Current Treatments of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

During the 10 years since publication of the first edition of this comprehensive volume, progress in neuroscience has had direct and immediate clinical implications in both the pharmacological and psychological arenas in the treatment of one of psychiatry's greatest challenges: obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

This second edition reflects this progress. Chapters include the latest data on the use of all current OCD treatments in special populations, such as the strictly religious, the elderly, children, adolescents, and those who are pregnant, and all are illustrated with new and updated detailed case histories that highlight specific treatments and diagnostic issues. This edition includes ; Three new pharmacotherapy chapters that discuss the use of sertraline, paroxetine, and citalopram and updates of the original edition's chapters on clomipramine, fluoxetine, and fluvoxamine; An expanded chapter on children and adolescents that emphasizes the benefits of early detection, and describes the latest findings in immunological research with particular regard to pediatric autoimmune neurologic disorders associated with streptococcal infection (PANDAS) ; An expanded behavioral therapy chapter that encompasses not only detailed treatment plans for both individuals and groups (including multifamily groups) but also up-to-date empirical data to support their use; The latest data on compounds for treating OCD (twice the number of compounds are now available than when the first edition was published), including details of the dramatic increase in our knowledge of pharmacokinetics, receptor profiles, interactions, and comparative efficacy during the past decade; The clinical implications of today's broadened definition of OCD, which includes disorders such as body dysmorphic disorder, trichotillomania, pathological gambling, and Tourette's syndrome, and the complicated diagnostic and management issues - with a call for innovative treatment approaches - raised by the intimate relationship between OCD and schizophrenia (15% of patients with schizophrenia also have OCD); A multidisciplinary approach to treatment-resistant OCD, which occurs in approximately 30% of all cases, suggesting ways to combine our current knowledge and focus it on the treatment of a specific individual

With their extensive clinical and research experience in treating OCD, the distinguished contributors to this volume provide clinicians with the latest, most reliable data so that they may better match treatment approaches with each patient's unique needs. Of enduring practical value, this updated ""how to"" manual will be welcomed by all clinicians treating patients with OCD, as well as students and other interested clinicians, as an effective tool in the ongoing challenge to understand and treat this frustrating disorder.

Michele Tortora Pato, M.D., is Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Director of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Research and Treatment Program at State University of New York at Buffalo located in Buffalo, NY.

Joseph Zohar, M.D., is Director for the Department of Psychiatry at Sheba Medical Center inTel Hashomer, Israel. Dr. Zohar is also an Associate Professor at the Sackler School of Medicine for Tel Aviv University in Tel Aviv, Israel.