Non-pharmacological diagnostic and therapeutic approach, obsessive-compulsive disorder in adults. Systematic review

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to synthesize evidence of the non-pharmacological diagnostic and therapeutic approach in adults with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) through a systematic review, including 9 case reports, through MEDLINE, PUBMED, Google Scholar, Scielo, institutional repositories, thesauri: “Obsessive Compulsive Disorder AND Adult NOT Children”. Using inclusion criteria: Scientific articles published between 1990-2023, published in Spanish and English. Results: 9 articles included (nine patients) published in Spanish, eight published in Spain with an average age of 29.6 years, 68% of cases ranging from 20.8 to 38.4 years, five patients in the second decade of life at the time of therapy and three in the third decade. Mean age of onset of symptoms 21.12 years, onset of symptoms related to a stressful life event, female sex the oldest affected. The pattern of intrusive thoughts prevailed. Psychotherapy combined with acceptance and commitment techniques was effective in eliminating psychological rigidity, frequency of once a week with duration between 45 to 60 minutes, an average duration of 23.3 weeks, with a range of 8 weeks to 48 weeks, depending on the severity of their symptoms. Conclusions: intrusive thoughts and female sex are prevalent aspects, it affects young population, psychological therapy is effective, patients show improvement of obsessive compulsive symptoms even reaching subclinical levels, cognitive-behavioral therapy was the best directed by a therapist, with weekly sessions of one hour, face to face, from 8 to 43 weeks duration.