Effective Approaches for Adults & Kids with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)

A thorough review and meta-analysis from Brazil affirms the usefulness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Certain SSRI Meds for OCD.

Researchers from the Psychiatric Institute of the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro in Brazil performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled trials published in the last decade involving cognitive and/or behavioral treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Researchers from Curtin University of Technology in Perth, Western Australia, compared the effectiveness of group vs. individual Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and found both programs highly effective by the time of follow-up.

Researchers from the School of Psychology at Curtin University of Technology in Perth, Western Australia, compared the effectiveness of group vs. individual Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Subjects were randomly assigned to either a 10-week individual CBT program, an identical, 10-week group CBT program or a wait-list condition. Large effect sizes were found for both treatment conditions. Analysis of clinically significant change showed that, although the individual treatment program was associated with a more rapid response, both treatments had equivalent rates of recovered participants by the time of follow-up.

Citation: Anderson RA, Rees CS. Group versus individual cognitive-behavioural treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder: a controlled trial. Behavioral Research and Therapy. 2007 Jan; 45 (1): pages 123-37. Epub 2006 Mar 15.

Researchers from Brown Medical School studied the impact of a 12-week aerobic exercise program on reducing symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and found significant benefits 6 months after the program ended..

Researchers from Brown Medical School in Providence, RI studied the impact of aerobic exercise as an adjunctive intervention for reducing the symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

Fifteen patients (53% male; mean age = 44.4 years) receiving behavioral therapy and/or medication for OCD but who still demonstrated significant OCD symptoms (as measured by the Yale-Brown obsessive compulsive scale) were enrolled in a 12-week moderate-intensity exercise program. Measures of OCD symptom severity were obtained at baseline, at the end of treatment, and at 3-week, 6-week, and 6-month follow-up.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine’s Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety in Philadelphia reviewed the literature to investigate the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

They conclude that CBT has been shown to be a highly effective treatment for both children and adults. The review briefly describes the historical developments of the treatment, and breaks down recent findings to five areas of inquiry: 1) Does intensity of CBT impact outcome? 2) Does CBT work better on some subtypes of OCD than others? 3) How do cognitive and behavioral strategies relate to outcome? 4) How well does CBT work for children and adolescents with OCD? and 5) Does the combination of CBT and medication work better than CBT alone?

Citation: Huppert JD, Franklin ME. Cognitive behavioral therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder: an update. Current Psychiatry Reports. 2005 Aug; 7 (4): pages 268-73. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

A controlled, randomized clinical trial at Columbia University shows that patients with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder do significantly better and remain better when treated with exposure therapy alone, or exposure plus clomipramine (Anafranil), than with clomipramine alone..

Investigators at The New York State Psychiatric Institute at Columbia University sought to determine whether adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who respond to intensive exposure and response (ritual) prevention (EX/RP), with or without clomipramine (Anafranil, a tricyclic antidepressant with anti-obsessional features) fare better 12 weeks after treatment discontinuation than responders receiving clomipramine alone. After receiving 12 weeks of treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder (having been randomly assigned to either exposure therapy plus clomipramine, exposure alone, clomipramine alone or pill placebo, at three outpatient research centers, the 46 adults who responded to treatment (18 exposure therapy, 11 clomipramine, 15 both, 2 placebo) were followed after treatment discontinuation for 12 weeks.