A study just published in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology examined where the glycine (a neurochemcial) transporter antagonist sarcosine would be effective in reducing OCD symptoms.  Patients were divided into three groups; those who had never taken OCD medication , those who had discontinued an SSRI for at least 8 weeks prior to the study and those who were still taking an SSRI.  After 10 weeks it was found that on average symptoms of OCD had decreased almost 20%.  Although there was no statistically significant difference in response to sarcosine across the three groups, there was a trend for drug-naïve patients to show a better response compared to those who had previously or were currently taking an SSRI.  It should be noted that this study employed a small sample size and did not employ a placebo control group, and as such, these results should be considered preliminary.

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There are many OCD subtypes including OCD without compulsions (sometimes called "pure O").  This symptom subtype often relates to unwanted obsessions surrounding sexual, religious or aggressive themes. A recent study in the journal Depression and Anxiety sought to examine the relationship between so-called pure obsessions and more subtle compulsions including mental compulsions and reassurance seeking. Using a sample of 201 patients with OCD, they found that mental compulsions and reassurance-seeking were highly related to sexual, aggressive, and religious obsessions.  The authors of this study suggest that concept of "pure O" may need re-examination and that this OCD subtype may, indeed, be accompanied by more covert compulsions.

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The postpartum period has long been known to be a time of increased risk for the appearance, worsening or recurrence of mood and anxiety disorders. A number of studies have suggested that the postpartum period may also present a risk for the onset or exacerbation of OCD.  Importantly, the onset of OCD symptoms following birth - especially where there are obsessions related to harming the baby - may impair the mothers ability to provide optimum care.   A recent study in journal Behavior Research and Therapy examined whether an intensive two-week course of cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) in mothers with postpartum onset OCD would demonstrate an improvement in OCD symptoms as well as in subjective and objective measures of quality of parenting.  Mothers who completed the intensive CBT for OCD reported a significant reduction in symptoms and an improvement in their ability to parent.  These gains were maintained well after the brief, but intensive, course of CBT was completed.  These results underscore the importance of being vigilant of symptoms of OCD in the postpartum period and offering effective treatment as necessary.

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While exposure therapy can be very effective, only two-thirds of patients complete treatment. Often, this occurs because patients are unwilling to experience the intense distress that can accompany an exposure exercise. What coping strategies did you use to stick with treatment when the going got tough?  Share your experience.

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