Related Experiment Videos
Exposure and response prevention in patients with obsessions
K Hoogduin1, E De Haan, C Schaap
1Psychiatrisch Centrum Joris, Delft, The Netherlands.
Acta Psychiatrica Belgica
|January 1, 1987
Summary
Outpatient treatment for obsessions alone shows comparable success rates to treating obsessions and compulsions. This study found 73% success after 10 sessions, with sustained improvement in over 60% long-term.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Outpatient treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a key area of psychiatric research.
- Patients presenting with obsessions alone are often perceived to have poorer treatment outcomes than those with comorbid compulsive symptoms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy and long-term outcomes of outpatient treatment for patients with obsessions as their primary symptom.
- To compare treatment success rates for obsessions alone versus combined obsessions and compulsions.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 26 patients with obsessions alone underwent a defined outpatient treatment protocol.
- Treatment success was assessed after 10 sessions.
- Long-term follow-up was conducted at 12-36 months post-treatment.
Main Results:
- A success rate of 73% was observed after 10 treatment sessions.
- At 12-36 month follow-up, 61.5% of patients maintained or showed increased improvement.
- These outcomes are comparable to reported success rates for patients with both obsessions and compulsions.
Conclusions:
- Outpatient treatment for obsessions alone demonstrates significant efficacy.
- Long-term results suggest sustained benefits, challenging the notion of poorer outcomes for this patient group.
- Treatment strategies for obsessions alone should be considered as effective as those for combined symptoms.