Comparison of Metacognitive Therapy, Fluvoxamine and Combined treatment in Improving Metacognitive Beliefs and Subjective Distress of Patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of metacognitive therapy (MCT) compare to fluvoxamine and the combination of MCT with fluvoxamine in improving metacognitive beliefs and subjective distress in treating patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In an experimental study, 21 OCD outpatients were randomly assigned to one of three treatment conditions: MCT, fluvoxamine and combined treatment group. All the patients received 10 weeks of treatment. Two questionnaires were administered at pre-treatment and post-treatment: Subjective Units of Distress (SUD) and Metacognitions Questionnaire-Short Form (MCQ-30). Results showed that unlike the fluvoxamine the MCT and combined treatment lead to significant improvements in positive beliefs about worry, negative beliefs about worry, need for thought control, cognitive confidence and subjective distress (P<.01). There were no significant differences between MCT and combined therapy (all Ps>0.05). MCT and the combination of MCT with fluvoxamine are more effective than fluvoxamine in improving metacognitive beliefs and subjective distress in treating OCD.