Attaining and Maintaining Wellness in OCD (#6628)

A research study offering treatment for people who have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and are currently taking one of the following medications and still have unwanted symptoms:

• Clomipramine (Anafranil)
• Fluoxetine (Prozac)
• Fluvoxamine (Luvox)
• Sertraline (Zoloft)
• Paroxetine (Paxil)
• Citalopram (Celexa)
• Escitalopram (Lexapro)

The goal of the study is to understand whether patients with OCD on serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) who achieve wellness from EX/RP can safely discontinue their medication.

Eligible participants initially remain on a stable dose of their OCD medication and will receive cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) consisting of exposure and ritual prevention (EX/RP) twice a week for up to 12 weeks as additional treatment. 

Participants who become well (minimal-to-mild OCD symptoms) after the EX/RP will be randomly assigned to either continue their medication or begin to taper off their medication and have it gradually replaced with a placebo. 

All patients will be carefully monitored throughout the study for 24 weeks. No one who has not become well after 12 weeks of EX/RP will discontinue their medication. Individuals who do not improve significantly will be referred elsewhere to receive appropriate clinical treatment.