Rd. Alarcon et al., A PREDICTIVE STUDY OF OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER RESPONSE TO CLOMIPRAMINE, Journal of clinical psychopharmacology, 13(3), 1993, pp. 210-213
Studies on predictive factors of the obsessive-compulsive disorder res
ponse to pharmacologic treatment, specifically clomipramine, are relat
ively scarce. Forty-five patients treated for a mean period of 18.6 mo
nths were classified as having poor response, intermediate response an
d excellent response, defined by change scores on the Yale-Brown Obses
sive-Compulsive Scale. Poor and intermediate response patients were gr
ouped together and compared with the excellent response subgroup. Univ
ariate analysis showed length of illness, family history (siblings), i
nitial compulsiveness score, and cleaning rituals as significant predi
ctors. Two multiple regression analyses with these as independent or p
redictive variables showed higher initial scores on the Yale-Brown Obs
essive-Compulsive Scale associated with poorer response to treatment b
ut, most importantly, cleaning rituals as a predictor of poor or modes
t response to clomipramine. It may be important for the clinician to a
ssess cleaning habits separately from the more frequently mentioned ob
sessive-compulsive symptom, hand washing. This distinction may have im
portant clinical, therapeutic, and prognostic implications.