Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Adolescent OCD - intensive, inpatient treatment

Between 2-3% of people are thought to suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) at some point in their lifetimes and one-third of adults who suffer from OCD started to suffer in their childhood. Cognitive behaviour therapy is the first choice of treatment for paediatric OCD with serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) being recommended for more severe cases. However, one quarter of children do not recover after CBT. One alternative for these children is an intensive, inpatient programme with multidisciplinary support. A study of 23 patients being treated with such a programme in the U.S. found it led to a significant improvement and it is hoped that larger trials in the future will confirm these encouraging results.

Bjorgvinsson, Throstur ... [et al] - Treatment outcome for adolescent obsessive-compulsive disorder in a specialized hospital setting Journal of Psychiatric Practice May 2008, 14(3), 137-145

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