Clinical predictors of drug response in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder

The aim of this study was to evaluate which clinical variables might influence the antiobsessional responses to proserotonergic drugs in a sample of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Two hundred forty-nine patients with DSM-IV OCD under-gone mean 13-month treatments with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. According to the treatment response, defined as a reductions of the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) total score ≥35%, patients were divided into two groups.

One hundred fourteen patients responded to the treatment and the other one hundred thirty five patients did not. Responders had a significant long duration of medication in YUMC OCD clinic, short total duration of past treatment in other institutes, and higher frequency of drug naïve cases and lower baseline Y-BOCS scores.

The pre-treatment factors including total duration of past treatment, drug naïve or not, baseline OCD symptoms and the factor of duration of the treatment may influence drug treatment response in OCD patients.