The treatment of substance abusers diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder: an outcome study.

Sixty substance abusers dually diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and voluntarily admitted to a drug-free therapeutic community were randomly assigned to one of three treatment conditions. One group received a combined intervention that addressed their obsessive-compulsive symptoms and substance abuse; a second group received only substance abuse treatment; and an attention control group received treatment for their substance abuse and training in progressive muscle relaxation. Patients who received treatment for their OCD and substance abuse stayed in treatment longer, showed greater reductions in OCD symptom severity, and had higher overall abstinence rates at 12-month follow-up.