Cognitive-behavioral group therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder: a 1-year follow-up

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of cognitive-behavioral group therapy (CBGT) for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) over a 1-year follow-up period. Method: Forty-two OCD patients, who completed 12 sessions of CBGT, were followed for 1 year. Measures of the severity of symptoms were obtained at the end of the acute treatment and at 3, 6, and 12 months post-treatment using the Yale-Brown obsessive-compulsive scale (Y-BOCS) and the clinical global impression (CGI). Results: The reduction in the severity of symptoms observed at the end of the treatment was maintained during 1 year (F-2,F-41 = 1.1; P = 0.342). Eleven patients (35.5%) relapsed in the follow-up period. The intensity of improvement (log rank = 12.97, GL = 1, P = 0.0003) and full remission (log rank = 6.17; GL = 1; P = 0.001) were strong predictors for non-relapsing. Conclusions: The CBGT is an effective treatment for OCD and its results are maintained for 1 year. However, further long-term randomized controlled trials are needed in order to confirm this finding.