Examining the Roles of Technology Across the Health Care Journey for Individuals With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Qualitative Interview Study.

backgroundAs digital technologies become increasingly embedded in daily life, their roles in mental health care have expanded and diversified. Digital tools are being explored as interventions for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) across the care continuum, including symptom recognition, access to care, treatment, and self-management. However, there is limited empirical understanding of how individuals living with OCD use digital technologies in situ to navigate their health care journeys or how they envision technology shaping future models of care.

objectiveThis study aimed to explore how individuals living with OCD use digital technologies to navigate their health care experiences and to understand the perceived roles of technology across the OCD care continuum.

methodsWe conducted semistructured interviews (N=24) with adults who self-reported a diagnosis of OCD and were recruited through online OCD communities and advocacy networks. Interviews were conducted via Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant Zoom between May and December 2024 (median duration 51, IQR 6.25 minutes). Transcripts were coded in Dedoose (version 9.2.22) using a constructivist grounded theory approach. Coding proceeded iteratively through open and focused coding, with theoretical saturation reached after 15 interviews. Constant comparison and analytic memos guided the development of a conceptual framework describing the relationships between technology and OCD health care.

resultsParticipants (median age 26, IQR 12.8 years; range 20-64 years; 16/24, 67% female; 7/24, 29% male; 1/24, 4% nonbinary) described technology as integral to 3 aspects of the OCD health care journey. The first aspect was discovery and understanding, in which social media and online content helped participants identify their symptoms, relate them to the diagnosis, and seek care. The second aspect was facilitating OCD health care, in which digital tools such as telehealth platforms, apps, and wearables helped participants bridge gaps in care. The third aspect was imagining the future, in which participants viewed emerging technologies as potential ways to improve symptom recognition and management.

conclusionsDigital technologies are reshaping how individuals with OCD identify symptoms, engage with treatment, and envision future care delivery. Participants described using online communities, telehealth, and mobile health tools to address barriers across the OCD health care continuum, while emphasizing interest in technologies that provide adaptive and real-time symptom support. These findings underscore the importance of incorporating lived experience into digital mental health innovation and suggest that technology may support a shift toward more continuous, personalized, and accessible OCD care models.