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Long-term management of obsessive-compulsive disorder
1Imperial College School of Medicine at St Mary's, London, UK.
International Clinical Psychopharmacology
|December 1, 1996
Summary
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) offer comparable short-term efficacy to clomipramine for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) but with better tolerability. Long-term studies confirm pharmacotherapy
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Pharmacology
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic and disabling mental health condition.
- Long-term treatment strategies are essential for managing OCD effectively.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the long-term efficacy and tolerability of pharmacotherapies for OCD.
- To compare selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) with clomipramine in OCD treatment.
Main Methods:
- Review of long-term controlled studies on clomipramine, fluvoxamine, fluoxetine, and sertraline.
- Analysis of treatment outcomes and adverse event profiles.
Main Results:
- Anti-obsessional drugs demonstrated significantly better outcomes than placebo in long-term studies.
- SSRIs showed comparable short-term efficacy to clomipramine.
- SSRIs possess notable tolerability and safety advantages over clomipramine.
Conclusions:
- Pharmacotherapy is recommended as the optimal approach for long-term OCD management.
- SSRIs are the preferred treatment choice for OCD due to their favorable safety and tolerability profiles compared to clomipramine.