Promising experimental drugs for obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

Introduction: Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) is a common psychopathological condition that generally causes a significant maladjustment in affected individuals. Despite its prevalence, there are no univocal and defined guidelines for the treatment of this condition, and the literature evidence on this topic is scant and controversial. Areas covered: This narrative review synthesizes clinical trials, case reports, and experimental proposals for OCPD treatment in the light of the most recent neurobiological models. We aimed to review current therapeutic evidence for the disorder and evaluate their effectiveness, proposing potential rationales to guide future strategies. Expert opinion: Although no guidelines are available for OCPD, given the paucity of controlled studies, a possibility to overcome this gap might rely on identifying among the currently available and emerging therapies those that may appear most promising for improving the outcome of the disorder and suggesting novel therapeutic targets. In this way, this paper might represent a sort of 'call to action' to the scientific deepening of the mode of action of those treatments that could be of help to improve the detrimental quality of life of OCPD patients.