The nature, assessment, and treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder that affects between 1% to 2% of individuals and causes considerable impairment and disability. Although > 50% of individuals experience symptom onset in childhood, symptoms can continue to develop throughout adulthood. Accurate and timely assessment of clinical presentation is critical to limit impairment and improve prognosis. Presently, there are 2 empirically supported treatments available for OCD in children and adults, namely cognitive-behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy with serotonin reuptake inhibitors. This article provides an introduction to the phenomenology, etiology, and clinical course of OCD. Assessment practices used to evaluate symptom severity are described, and evidence-based treatment options are reviewed, with appropriate distinctions drawn between children and adults. Finally, recommendations for assessment and treatment practices for OCD are explicated.
Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, USA.
Joseph F
JF
McGuire
Adam B
AB
Lewin
Betty
B
Horng
Tanya K
TK
Murphy
Eric A
EA
Storch
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002997:Clomipramine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D002997:Clomipramine; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors