[Progress and therapeutic response in the obsessive-compulsive disorder]

The purpose of the present work was to analyze the outcome of patients diagnosed of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) after Hospital discharge from our Unit, focusing on therapeutical efficacy immediately after discharge and in the follow up, searching for good evolution predictors. We have studied 42 patients (26 females and 16 males) diagnosed of OCD according to ICD-9 diagnostic criteria, all patients were hospitalized during a seven years period 1981 and 1988. Therapeutical response was evaluated through a (1-4 punctuation) of a Clinical Global Impression Scale considering the changes from the moment the patient was hospitalized, the day of discharge and in the follow up (mean 4.1 years). 73.8% and 71.4% were considered as treatment "responders" the day discharged and in the follow up respectively. Through a multiple logistic regression, treatment with serotonergic drugs and insidious onset of the illness were identified as short-term treatment response predictors, while the absence of a previous obsessive personality was a long-term therapeutical response predictor. Our results show the efficacy of serotonergic drugs and the tact that the presence of a previous obsessive personality could have a prognostic value in OCD.