Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-29T10:22:50.008Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Cognitive therapy in the treatment of obsessive—compulsive disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Behaviour therapy, namely exposure and response prevention, has for many years been the treatment of choice for most patients with obsessive—compulsive disorder (OCD). However, at least 25% of patients with OCD refuse exposure and response prevention or drop-out early. Of those who do comply, about 75% make reasonable gains and maintain them in the long-term. This means that 50% of patients who are offered treatment by exposure and response prevention either refuse, drop-out or show little improvement. Many patients find exposure distressing and this is probably the main reason for dropping-out early. Treatment failures tend to be associated with a depressed mood, over-valued ideation, slowness, mental compulsions and severe degrees of avoidance.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 1999 

References

Freeston, M. H., Rheaume, J. & Ladouceur, R. (1996) Correcting faulty appraisals of obsessional thoughts. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 34, 433446.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goodman, W. K., Price, L. H., Rasmussen, S. A. et al (1989) The Yale–Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale: II. Validity. Archives of General Psychiatry, 46, 10121016.Google Scholar
Greist, J., Marks, I. M., Baer, L. et al (1998) Self-treatment for OCD using a manual and a computerized telephone interview: a US–UK study. MD Computing, 15, 149157.Google Scholar
Obsessive–Compulsive Cognitions Working Group (1997) Cognitive assessment of obsessive–compulsive disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 35, 667681.Google Scholar
Phillips, M. L., Senior, C., Fahy, T. et al (1998) Disgust – the forgotten emotion of psychiatry. British Journal of Psychiatry, 172, 373375.Google Scholar
Rachman, S. J. (1998) A cognitive theory of obsessions: elaborations. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 36, 385401.Google Scholar
Rachman, S. J. & de Silva, P. (1978) Abnormal and normal obsessions. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 16, 233238.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rachman, S. J. & Hodgson, R. (1980) Obsessions and Compulsions. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
Salkovskis, P. M. & Kirk, J. W. (1989) Obsessional disorders. In Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Psychiatric Problems. (eds Hawton, K., Salkovskis, P. M., Kirk, J. et al), pp. 129168. Oxford: Oxford Medical.Google Scholar
Salkovskis, P. M., Richards, C. H. & Forrester, E. (1995) The relationship between obsessional problems and intrusive thoughts. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 23, 281299.Google Scholar
Salkovskis, P. M., Forrester, E. & Richards, C. (1998) Cognitive–behavioural approach to understanding obsessional thinking. British Journal of Psychiatry, 173 (suppl. 35), 5363.Google Scholar
Steketee, G. (1993) Treatment of Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder. New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Van Oppen, P. & Arntz, A. (1994) Cognitive therapy for obsessive–compulsive disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 32, 7987.Google Scholar
Van Oppen, P., de Haan, E., Van Balkom, A. J. et al (1995) Cognitve therapy and exposure in vivo in the treatment of obsessive–compulsive disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 33, 379390.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Veale, D. (1993) Classification and treatment of obsessional slowness. British Journal of Psychiatry, 162, 198203.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.