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Overcontrol and Suicide in PTSD

NCT06355284 · Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING · Type: OBSERVATIONAL · Enrollment: 59

Last updated 2026-04-02

No results posted yet for this study

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. 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:

1. Our recruitment strategy and social functioning and mental health symptom assessments
2. A three-session, weekly fMRI protocol.
3. A three-week online protocol for remote monitoring of social and emotional functioning.

Conditions

  • Compulsive Personality Disorder
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

Interventions

OTHER

Functional MRI

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).

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • VA Office of Research and Development

    lead FED

Principal Investigators

  • Jennifer L Barredo · Providence VA Medical Center, Providence, RI

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
65 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2024-07-01
Primary Completion
2026-02-27
Completion
2026-04-30

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT06355284 on ClinicalTrials.gov