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Evidence to Improve Care

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Care in All Settings



These quality statements describe what high-quality care looks like for people with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

See below for a summary of the quality standard or download it for more detailed statements.


Download the Quality Standard


Quality Statement 1: Identification
People with suspected OCD are identified early using recognized screening questions and validated severity-rating scales.


Quality Statement 2: Comprehensive Assessment
People with suspected OCD, or who have had a positive screening result for OCD, receive a timely comprehensive assessment to determine whether they have OCD, the severity of their symptoms, whether they have any comorbid conditions, and whether they have any associated functional impairment.


Quality Statement 3: Support for Family
People with OCD are encouraged to involve their family during their assessment and treatment, considering individual needs and preferences. Family members are connected to available resources and supports and provided with psychoeducation that includes how to avoid accommodation behaviours.


Quality Statement 4: Stepped-Care Approach for OCD
People with OCD receive treatment that follows a stepped-care approach, providing the least intensive, most effective intervention first, based on symptom severity, level of functional impairment, and individual needs and preferences.


Quality Statement 5: Self-Help
People with OCD are informed about and supported in accessing self-help resources, such as self-help books, Internet-based educational resources, and support groups, considering their individual needs and preferences and in alignment with a stepped-care approach.


Quality Statement 6: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for OCD
People with OCD have timely access to cognitive behavioural therapy with exposure and response prevention, considering their individual needs and preferences and in alignment with a stepped-care approach. Cognitive behavioural therapy with exposure and response prevention is delivered by a health care professional with expertise in OCD.


Quality Statement 7: OCD-Specific Pharmacological Treatment
People with moderate to severe OCD, or people who are not responding to psychological treatment, are offered a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) at an OCD-specific dose and duration, considering their individual needs and preferences and in alignment with a stepped-care approach.


Quality Statement 8: Monitoring
People with OCD have their response to treatment (effectiveness and tolerability) monitored regularly over the course of treatment using validated tools in conjunction with an assessment of their clinical presentation.


Quality Statement 9: Support During Initial Treatment Response
People with OCD are informed about what to expect and supported during their initial treatment response. When initial treatment is not working, people with OCD are reassessed. They are offered other treatment options, considering their individual needs and preferences and in alignment with a stepped-care approach.


Quality Statement 10: Intensive Treatment
When psychological or pharmacological treatment is not working, or in cases of severe OCD, people are referred for intensive treatment, in alignment with a stepped-care approach.


Quality Statement 11: Relapse Prevention
People with OCD who are receiving treatment are provided with information and education about how to prevent relapse and manage symptoms if they re-emerge.


Quality Statement 12: Transitions in Care
People with OCD are given appropriate care throughout their lifespan and experience seamless transitions between services and health care professionals, including between care settings and from child and adolescent services to adult services.

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