Jonathan Abramowitz

Jonathan Stuart Abramowitz
Born	(1969-06-11) June 11, 1969 United States
Occupation(s)	Clinical psychologist, professor
Years active	1990s–present
Known for	Research on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety disorders; development of Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DOCS); cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) interventions

Jonathan Stuart Abramowitz (born June 11, 1969) is an American clinical psychologist and professor affiliated with the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH). Recognized as a foremost authority on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and various anxiety disorders, he has produced a widely referenced collection of scholarly work. Abramowitz oversees the Clinical Psychology PhD Program at UNC-CH and directs a research laboratory dedicated to cognitive-behavioral therapeutic methods.

Academic career

Abramowitz completed his undergraduate degree in Psychology at Muhlenberg College in 1991, followed by a Master’s degree at Bucknell University in 1993. He earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Memphis in 1998. His predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowships were conducted at the Center for Treatment and Study of Anxiety at the University of Pennsylvania. Between 2000 and 2006, he served as both staff psychologist and associate professor at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota prior to joining UNC-CH.

His scientific investigations primarily focus on designing and assessing CBT interventions for OCD and related anxiety conditions, alongside exploring their psychopathological foundations. Abramowitz has produced approximately 300 scholarly works, including more than ten books and over 250 peer-reviewed articles and chapters, making significant contributions to clinical psychology research. Additionally, he has held numerous editorial roles for books and academic journals, and has been invited to present lectures internationally.

Certified by the American Board of Behavioral Psychology, Abramowitz holds licensure to practice in North Carolina. His clinical expertise lies in outpatient consultations utilizing CBT techniques for OCD and anxiety disorders.

Research areas and contributions

The core of Abramowitz’s research is the treatment of OCD, particularly emphasizing exposure and response prevention (ERP), a specialized form of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). He has conducted numerous studies evaluating treatment outcomes and meta-analyses on ERP, including analyses of variables that influence therapeutic effectiveness. His work contributed to the creation of integrated OCD treatment protocols combining ERP with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), as well as couple-based ERP interventions for both OCD and Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

A major goal of his research is to improve exposure therapy results by refining extinction learning mechanisms grounded in inhibitory learning theories. Abramowitz has also investigated the multifaceted symptom profiles of OCD, identifying four primary subtypes: contamination fears, responsibility for harm or mistakes, unacceptable thoughts, and incompleteness or symmetry concerns. He was instrumental in establishing hoarding as a condition distinct from OCD.

He posits that OCD symptoms exist along a spectrum with normal experiences, largely shaped by an individual's learning history rather than biological factors. Abramowitz critiques the DSM-5 reclassification of OCD and generally challenges biomedical perspectives that conceptualize OCD and anxiety disorders strictly as neurological or genetic illnesses.

In 2010, he spearheaded the development of the Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DOCS), a 20-item self-assessment tool designed to quantify severity across the four major OCD symptom dimensions. The DOCS has been adapted into numerous languages for international application.

His investigations have furthered cognitive-behavioral frameworks for understanding OCD and anxiety disorders by analyzing cognitive distortions such as anxiety sensitivity, thought-action fusion, intolerance of uncertainty, and attentional biases that perpetuate obsessive-compulsive symptoms and irrational fears. At UNC, Abramowitz established experimental models to explore these phenomena, illustrating how they contribute to transforming intrusive thoughts into clinically significant obsessions.

Beyond OCD specifically, his research extends to cognitive-behavioral factors implicated in other anxiety-related disorders including health/illness anxiety, shy bladder syndrome, panic disorder, and hoarding behaviors.

He formulated a cognitive-behavioral conceptualization of scrupulosity—religiously themed obsessions and compulsions—and developed the Penn Inventory of Scrupulosity (PIOS) as an instrument for measuring this condition.

Abramowitz also created "Baby PREP," a preventive intervention targeting postpartum OCD symptoms among new parents. This program is based on his findings regarding cognitive risk factors for postpartum OCD and has demonstrated superior efficacy compared to placebo when incorporated into perinatal education initiatives.

His cross-cultural studies investigate how anxiety and OCD symptoms manifest differently across diverse racial, religious, and cultural populations. He actively collaborates on international projects examining intrusive obsessional thoughts worldwide.

Awards, recognition, and leadership

Abramowitz's contributions to the fields of OCD, anxiety disorders, and clinical psychology have been acknowledged through a variety of prestigious awards and prominent leadership positions. He is a Fellow and former president of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) and holds a position on the Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board of the International OCD Foundation. His accolades include the Muhlenberg College Alumni Achievement Award, the David Shakow Early Career Award from the American Psychological Association, and the Mayo Clinic Department of Psychiatry and Psychology Outstanding Contributions to Research Award.

His editorial experience encompasses significant roles on the boards of leading scientific periodicals, including serving as associate editor for Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy since 2008 and for Behaviour Research and Therapy from 2006 to 2015. He currently acts as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders. Notably, his ResearchGate score places him in the top 2.5% of all members.

On an international scale, Abramowitz played a key role in training 30 OCD treatment teams across Norway through a government-sponsored program aimed at broadening access to effective interventions.

From 2007 until 2017, he fulfilled the role of associate chair within the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Books

• Abramowitz, J. S. (2006). Understanding and treating obsessive-compulsive disorder: A cognitive-behavioral approach. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
• Abramowitz, J. S., Taylor, S., & McKay, D. (Eds.) (2008). Clinical handbook of obsessive-compulsive disorder and related problems. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
• Abramowitz, J. S. (2012). The stress less workbook: Simple strategies to relieve pressure, manage commitments, and minimize conflicts. New York: Guilford Press.
• Abramowitz, J. S. & Jacoby, R. J. (2015). Obsessive-compulsive disorder in adults: Advances in Psychotherapy—Evidence-based practice. Boston: Hogrefe Publishing.
• Abramowitz, J. S., McKay, D., & Storch, E. A. (Eds.) (2017). The Wiley handbook of obsessive-compulsive disorders. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
• Abramowitz, J. S. (2018). Getting over OCD: A 10-step workbook for taking back your life (2nd edition). New York: Guilford Press.
• Abramowitz, J. S., Deacon, B. J., & Whiteside, S. P. (2019). Exposure therapy for anxiety: Principles and practice (2nd ed). New York: Guilford Press.
• Abramowitz, J. S., & Blakey, S. M. (2020). Clinical handbook of fear and anxiety: Maintenance processes and treatment mechanisms. Washington DC: American Psychological Association.

Journal articles

• Abramowitz, J.S. (1996). Variants of exposure and response prevention in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder: A meta-analysis. Behavior Therapy, 27(4), 583–600.
• Abramowitz, J.S. (1997). Effectiveness of psychological and pharmacological treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder: A quantitative review of controlled treatment literature. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 65(1), 44–52.
• Franklin, M.E., Abramowitz, J.S., Kozak, M.J., Levine, J., & Foa, E.B. (2000). Effectiveness of exposure and ritual prevention for obsessive-compulsive disorder: Comparison of randomized and clinic patients. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68(4), 594–602.
• Abramowitz, J.S., Tolin, D.F., & Street, G.P. (2001). Paradoxical effects of thought suppression: A meta-analysis of controlled studies. Clinical Psychology Review, 21(5), 683–703.
• Abramowitz, J.S., Franklin, M.E., Schwartz, S.A., & Furr, J.M. (2003). Symptom presentation and outcome of cognitive-behavior therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 71(6), 1049–1057.
• Abramowitz, J.S., Foa, E.B., & Franklin, M.E. (2003). Exposure and ritual prevention for obsessive-compulsive disorder: Effectiveness of intensive versus twice-weekly treatment sessions. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 71(2), 394–398.
• Whiteside, S.P., Port, J.D., & Abramowitz, J.S. (2004). Meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 132(1), 69–79.
• Abramowitz, J.S., Whiteside, S.P., & Deacon, B.J. (2005). Effectiveness of treatment for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder: A meta-analysis. Behavior Therapy, 36(1), 55–63.
• Taylor et al. (2007). Robust dimensions of anxiety sensitivity: Development and initial validation of the anxiety sensitivity index-3 (ASI-3). Psychological Assessment, 19(2), 176–188.
• Fairbrother N., & Abramowitz JS (2007). New parenthood as a risk factor for obsessional problems development. Behav Res Ther, 45(9), 2155–63.
• Abramowitz JS., Taylor S., & McKay D. (2009). Obsessive-compulsive disorder overview. The Lancet, 374(9688), 491–499.
• Abramowitz JS., Deacon BJ., Olatunji BO., Wheaton MG., Berman NC., Losardo D., Timpano KR., McGrath P., Riemann BC., Adams T., Bjorgvinsson T., Storch EA., Hale L.(2010). Assessment of obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions: Development and evaluation of the Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale.Psychological Assessment;22(1):180–198.
• Berman NC., Wheaton MG., Abramowitz JS.(2012). The Arnold Schwarzenegger Effect: Is strength of the "victim" related to misinterpretations of harm intrusions? Behaviour Research and Therapy;50(12):761–766.
• Abramowitz JS et al.(2013). Treating obsessive-compulsive disorder in intimate relationships: Pilot study of couple-based cognitive-behavior therapy.Behavior Therapy;44(3):395–407.
• Fabricant LE et al.(2013). Comparison of two brief interventions for obsessional thoughts: Exposure and acceptance.Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy;27(3):195–209.
• Abramovitch A et al.(2013). Neuropsychology of adult obsessive-compulsive disorder: Meta-analysis.Clincal Psychology Review;33(8):1163–1171.
• Abramowitz JS et al.(2014). Relevance of analogue studies for understanding obsessions and compulsions.Clincal Psychology Review;34(3):206–217.
• Abramowitz JS & Jacoby RJ.(2014). Scrupulosity: Cognitive-behavioral analysis and treatment implications.Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders;3(2):140–149.
• Abramowitz JS & Jacoby RJ.(2015). Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders: Critical review of new diagnostic class.Annual Review Clinical Psychology;11:165–86.
• Jacoby RJ & Abramowitz JS.(2016). Inhibitory learning approaches to exposure therapy: Critical review and translation to OCD.Clincal Psychology Review;49:28–40.
• Blakey SM & Abramowitz JS.(2016). Effects of safety behaviors during exposure therapy for anxiety from an inhibitory learning perspective.Clincal Psychology Review;49:1–15.
• Blakey SM et al.(2017). Anxiety sensitivity as predictor of outcome in OCD treatment.Journal Behavior Therapy Experimental Psychiatry;57:113–117.
• Twohig MP et al.(2018). Adding acceptance and commitment therapy to exposure and response prevention for OCD: Randomized controlled trial.Behaviour Research Therapy;108:1–9.
• Jacoby RJ et al.(2019). Is hierarchy necessary? Randomized clinical trial comparing gradual vs variable exposure intensity in treating obsessional thoughts.Journal Behavior Therapy Experimental Psychiatry;64:54–63.
• Buchholz JL & Abramowitz JS.(2020). Therapeutic alliance in exposure therapy for anxiety-related disorders: Critical review.Journal Anxiety Disorders;70:102194.

External links

• Laboratory website of Abramowitz
• Personal site of Abramowitz