Treatment procedures in obsessive–compulsive patients

A review is conducted examining the principal treatment procedures for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). It is presented the theoretical foundations and evidence for the behavioral and cognitives techniques, as well as it is revised the outcomes of psychopharmacology and its combination with the psychological interventios in the treatment of OCD. It is concluded that the exposition and prevention response technique has demonstrated consistently its very good outcomes through the last thirty years of research about it, and it is the first option treatment for OCD. The cognitive techniques have showed effective; in spite of its application and investigation on the OCD is much more recently it is observed a tendency to improve the outcomes obtained by exposition conformed more empirical evidence bring forward. The cognitive techniques complement and optimize the exposition methods. The pharmacological treatment of OCD with serotonin reuptake inhibitors (eg. Clomipramine) present good outcomes, but these are less effective than psychological treatments. However, the pharmachology may be very useful when it is present elevated depression, overvalued ideation and in severe cases wherein the importance of expeding symptom relief is increased. It is discussed the implications for the OCD treatment of these findings.