GROUP AND INDIVIDUAL TREATMENT OF COMPULSIVE HOARDING: A PILOT STUDY

Treatment of compulsive hoarding has rarely been described in the literature, apart from standard treatments for obsessive compulsive disorder of which hoarding is thought to be a subset. This paper presents preliminary findings from seven patients treated with cognitive and behavioral interventions derived from Frost and Hartl's (1996) theoretical model of hoarding. Six clients attended 15 group treatment sessions over 20 weeks plus individual home treatment sessions and one client received 20 weekly-sessions of individual treatment only. After 20 weeks, treatment resulted in noticeable improvement in several hoarding symptoms for five of the seven patients, especially reduction in excessive acquisition of possessions, although problems with clutter persisted. Three of four clients who continued in treatment for approximately 1 year showed substantial further improvement, although none felt entirely recovered. Findings are discussed in light of the model of hoarding and possible modifications to treatment to enhance motivation and benefits.

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Behavioral Group Treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Adolescence: A Pilot Study

International Journal of Group Psychotherapy ◽

10.1521/ijgp.2011.61.1.84 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 61 (1) ◽

pp. 84-97 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Ingrid Söchting ◽

Betty Third

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽

Group Treatment ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Compulsive Disorder ◽

Behavioral Group

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The role of group treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/s0924-9338(11)71896-x ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 26 (S2) ◽

pp. 185-185 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

C. Zampetaki ◽

C. Delimpalta ◽

E. Varouchaki ◽

A. Zampogiannis

Keyword(s):

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽

Group Treatment ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Behavioural Therapy ◽

Repetitive Behaviors ◽

Individual Treatment ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Compulsive Disorder ◽

The Individual ◽

Group Cbt

IntroductionObsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterized by recurrent intrusive thoughts and/or repetitive behaviors carried out in a ritualistic fashion. Both obsessions and compulsions are ego-alien and produce anxiety if resisted. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) based on exposure and response prevention (ERP) and pharmacotherapy are currently the most popular choices of treatment.ObjectiveIndividual CBT/ERP with or without psychopharmacological treatment has been established as the treatment of choice for OCD, but group CBT/ERP has received little attention although it has been proposed as a cost-effective alternative. The aim of this paper is to explore its pros and cons.MethodReview of the current literature.ResultsGroup CBT/ERP appears to be equally effective as individual, although the latter has been associated with a more rapid rate of improvement. Both achieve similar reductions in anxiety and depressive symptoms and have similar dropout rates. Group theray is also acceptable to most patients and saves time and money to both patients and doctors. It is not documented whether it achieves change of the same magnitude as the individual format of the respective treatment. Patients with more severe global symptoms are less likely to respond to the group format, therefore an attempt to reduce these symptoms prior to the treatment of OCD may be necessary.ConclusionGroup treatment is an effective treatment for OCD in the long term, but more research needs to be done to compare the effectiveness of group and individual treatment formats.

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