Telephone administered cognitive behaviour therapy for treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder: randomised controlled non-inferiority trial.

OBJECTIVES To compare the effectiveness of cognitive behaviour therapy delivered by telephone with the same therapy given face to face in the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder. DESIGN Randomised controlled non-inferiority trial. SETTING Two psychology outpatient departments in the United Kingdom. PARTICIPANTS 72 patients with obsessive compulsive disorder. INTERVENTION 10 weekly sessions of exposure therapy and response prevention delivered by telephone or face to face. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Yale Brown obsessive compulsive disorder scale, Beck depression inventory, and client satisfaction questionnaire. RESULTS Difference in the Yale Brown obsessive compulsive disorder checklist score between the two treatments at six months was -0.55 (95% confidence interval -4.26 to 3.15). Patient satisfaction was high for both forms of treatment. CONCLUSION The clinical outcome of cognitive behaviour therapy delivered by telephone was equivalent to treatment delivered face to face and similar levels of satisfaction were reported. TRIAL REGISTRATION Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN500103984 [controlled-trials.com].