In this study, long-term outcome for patients with obsessive-compulsive
disorder treated with serotonin reuptake inhibitor medications was
examined. The records of 85 patients who had first been evaluated at least
1 year previously (the mean follow-up period was 773 days) were reviewed.
Information was collected on age at onset of symptoms, time since first
evaluation, and scores on several scales measuring symptom severity,
including the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale. Comparison of these
baseline data with Yale-Brown scale scores at the most recent follow-up
visit showed that 74 (87%) of the patients had responded to treatment. No
predictors of improvement were found.Abstract Teaser