Sander Boer

Sander Boer is a (web)developer with a designer mindset. He holds a bachelor degree in Communication and Multimedia Design from the Hogeschool of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. In the summer of 2018 he qualified as a Master of Science (Digital Design) from the University of Applied Sciences in Amsterdam (HvA). By combining his technical skills with his background in design is how he wants to empower the people, where ever possible.

PRESENTATION 2018

Spirit
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a distressing and debilitating condition affecting 1-2% of the population. Patients who suffer from OCD are driven by unreasonable thoughts and unwarranted fears, referred mostly to as “obsessions”, that make them feel anxious and distressed. Only about half of the people offered Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) show recovery after the therapy mainly because ~25% of patients drop out early. Even for those who continue with the therapy, many do not regularly engage in ERP tasks because they have no structural guidance to monitor their effects.

We created SPIRIT, a mobile application as a readily available treatment tool that assists therapy and improves the life of people suffering from obsessive cognitive disorder (OCD). This app should be suitable for appropriate exercises to be applied for self-treatment at home or in certain situations under the auspices of an expert therapist. The gamification and competitive elements of the app appear to be suitable for OCD patients and motivate them to perform the tasks. The app enables a documentation of the exercises and the progress with cognitive behavioral therapy as well as an interaction with the therapist.