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In an occasional column, NEJM Journal Watch Psychiatry editors comment briefly on review articles.
New developments regarding obsessive-compulsive disorder. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) have been the core treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) for over two decades. These authors review the evidence supporting these interventions and discuss important elements of efficacy (high dose and long duration for SSRIs; exposure for CBT).1 The article highlights modest developments during the last 5 years in diagnosis (e.g., the diagnosis of hoarding) and in understanding predictors of treatment response (e.g., OCD subtypes involving poor insight or tics). New studies support the ef…