Food and Behaviour Research

Donate Log In

UK Nutrient Gaps and Impacts on Early Development with Dr Emma Derbyshire and TC Callis - BOOK HERE

Successful treatment of OCD with a micronutrient formula following partial response to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): a case study

Rucklidge J J (2009) J Anxiety Disord 23(6):836-40 doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2009.02.012. Epub 2009 Mar 9 

Web URL: Read this research on PubMed

Abstract:

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) affects 0.5-2% of young people many of whom are resistant to conventional treatments. This case study describes an 18-year-old male with OCD who first underwent cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for a 1-year period with a modest response (his OCD had shifted from severe to moderate). Within a year, his anxiety had deteriorated back to the severe range and he now had major depression. He then entered an ABAB design trial using a nutritional formula consisting mainly of minerals and vitamins (together, known as micronutrients). After 8 weeks on the formula, his mood was stabilized, his anxiety reduced, and his obsessions were in remission. The treatment was then discontinued for 8 weeks, during which time his obsessions and anxiety worsened and his mood dropped. Reintroduction of the formula again improved the symptoms. This case illustrates the importance of considering the effect micronutrients have on mental illness.

FAB RESEARCH COMMENT:

For more information, please see the FAB webinar by Professor Julia Rucklidge:


For more research looking at nutrition and other anxiety disorders, see the FAB Research list: