Evidence-Based Psychotherapy for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Background: Practice guidelines in medicine and psychotherapy are based on systematic reviews of available evidence and serve as decision support for care providers. S3 guidelines for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) were published in 2013. Objective and Method: Here, the core recommendations for psychotherapy care are reviewed, and the remaining gaps of evidence regarding practical care are identified. Results: Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is recommended as the first-line treatment, while the efficacy of alternative, widely used treatments has almost no evidence base. Some important procedural aspects of CBT are insufficiently investigated to date. Conclusion: Given the clinical significance of OCD there is a strong need for further research. Furthermore, the importance of effectiveness studies is highlighted. Finally, we discuss how innovative interventions may be developed from modem psychological and neurobiological research, as exemplified by endophenotype research. To increase the proportion of responders and remitters and to stabilize improvement are the ultimate aims of these efforts.