detailed description
High standards and self-discipline are prized in military culture, but drawbacks of overcontrol are often ignored. Overcontrol, a transdiagnostic phenotype, is characterized by over-regulated behavior and cognitive rigidity, driven by an intense need for perfection and control. It is prevalent in obsessive-compulsive (OC) spectrum disorders, especially OC Personality Disorder (OCPD). Their inclination to set high expectations for others often causes interpersonal tension straining social bonds. When grappling with mental health challenges, overcontrolled individuals often do so with limited social support and consequently, may have poorer outcomes.
Treatments enhancements are needed to improve interpersonal functioning, quality of life and mitigate suicide risk these vulnerable Veterans. Neuromodulation adjunctive to psychotherapy is a promising option. Key obstacles, however, impede the development of circuit-based treatments tailored to this phenotype: 1) limited validation of existing associations between interpersonal functioning and OCPD in a broader, overcontrolled sample, 2) the absence of a unified, transdiagnostic circuit model of overcontrol, and 3) robust methods for tracking gradual changes in individuals' functioning throughout the course of treatment.
This pilot project will develop methods to address these knowledge gaps. Specifically, the investigators aim to:
- Assess the feasibility of our recruitment strategy and evaluate interpersonal functioning in a cohort of trauma-exposed Veterans exhibiting overcontrolled traits.
- Test the feasibility and acceptability of a three-session, weekly fMRI protocol focused on the circuitry of overcontrol, while evaluating within-subject reliability of observed neural correlates.
- Examine the feasibility and acceptability of a three-week protocol for remote monitoring of weekly variance in socio-occupational functioning and emotional regulation.
In service of these Aims, the investigators plan to enroll and screen up to 74 Veterans aged 18-65 who are currently receiving care at either PVAMC's Trauma Recovery Clinic (TRC) or Women's Health Clinic (WHC), the latter included to boost female participation. All those who consent to participate will complete the screening assessment. Of these 74 screened participants, the investigators anticipate that 36 Veterans will meet our inclusion/exclusion criteria and will be invited to complete additional psychosocial assessments. A subset of participants (up to n=18) will be invited to complete three MRI sessions and six brief at-home assessments asking questions about stress, emotional regulation, and socio-occupational functioning.
- Being tested
- Functional MRI
- Medical subject headings
- Compulsive Personality Disorder, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Functional MRIOther
While in the MRI scanner, participants will complete several classic experimental tasks designed to capture brain activity related to core cognitive features of overcontrol that impact social functioning. Tasks include the Stop Signal Task (error monitoring), Delay Discounting Task (valuation, impulsivity), and Reversal Learning (cognitive flexibility).
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Overcontrol | Trauma-exposed veterans with PTSD symptoms and average rigidity, emotional overcontrol, and maladaptive perfectionism subscale scores on the Pathological Obsessive Compulsive Personality Scale greater than or equal to 4. Receives: Other: Functional MRI |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Number of potential participants screened per month meeting the overcontrol criterion.
Indexes feasibility of recruitment and enrollment screening strategy.
Measured: 18 months
Percentage of sessions completed by participants receiving MRI.
Indexes feasibility of functional MRI protocol.
Measured: 22 months
Percentage of remote questionnaires completed.
Indexes feasibility of remote measurement of socio-occupational functioning and emotional regulation.
Measured: 22 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted9 Apr 2024
- Study start1 Jul 2024
- Primary completion27 Feb 2026
- Study completion30 Apr 2026
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Compulsive Personality DisorderStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by VA Office of Research and DevelopmentThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Case only
- Time perspective
- Other
- Enrolment
- 59 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- VA Office of Research and Development
- Sponsor type
- US federal agency
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Jennifer L Barredo, Principal investigator, Providence VA Medical Center, Providence, RI
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06355284
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- D5150-P
- Acronym
- OSP
- Status last verified
- Jul 2026
- First submitted
- 3 Apr 2024
- Last updated
- 2 Nov 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 2 Nov 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Pathways to Hope: Pilot fMRI Study of OCPD and Suicide Risk in Trauma-Exposed Veterans
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06355284
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- OSP / D5150-P
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 59 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- VA Office of Research and DevelopmentUS federal agency
- Study start
- 1 Jul 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 27 Feb 2026 (actual)
- Study completion
- 30 Apr 2026 (actual)
- First posted
- 9 Apr 2024 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
High standards and self-discipline are prized in military culture, but drawbacks of overcontrol are often ignored. Overcontrol is characterized by over-regulated behavior and cognitive rigidity, driven by an intense need for perfection and control. It is frequently observed in people with obsessive-compulsive (OC) spectrum disorders, especially OC Personality Disorder (OCPD). Their inclination to set high expectations for others can strain social bonds. When grappling with mental health challenges, overcontrolled individuals often do so with limited social support, and as a result, tend to be at greater risk of developing more severe mental health symptoms, or suicidal thoughts and behaviors, over time.
New treatments are needed to improve social functioning in these vulnerable Veterans. Adding brain stimulation to psychotherapy is one method that might speed learning of social skills discussed in therapy. However, before this technology can be developed and tested more broadly, the investigators must make sure that the methods used to measure social functioning and related brain circuits are acceptable to most potential patients and can be used consistently.
In this pilot project, the investigators aim to recruit trauma-exposed Veterans with overcontrolled traits and study the feasibility and acceptability of:
- Our recruitment strategy and social functioning and mental health symptom assessments
- A three-session, weekly fMRI protocol.
- A three-week online protocol for remote monitoring of social and emotional functioning.
Detailed description
High standards and self-discipline are prized in military culture, but drawbacks of overcontrol are often ignored. Overcontrol, a transdiagnostic phenotype, is characterized by over-regulated behavior and cognitive rigidity, driven by an intense need for perfection and control. It is prevalent in obsessive-compulsive (OC) spectrum disorders, especially OC Personality Disorder (OCPD). Their inclination to set high expectations for others often causes interpersonal tension straining social bonds. When grappling with mental health challenges, overcontrolled individuals often do so with limited social support and consequently, may have poorer outcomes.
Treatments enhancements are needed to improve interpersonal functioning, quality of life and mitigate suicide risk these vulnerable Veterans. Neuromodulation adjunctive to psychotherapy is a promising option. Key obstacles, however, impede the development of circuit-based treatments tailored to this phenotype: 1) limited validation of existing associations between interpersonal functioning and OCPD in a broader, overcontrolled sample, 2) the absence of a unified, transdiagnostic circuit model of overcontrol, and 3) robust methods for tracking gradual changes in individuals' functioning throughout the course of treatment.
This pilot project will develop methods to address these knowledge gaps. Specifically, the investigators aim to:
- Assess the feasibility of our recruitment strategy and evaluate interpersonal functioning in a cohort of trauma-exposed Veterans exhibiting overcontrolled traits.
- Test the feasibility and acceptability of a three-session, weekly fMRI protocol focused on the circuitry of overcontrol, while evaluating within-subject reliability of observed neural correlates.
- Examine the feasibility and acceptability of a three-week protocol for remote monitoring of weekly variance in socio-occupational functioning and emotional regulation.
In service of these Aims, the investigators plan to enroll and screen up to 74 Veterans aged 18-65 who are currently receiving care at either PVAMC's Trauma Recovery Clinic (TRC) or Women's Health Clinic (WHC), the latter included to boost female participation. All those who consent to participate will complete the screening assessment. Of these 74 screened participants, the investigators anticipate that 36 Veterans will meet our inclusion/exclusion criteria and will be invited to complete additional psychosocial assessments. A subset of participants (up to n=18) will be invited to complete three MRI sessions and six brief at-home assessments asking questions about stress, emotional regulation, and socio-occupational functioning.
Study design
- Observational model
- Case only
- Time perspective
- Other
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Overcontrol | – | Other: Functional MRITrauma-exposed veterans with PTSD symptoms and average rigidity, emotional overcontrol, and maladaptive perfectionism subscale scores on the Pathological Obsessive Compulsive Personality Scale greater than or equal to 4. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 65 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- The study population will include Veterans 18-65 years old. They will be men or women from the greater Providence area receiving care at the VA who have been discharged from active duty, or who served in the National Guard or reserve units. Over 15 months, the investigators plan to screen 74 Veterans aged 18-65 receiving care in VAPHS's Trauma Recovery Clinic (TRC) and Women's Health Clinic (WHC), the latter included to boost female participation.
Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)
- All prospective participants must be able to comprehend the study's procedures and associated risks and be capable of providing informed consent.
- Mean scores on at least three subscales of the Pathological Obsessive Compulsive Personality Scale (POPS) must be greater than an average score of four (4 = "slightly agree") across subscale items.
- While Veterans with primary psychotic disorders will be excluded, the presence of other disorders related to obsessive-compulsive tendencies or personality will not be grounds for exclusion.
- Psychiatric medication usage will be assessed during enrollment, but this will not serve as an inclusion or exclusion criterion (with an additional stipulation outlined below for the MRI subsample).
Key exclusion criteria (13 listed)
- The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.) will be used to exclude participants with current psychosis or with past psychosis that was unrelated to depression.
- Participants interested in taking part in the MRI portion of the study will undergo a thorough screening to ensure MRI compatibility (e.g., absence of metal in the body, absence of claustrophobia).
- Interested participants must meet the following additional criteria:
- Lifetime history of seizures, primary or secondary CNS tumors, stroke, or cerebral aneurysm will also be exclusionary.
- For participants in the MRI segment of the study, continued medication use will not be a disqualifying factor if the medication regimen has remained stable for the past month, with no intentions of altering dosages during the study duration.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Functional MRIWhile in the MRI scanner, participants will complete several classic experimental tasks designed to capture brain activity related to core cognitive features of overcontrol that impact social functioning. Tasks include the Stop Signal Task (error monitoring), Delay Discounting Task (valuation, impulsivity), and Reversal Learning (cognitive flexibility). | Other | Overcontrol |
Primary outcome
Number of potential participants screened per month meeting the overcontrol criterion.
Time frame: 18 months
Indexes feasibility of recruitment and enrollment screening strategy.
Percentage of sessions completed by participants receiving MRI.
Time frame: 22 months
Indexes feasibility of functional MRI protocol.
Percentage of remote questionnaires completed.
Time frame: 22 months
Indexes feasibility of remote measurement of socio-occupational functioning and emotional regulation.
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 2 Nov 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Jennifer L Barredo principal investigator
Providence VA Medical Center, Providence, RI
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Compulsive Personality Disorder and Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, run by VA Office of Research and Development at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 13 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 2 Nov 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Number of potential participants screened per month meeting the overcontrol criterion. (time frame: 18 months). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 2 Nov 2026.