Non-response of cortisol during stressful exposure therapy in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder--preliminary results

Psychiatry Research
Michael KellnerChristoph Muhtz

Abstract

Exposure with response prevention (ERP) is an established treatment for patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and also an interesting model to characterize neuroendocrine response to psychological stress. However, so far few studies have assessed hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) function during ERP and results are inconsistent. In 15 patients with OCD we repeatedly measured salivary cortisol and subjective units of distress (SUD) on two consecutive afternoons. The first day served as a comparison condition; on the second day the very first session of ERP took place. While SUD were significantly increased during ERP versus the comparison day, salivary cortisol was statistically indistinguishable between ERP and comparison conditions before, during and after ERP. Thus, despite considerable psychological stress no increase of cortisol was observed. This response pattern to ERP in OCD patients needs further research.

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Citations

Jul 23, 2014·Behaviour Research and Therapy·Johanna Lass-Hennemann, Tanja Michael
Jul 1, 2014·Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry·Rany AbendYair Bar-Haim
Jul 16, 2016·The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry : the Official Journal of the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry·Borwin BandelowPeter Riederer
Feb 29, 2020·The Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery·Johnathan KentJack Sava
Feb 26, 2020·Translational Psychiatry·Anouk van der StratenGuido van Wingen

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