Functional interventions as augmentation strategies for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): scoping review and expert survey from the international college of obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders (ICOCS)

BACKGROUND

Patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) commonly exhibit a range of functional difficulties, presumed linked to neurocognitive changes. Evidence-based first-line treatments have limited effect on improving these cognitive-functional problems. Candidate interventions could be used to augment evidence-based treatments by the multi-professional mental health team.

METHODS

A scoping review was performed to identify any intervention with at least one peer-reviewed report of clinical improvement in any of the 13 functional domains of the Cognitive Assessment Instrument of Obsessions and Compulsions (CAIOC-13). Next, an online survey of experts of the International College of Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders was conducted.

RESULTS

Forty-four studies were identified reporting a positive outcome for 27 different kinds of intervention. Twenty-six experts from 12 different countries, including at least one expert from each continent, completed the opinion survey. Five interventions were identified as 'highly promising', none of which was moderated by rater-related factors, suggesting global applicability.

CONCLUSION

Patients with OCD may benefit from a detailed functional assessment, to identify areas of unmet need. A variety of interventions show theoretical promise for treating the complex functional difficulties in OCD as adjuncts to first-line treatments, but the published evidence is weak. Randomised controlled trials are needed to determine the clinical effectiveness of these interventions.HighlightsFunctional-cognitive problems are common in patients with OCD.First-line evidence-based treatments have limited effect on these functionalcognitive difficulties.In our scoping review we found 44 studies reporting of improved clinical outcomes in any of the 13 functional domains of the Cognitive Assessment Instrument of Obsessions and Compulsions (CAIOC-13).An online survey of experts of the International College of Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders (ICOCS) was conducted and identified five interventions as "highly promising" candidate treatments for functional-cognitive problems in OCD.Randomised controlled trials are needed to determine the clinical effectiveness of these interventions.

Cognitive behavioural therapy with exposure and response prevention in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

BACKGROUND

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), incorporating exposure and response prevention (ERP) is widely recognised as the psychological treatment of choice for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Uncertainty remains however about the magnitude of the effect of CBT with ERP and the impact of moderating factors in patients with OCD.

METHOD

This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed randomised-controlled trials of CBT with ERP in patients of all ages with OCD. The study was preregistered in PROSPERO (CRD42019122311). The primary outcome was end-of-trial OCD symptom scores. The moderating effects of patient-related and study-related factors including type of control intervention and risk of bias were examined. Additional exploratory analyses assessed the effects of treatment fidelity and impact of researcher allegiance.

RESULTS

Thirty-six studies were included, involving 2020 patients (537 children/adolescents and 1483 adults) with 1005 assigned to CBT with ERP and 1015 to control conditions. When compared against all control conditions, a large pooled effect size (ES) emerged in favour of CBT with ERP (g = 0.74: 95% CI = 0.51 to 0.97 k = 36), which appeared to diminish with increasing age. While CBT with ERP was more effective than psychological placebo (g = 1.13 95% CI 0.71 to 1.55, k = 10), it was no more effective than other active forms of psychological therapy (g = -0.05: 95% CI -0.27 to 0.16, k = 8). Similarly, whereas CBT with ERP was significantly superior when compared to all forms of pharmacological treatment (g = 0.36: 95% CI 0.7 to 0.64, k = 7), the effect became marginal when compared with adequate dosages of pharmacotherapy for OCD (g = 0.32: 95% CI -0.00 to 0.64, k = 6).A minority of studies (k = 8) were deemed to be at low risk of bias. Moreover, three quarters of studies (k = 28) demonstrated suspected researcher allegiance and these studies reported a large ES (g = 0.95: 95% CI 0.69 to 1.2), while those without suspected researcher allegiance (k = 8) indicated that CBT with ERP was not efficacious (g = 0.02: 95% CI -0.29 to 0.33).

CONCLUSIONS

A large effect size was found for CBT with ERP in reducing the symptoms of OCD, but depends upon the choice of comparator control. This meta-analysis also highlights concerns about the methodological rigor and reporting of published studies of CBT with ERP in OCD. In particular, efficacy was strongly linked to researcher allegiance and this requires further future investigation.

Optimal treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder: a randomized controlled feasibility study of the clinical-effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of cognitive-behavioural therapy, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and their combination in the management of obsessive compulsive disorder

Established treatments for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) include cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) medication. Combined treatment may outperform monotherapy, but few studies have investigated this. A total of 49 community-based adults with OCD were randomly assigned to CBT, SSRI, or SSRI+CBT. Sertraline (50-200 mg/day) was given as the SSRI for 52 weeks. A 16-h-manualized individual CBT was delivered over 8 weeks with four follow-up sessions. Assessors were 'blinded' to treatment allocation. A preliminary health economic evaluation was conducted. At week 16, combined treatment (n=13) was associated with the largest improvement, sertraline (n=7) the next largest and CBT (n=9) the smallest on the observed case analysis. The effect size (Cohen's d) comparing the improvement in Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale on CBT versus combined treatment was -0.39 and versus sertraline was -0.27. Between 16 and 52 weeks, the greatest clinical improvement was seen with sertraline, but participant discontinuation prevented reliable analysis. Compared with sertraline, the mean costs were higher for CBT and for combined treatment. The mean Quality Adjusted Life Year scores for sertraline were 0.1823 (95% confidence interval: 0.0447-0.3199) greater than for CBT and 0.1135 (95% confidence interval: -0.0290-0.2560), greater than for combined treatment. Combined treatment appeared the most clinically effective option, especially over CBT, but the advantages over SSRI monotherapy were not sustained beyond 16 weeks. SSRI monotherapy was the most cost-effective. A definitive study can and should be conducted.

Standards of care for obsessive-compulsive disorder centres

In recent years, many assessment and care units for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have been set up in order to detect, diagnose and to properly manage this complex disorder, but there is no consensus regarding the key functions that these units should perform. The International College of Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders (ICOCS) together with the Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders Network (OCRN) of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) and the Anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorders Section of the World Psychiaric Association (WPA) has developed a standards of care programme for OCD centres. The goals of this collaborative initiative are promoting basic standards, improving the quality of clinical care and enhance the validity and reliability of research results provided by different facilities and countries.