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Sometimes Medication is Not EnoughThe most common medications prescribed for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) include the antidepressant medications known as serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs), including Prozac, Luvox, Paxil, and Anafranil. Although these medications do help most people with OCD, large numbers of patients continue to have unwanted symptoms. Most people taking these medication only experience a 30% reduction in symptoms. In other words, for most people with OCD, SRI medication alone is not enough. New Strategies to Help You Get Better and Stay BetterResearch suggests that the best way to help people who have only a partial response to SRIs is to supplement antidepressant medication with another effective treatment. Effective treatments include the addition of another type of medication (risperidone) and/or the addition of cognitive behavioral therapy specifically for OCD called Exposure and Response Prevention (EXRP). Although these are both effective augmentation strategies, it is not known which of these is better for people taking SRIs — more medication or therapy. This project will give us the answer to this question by providing people like you with either an add-on medication (risperidone) or therapy (EXRP) to see which works better and provides more lasting gains. Lean how you can enroll. Participants in the project will receive at random either risperidone, therapy, or a placebo pill in addition to the medication they are already taking. If the add-on treatment they receive is not effective, they will be offered an alternative effective treatment. Participants receive the expert services of an experienced OCD treatment team, consisting of therapists, a psychiatrist, and registered nurse all at no cost while in the study. |
