Introduction. Beyond Refractory Obsessions and Anxiety States: Toward Remission

At the Sixth International Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Conference (IOCDC), held November13-15, 2003, in Lanzarote, Spain, 2 issues were discussed that are of great importance to futureresearch on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The first of these is the possible inclusion ofobsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders (OCSD) in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and StatisticalManual of Mental Disorders. OCSD resemble OCD in their clinical symptoms, associated features,comorbidity, family/genetics, etiology, and neurocircuitry, as well as their selective response to treatmentwith serotonin reuptake inhibitors. The second issue is considering remission as the ultimategoal of treatment for OCD instead of just symptom reduction, as has been suggested in other disorders.These and other issues should be discussed at future meetings of the IOCDC and influence howwe conceptualize the disorder and design future treatment trials.