Outcomes of specialized residential treatment for adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) utilizing exposure and response prevention for obsessive- compulsive disorder (OCD) has typically been studied in the context of time-limited treatment conducted in outpatient settings. However, in practice, patients vary in their response to such treatment, and some require more prolonged participation to obtain optimal benefit. An intensive residential program is one alternative for patients who do not improve in traditional outpatient treatment. This naturalistic study evaluated 46 patients with a primary diagnosis of OCD who received intensive residential treatment between 2004 and 2008. Patients entering the program completed assessments at admission and at discharge. Results indicated statistically significant improvements on all outcome measures, with 60.9% of patients meeting criteria for clinically reliable change in OCD severity and 37% achieving high end-state functioning. Specialized residential treatment seems effective for treatment-refractory OCD, although future controlled trials with larger samples are needed.