Cognitive-behavioral group therapy in obsessive-compulsive disorder: a clinical trial

• Autor(a) principal: Cordioli,Aristides V
• Data de Publicação: 2002
• Outros Autores: Heldt,Elizeth, Bochi,Daniela B, Margis,Regina, Sousa,Marcelo B de, Tonello,Juliano F, Teruchkin,Betina, Kapczinski,Flavio
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry (São Paulo. 1999. Online)
• Texto Completo: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1516-44462002000300004
• topic: Obsessive-compulsive disorder; Behavior therapy; Cognitive therapy; Group therapy

Objective: To develop a cognitive-behavioral group therapy protocol and to verify its efficacy to reduce obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Methods: An open clinical trial with 32 obsessive-compulsive patients was performed, in which a cognitive-behavioral group therapy protocol of 12 weekly sessions of two hours, in 5 consecutive groups, was applied. The severity of symptoms was rated with the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive (Y-BOCS), Hamilton Anxiety (HAM A) and Hamilton Depression (HAM D) scales. The patients were followed up for 3 months after the end of the treatment. Results: There was a significant reduction in the scores of Y-BOCS, HAM A and HAM D scales with the treatment regardless the use of anti-obsessive medications. The rate of improved patients (decrease of > or = 35% in Y-BOCS) was 78.1%. Two patients (6.25%) dropped out from the study. The effect size calculated for the Y-BOCS scale was 1.75. Conclusions: This study suggests that cognitive-behavioral group therapy reduces obsessive-compulsive symptoms. In addition, patients presented good compliance.