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- Flygare, Oskar, et al.
(author)
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Adapted cognitive behavior therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder with co-occurring autism spectrum disorder : A clinical effectiveness study
- 2020
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In: Autism. - : SAGE Publications. - 1362-3613 .- 1461-7005. ; 24:1, s. 190-199
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder and autism spectrum disorder commonly co-occur. Adapted cognitive behavior therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder in adults with autism spectrum disorder has not previously been evaluated outside the United Kingdom. In this study, 19 adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder and autism spectrum disorder were treated using an adapted cognitive behavior therapy protocol that consisted of 20 sessions focused on exposure with response prevention. The primary outcome was the clinician-rated Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale. Participants were assessed up to 3 months after treatment. There were significant reductions on the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale at post-treatment (d = 1.5), and improvements were sustained at follow-up (d = 1.2). Self-rated obsessive-compulsive disorder and depressive symptoms showed statistically significant reductions. Improvements in general functioning and quality of life were statistically non-significant. Three participants (16%) were responders at post-treatment and four (21%) were in remission from obsessive-compulsive disorder. At follow-up, three participants (16%) were responders and one (5%) was in full remission. Adapted cognitive behavior therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder in adults with co-occurring autism spectrum disorder is associated with reductions in obsessive-compulsive symptoms and depressive symptoms. However, outcomes are modest; few patients were completely symptom free, and treatment engagement was low with few completed exposures and low adherence to homework assignments. We identify and discuss the need for further treatment refinement for this vulnerable group.
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2. |
- Pertusa, Alberto, et al.
(author)
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Do patients with hoarding disorder have autistic traits?
- 2012
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In: Depression and anxiety (Print). - Malden, USA : Wiley-Blackwell. - 1091-4269 .- 1520-6394. ; 29:3, s. 210-218
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Hoarding symptoms have been described in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Furthermore, individuals with hoarding disorder (HD) may display some ASD-like features. In order to further refine the diagnostic boundaries of HD, we examined the presence of autistic traits and theory of mind deficits in individuals with HD and of hoarding behavior in patients with ASD.Methods: Two hundred and twenty-one participants in five groups (HD, ASD, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety disorders (AD), and healthy controls (HC)) were administered measures of autistic traits (Autism-Spectrum Quotient), theory of mind (eyes test-revised), and hoarding severity (saving inventory-revised; SI-R (add acronym)).Results: Hoarders displayed more autistic traits compared to healthy individuals but not to psychiatric controls. Participants with ASD had significantly higher scores on the SI-R than both psychiatric (OCD or AD) and HC groups, indicating more severe hoarding behavior, but had lower scores than participants with HD. The presence of autistic traits in individuals with HD was related to the presence of comorbid OCD, but the presence of hoarding symptoms in individuals with ASD was unrelated to comorbid OCD.Conclusions We conclude that individuals with HD do not display more autistic traits than psychiatric controls, thus supporting its status as an independent diagnostic entity. More research is needed to further understand the phenomenology and clinical relevance of hoarding symptoms in ASD.
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