Files and links (1)
Harap_Stephen_20009.88 MB
PDF Restricted Access, VIEWABLE UPON REQUEST: contact archives@drexel.edu
Dissertation
Obsessive-compulsive disorder treatment outcome: the effect of comorbid DSM-IV personality disorders
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Medical College of Pennsylvania and Hahnemann University
May 2000
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00007849
Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a serious anxiety disorder that affects 2-3% of the American population at some point in their lifetime. Recent attention has focused on examining the comorbidity of OCD with personality disorders. Numerous studies have indicated that personality disorders are common in samples of anxiety disordered patients; in fact, approximately 50% of all anxiety disordered patients meet criteria for at least one personality disorder. Given the high comorbidity of OCD and personality disorders, it is important to examine how this relationship affects treatment outcome for OCD. The majority of studies have concluded that patients diagnosed with a personality disorder do not improve as much in treatment as those patients who do not carry a personality disorder diagnosis. An abundance of evidence has demonstrated that behavior therapy, primarily exposure with response prevention, is the treatment of choice for patients with OCD. Given this information, along with the knowledge that personality disorders may negatively affect treatment outcome in OCD patients, it is crucial to investigate the effects that personality disorders may have on behavioral treatments for OCD. The present study was designed to examine the effects of prospectively diagnosed personality disorders on treatment outcome in a sample of people seeking behavioral treatment for OCD. The patients were divided into three groups based on their personality disorder status: no personality disorders, one personality disorder, and more than one personality disorder. It was hypothesized that patients with comorbid personality disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder would show less improvement from behavioral treatment than would patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder only. It was also hypothesized that patients with a personality disorder diagnosis would show more severe OCD symptoms on the Y-BOCS at pretreatment. An additional hypothesis was that the more severe the patient's personality functioning, the less effective treatment would be. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).
Metrics
24 Record Views
Details
- Title
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder treatment outcome
- Creators
- Stephen Todd Harap
- Awarding Institution
- Medical College of Pennsylvania and Hahnemann University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Publisher
- Medical College of Pennsylvania and Hahnemann University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- iv, 260 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Medical College of Pennsylvania and Hahnemann University (1993-1996, 1998-2002); Clinical and Health Psychology [Historical]; School of Health Professions (1998-2000)
- Other Identifier
- 991021888751604721