Depression Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Depression, including details on clinical depression, medication, symptoms, treatment, counselling, therapy.

Treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder in patients who have comorbid major depression.

Abramowitz JS

Mayo Clinic, OCD/Anxiety Disorders Program, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. abramowitz.jonathan@mayo.edu

Many patients who have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) also meet criteria for additional diagnoses such as mood, anxiety, and personality disorders. The presence of severe depression, and major depressive disorder per se, impedes response to treatment for OCD that uses the best available treatments. In this article, the comorbidity data in OCD are reviewed, then the relationship between depression and OCD treatment outcome is reviewed. Next, the derivation and implementation of a treatment program specifically for depressed OCD patients are illustrated with a case example. The article closes with a discussion of implications and directions gleaned from this single case study.

Published 11 October 2004 in J Clin Psychol, 60(11): 1133-41.
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