In this ADAA 2026 conference presentation, Robert Hudak, MD, Jon Hershfield, MFT (ADAA member), Amy Mandelberg, LCPC, Rebecca Berman, LCSW, MLSP, CEDS-C, explored emerging forms of technology-related obsessions and compulsions in the digital age. As technology becomes increasingly integrated into daily life, it is also shaping how obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms appear and are maintained.
The discussion examined topics including social media reassurance-seeking, digital hoarding, online checking rituals, false-memory concerns related to internet activity, cybercrime fears, AI-related reassurance-seeking, and technology-driven health and body monitoring behaviors. Through clinical examples and practical treatment considerations, the presenters highlighted how traditional OCD mechanisms can manifest in modern digital environments and how evidence-based approaches such as Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) can be adapted to address them.
Recorded by Vumedi in partnership with ADAA.
