Psychological treatment of refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder and related problems

The cognitive-behavioral theory is based on the idea that the way a person appraises or interprets a situation is crucial. The specific beliefs someone holds about a situation therefore determine his or her reaction to that situation. There is a growing body of evidence supporting the notion that different types of psychological and psychiatric problems are characterized by different types of beliefs. Linking these beliefs with information-processing factors such as memory and attention is beginning to help make sense of clinical problems. Advances are likely to be made by the development of comprehensive integrative biopsychosocial models of problems such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) that do not rely solely on concepts of structural brain impairment or biochemical imbalances. Topics discussed include dealing with treatment refractoriness; clinical foundations of the psychological approach; basic phenomenology of OCD; the development of behavioral models; cognitive approaches; treatment of obsessions without overt compulsive behavior; treatment procedures; and hypochondriasis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).