Læknablaðið - 01.02.2015, Side 26

94 LÆKNAblaðið 2015/101
ENgLISH SUMMArY
obsessive-compulsive disorder is a common and often chronic psychi-
atric illness that significantly interferes with the patient´s functioning
and quality of life. The disorder is characterized by excessive intrusive
and inappropriate anxiety evoking thoughts as well as time consuming
compulsions that cause significant impairment and distress. The symp-
toms are often accompanied by shame and guilt and the knowledge of
the general public and professional community about the disorder is
limited. Hence it is frequently misdiagnosed or diagnosed late. There
are indications that the disorder is hereditary and that neurobiological
processes are involved in its pathophysiology. Several psychological
theories about the causes of obsessive-compulsive disorder are sup-
ported by empirical evidence. Evidence based treatment is either with
serotoninergic medications or cognitive behavioral therapy, particularly
a form of behavioral therapy called exposure response prevention.
Better treatment options are needed because almost a third of people
with obsessive-compulsive disorder respond inadequatly to treatment.
In this review article two cases of obsessive-compulsive disorder are
presented. The former case is a young man with typical symptoms
that respond well to treatment and the latter is a middle aged lady with
severe treatment resistant symptoms. She underwent stereotactic impl-
antation of electrodes and received deep brain stimulation, which is an
experimental treatment for severe obsessive-compulsive disorder that
does not respond to any conventional treatment.
Landspitali University Hospital, Division of Psychiatry. Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland.
key words: Obsession, compulsion, disorder, psychotropic treatment, exposure response prevention.
Correspondence: Magnús Haraldsson hmagnus@landspitali.is
Obsessive-compulsive disorder. a hidden disorder
Magnús Haraldsson
Y F i R l i T