Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 January 2018
The development of effective pharmacotherapy has revolutionised the treatment of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), and has generated an explosion of interest in this previously poorly understood area of psychiatry. Once considered a rare, refractory form of learnt behaviour, we now recognise OCD to be a common, treatable illness, with a distinctive pathophysiology and pharmacology. Wide-ranging epidemiological surveys have demonstrated a surprisingly high lifetime prevalence amounting to 2–3% of the general population worldwide (Robins et al, 1984). Yet only a fraction of sufferers come forward for treatment and often the diagnosis is missed.
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