New Research Helps Clinicians Predict Treatment Outcomes for Children With Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

New research from the Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center may help clinicians better predict how a child with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) will respond to some of the most commonly used treatment approaches. The findings, published in the October issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, could help guide important clinical decisions about the best intervention for children with this often debilitating anxiety disorder.

"Until now, there has been little information about which OCD treatment to recommend to particular pediatric patients," said lead author Abbe Garcia, PhD, director of the Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center (BHCRC) Pediatric Anxiety Research Clinic. "Our study identified some characteristics of children with OCD that could help us predict which patients are most likely to benefit from particular treatments, similar to a personalized medicine approach."

OCD is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and/or repetitive behaviors (compulsions). The symptoms reported by children are similar to those seen among adults with OCD. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, as many as 1 in 200 children and adolescents struggle with OCD.

Researchers focused on outcomes of the three most commonly used treatment approaches for pediatric OCD: a form of psychotherapy known as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that teaches children to face their fears; sertraline, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI); and a combination of the two..." More