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Cognitive behavioral therapy effective long-term for pediatric OCD
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Manualized cognitive behavioral therapy in a community setting had long-lasting efficacy among children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder who responded to treatment.
“We conducted the study in order to see if manualized CBT applied in Scandinavian settings would be effective,” Per Hove Thomsen, DrMedSci, of Aarhus University Hospital, Risskov, Denmark, told Healio.com/Psychiatry. “We attempted to include as broadly as possible into the study in order to have a ‘real life’ with high generalizability.”
To assess 1-year treatment outcomes for CBT for pediatric OCD, researchers evaluated 177 children and adolescents in the Nordic Long-term OCD Treatment Study. Study participants were treatment responders following CBT for OCD. Outcomes were measured via the Children’s Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS) at 6- and 12-month follow-up. CY-BOCS total scores of 15 and lower indicated treatment response and scores of 10 and lower indicated remission.
At 1 year, 87.6% of participants were available for follow-up assessment. Of these, 91.6% had a CY-BOCS total score of 15 or lower.
At 1 year, 78.1% of participants were in remission.
CY-BOCS scores decreased by a mean 1.72 points during the first year after stopping treatment (P = .001).
Approximately 15.8% of participants relapsed at the 6- or 12-month assessment.
Two participants required additional CBT.
“The study shows that manualized CBT is highly effective and with high sustainability in children and adolescents with OCD. Both clinics, highly specialized in OCD treatment and general child and adolescent psychiatric clinics, did show good results,” Thomsen said. “It is important to offer CBT to children with OCD as this seems to improve the outcome considerably.” – by Amanda Oldt
Disclosures: Thomsen reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the study for all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.