Published in:
Open Access
01-12-2013 | Research
The Nordic long-term OCD treatment study (NordLOTS): rationale, design, and methods
Authors:
Per Hove Thomsen, Nor C Torp, Kitty Dahl, Karin Christensen, Inger Englyst, Karin H Melin, Judith B Nissen, Katja A Hybel, Robert Valderhaug, Bernhard Weidle, Gudmundur Skarphedinsson, Petra Lindheim von Bahr, Tord Ivarsson
Published in:
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health
|
Issue 1/2013
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Abstract
Background
This paper describes and discusses the methodology of the Nordic long-term OCD-treatment study (NordLOTS). The purpose of this effectiveness study was to study treatment outcome of CBT, to identify CBT non- or partial responders and to investigate whether an increased number of CBT-sessions or sertraline treatment gives the best outcome; to identify treatment refractory patients and to investigate the outcome of aripiprazole augmentation; to study the outcome over a three year period for each responder including the risk of relapse, and finally to study predictors, moderators and mediators of treatment response.
Methods
Step 1 was an open and uncontrolled clinical trial with CBT, step 2 was a controlled, randomised non-blinded study of CBT non-responders from step 1. Patients were randomized to receive either sertraline plus CBT-support or continued and modified CBT. In step 3 patients who did not respond to either CBT or sertraline were treated with aripiprazole augmentation to sertraline.
Conclusions
This multicenter trial covering three Scandinavian countries is going to be the largest CBT-study for paediatric OCD to date. It is not funded by industry and tries in the short and long-term to answer the question whether further CBT or SSRI is better in CBT non-responders.