GROUP AND MULTIFAMILY BEHAVIORAL TREATMENT FOR OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER - A PILOT-STUDY

Recent trends toward managed care in mental health settings require in vestigation of the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of treatments condu cted over shorter time frames or with less therapist involvement. Find ings are presented in an uncontrolled trial of two types of group beha vioral treatments for OCD: group (GET) and multifamily (MFBT). Sevente en patients (10 women and 7 men) diagnosed with OCD received a partial ly manualized GET delivered by co-therapy teams in three groups of ten 2-hr sessions. Mean interview-based YBOCS scores reduced significantl y at posttest and at 1-year follow-up, as did measures of overall func tioning on the Sheehan Disability Scale at posttest and follow-up. A s econd cohort of 19 patients (14 women and 5 men) was treated with MFBT that included spouses/partners and parents in three co-therapy groups . Two groups received ten 2-hr sessions and one received twelve 2-hr s essions. YBOCS scores reduced significantly at posttest and atl-year f ollow-up, with corresponding gains in disability scores. Both group tr eatments showed large effects comparable to those reported for a more intensive individual behavioral treatment. Comparisons of treatments i ndicated that similar proportions of subjects were reliably changed at posttest and follow-up respectively, but more MFBT than GET participa nts were clinically significantly improved. These promising cost effec tive group treatments remain to be tested in a controlled trial. (C) 1 997 Elsevier Science Ltd.