Conditions: OCD
Keywords: OCD SSRI escitalopram relapse
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 14
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
This study will determine the safety and effectiveness of escitalopram (Lexapro)in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms.

Detailed description:
OCD is a chronic and disabling disorder for which Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor(SSRI) drugs can be effective. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of an SSRI, escitalopram, in OCD patients.

This study will last 16 weeks and will comprise 2 phases. Phase 1 is an open label in which all participants will receive daily escitalopram for 8 weeks. Those who have responded to treatment at the end of the 8 weeks will be randomly assigned to either continue or discontinue their treatment for an additional 8 weeks. Those who do not respond to treatment at the end of Phase 1 will discontinue the study and be offered three free visits with a study clinician or referred elsewhere for treatment, based on the their preference. Study visits are made at baseline, and at Weeks 1, 2, 4, and 8 in Phase 1 and Weeks 12 and 16 in Phase 2.

Arms:
arm 1: Fourteen patients who met criteria for the study were enrolled in the open-label phase. Thirteen of these patients completed the open-label phase, while one patient was terminated early due to side effects. arm 2: Of the thirteen patients who completed the open label part of the trial, twelve demonstrated at least minimal improvement (CGI-I \< 3) and agreed to continue with the randomized, double-blind phase. These patients were randomized to escitalopram (n=5) or placebo (n=7). arm 3: Of the thirteen patients who completed the open label part of the trial, twelve demonstrated at least minimal improvement (CGI-I \< 3) and agreed to continue with the randomized, double-blind phase. These patients were randomized to escitalopram (n=5) or placebo (n=7).

Interventions: intervention 1: escitalopram intervention 2: Placebo ( sugar pill)
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Open label Treatment: Escitalopram 10 mg/day for 1 week and then 20 mg /day for 7 weeks. Double Blind Treatment: Escitalopram 20 mg/day. intervention 2: Placebo Comparator in double.blind phase.

Protocol document: