title: Effect of a pharmacological intervention on quality of life in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
abstract: Patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) not only suffer from obsessive-compulsive symptoms, but also the disorder is associated with aberrant social functioning and a diminished quality of life (QoL). Although studies concerning the effect of treatment interventions on symptoms are common, studies with regard to the effect of treatment interventions on QoL are scarce. We examined the effect of a pharmacological intervention on QoL in 150 patients with OCD. Furthermore, we studied whether two different drugs, venlafaxine and paroxetine, differed in their effect on QoL. Finally, we examined whether any found improvement in QoL was related to improvement in symptoms and/or the baseline self-directedness score, which is one of the character dimensions of the psychobiological model of Cloninger. We demonstrated that QoL, as assessed with the Lancashire Quality of Life Profile, improved following pharmacological intervention, for which paroxetine and venlafaxine appeared to be equally effective. Furthermore, neither improvement in symptoms, nor baseline self-directedness, was associated with the improvement in QoL.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands. n.tenney@azu.nl
authors.forename: Nienke H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Tenney
authors.forename: Damiaan A J P
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Denys
authors.forename: Harold J G M
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: van Megen
authors.forename: Gerrit
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Glas
authors.forename: Herman G M
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Westenberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003511:Cyclohexanols / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017374:Paroxetine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012919:Social Behavior; D000069470:Venlafaxine Hydrochloride
chemical_list: D003511:Cyclohexanols; D017374:Paroxetine; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; D000069470:Venlafaxine Hydrochloride