Cited by 216Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum DisordersAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesPsychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research

Treatment Response, Symptom Remission, and Wellness in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

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Farris, Samantha G., McLean, Carmen P., Van Meter, Page E., Simpson, Helen Blair, Foa, Edna B.·2013·The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is defined both by intrusive, unwanted thoughts, images, or impulses and by repetitive behavioral or mental acts that are often performed to try to alleviate anxiety. The ultimate goal of treatment for OCD is to reduce the symptoms as well as help patients achieve "wellness." Currently, however, there are no widely accepted, empirically supported criteria for determining wellness in OCD. METHOD: Building on previous research, the current study examined the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) score that most reliably identified patients who responded to treatment, those who achieved symptom remission, and those who achieved wellness. The current study pooled data from 4 randomized controlled OCD treatment trials (N = 288), which took place between 1990 and 2011 at 2 academic sites. Participants (mean age = 36.8 years) had a primary diagnosis of DSM-IV-TR OCD (mean Y-BOCS score = 25.9). RESULTS: Signal detection analyses showed that a pretreatment-to-posttreatment reduction of ≥ 35% on the Y-BOCS was most predictive of treatment response as defined by the Clinical Global Impressions (CGI)-Improvement scale. A posttreatment Y-BOCS score of ≤ 14 was the best predictor of symptom remission, whereas a score of ≤ 12 was the best predictor of wellness, as defined by symptom remission (defined by the CGI-Severity scale), good quality of life (as measured by the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire), and a high level of adaptive functioning (as assessed by the Social Adjustment Scale-Self-Report). Because efficiency (0.86) and specificity (0.88) were highest at the cutoff of ≤ 12, this cutoff score was determined to be the best indicator of wellness. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings support the convergent validity of the Y-BOCS with other measures of well-being (quality of life, adaptive functioning) and highlight the utility of a Y-BOCS score ≤ 12 as a solo indicator of wellness in outcome studies. The use of empirically supported criteria for defining wellness in OCD is recommended to facilitate comparisons across treatment outcome studies and to inform clinical treatment planning. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Pooled data analyzed in this study were from 4 clinical trials, 3 of which are registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (identifiers: NCT00045903, NCT00389493, NCT00316316).

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  • 75-80% of patients with OCD respond to ERP (reduction of ≥35% of the Y-BOCS score), but only 40-73% achieve remission.

    “On the one hand, 75–80% of patients with OCD respond to ERP (reduction of ≥35% of the Y-BOCS score), but, on the other hand, only 40–73% achieve remission (depending on the definition of a Y-BOCS score ≤ 14 or ≤ 12) [21–23].”

    From Metacognitive Training for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A study protocol for a randomized controlled trial (2020) · cites this paper as [22]

    The Results (Treatment Response; page unavailable) support a ≥35% Y-BOCS reduction as a response cutoff, but report 45.9% responders in the pooled sample—not a 75–80% response rate for ERP patients. The Results (Symptom Remission; page unavailable) report 41.7% remission and support a Y-BOCS cutoff of ≤14; they do not establish the claimed 40–73% range by the ≤14 and ≤12 definitions. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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  • The Y-BOCS ≤12 cutoff indicates minimal symptoms and predicts good quality of life and adaptive functioning.

    “this cutoff not only reflects minimal symptoms after treatment but also predicts good quality of life and adaptive functioning (12,26,30).”
  • A posttreatment Y-BOCS score of 12 or less indicates meaningful symptom reduction and is linked to better quality of life and daily functioning.

    “operationalized as a posttreatment Y-BOCS score ≤ 12, given that this cutoff reflects symptom reduction and predicts good quality of life and adaptive functioning (12,26,30).”

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. [33]Fischer J Corcoran K Measures for Clinical Practice 2 NY Free Press 1994

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Authors
Farris, S. G., McLean, C. P., Van Meter, P. E., Simpson, H. B., & Foa, E. B.
Affiliations
  • University of Pennsylvania (US)
  • New York State Psychiatric Institute (US)
Corresponding author
Farris, Samantha G.
Venue
The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
Published
2013-07-15
Volume
74
Issue
07
Pages
685-690
ISSN
0160-6689 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W1979431943
Cited by
216
References
33
Citations by year
2026: 17 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 23 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 22 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 1
FWCI
17.80
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Mental Health (MH-04504-19, K24MH091555, R01MH045404, R34MH071570, K23MH001907, K23 MH-01907, MH-04504-05A2, R01MH045436, MH-04504-10A1, R01MH-45436)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research
Keywords
obsessive-compulsive disorder, treatment response, symptom remission, wellness, Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale, cut-off values, quality of life, adaptive behavior, convergent validity, treatment outcome measures, signal detection analysis, Clinical Global Impression Scale, treatment planning
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Psychological, Adult, Female, Health Status Indicators, Humans, Male, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Psychotropic Drugs, Quality of Life, Remission Induction, Research Design, Sensitivity and Specificity, Reproducibility of Results, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Treatment Outcome, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

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