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First-Line Treatment for Pediatric Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder

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Abstract

Pediatric obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common psychiatric disorder that impairs children’s functioning in home, school, and community settings. Once thought to be an untreatable or treatment refractory disorder, evidence-based treatments now exist for pediatric OCD. Various psychological treatment approaches for pediatric OCD have been investigated and research supports the use of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with exposure and response prevention (E/RP) and combined CBT/E/RP with serotonin reuptake inhibitor pharmacotherapy. This paper reviews these approaches and highlights the prominent role of CBT/E/RP as a first-line treatment for pediatric OCD.

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Notes

  1. Use of the term “CBT” will imply that E/RP is a central component of the treatment throughout the rest of the article.

  2. SSRIs also are included in the use of the term SRI.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, University of South Florida, 800 Sixth Street South, Box 7523, St. Petersburg, FL, 33701, USA

    Cary Jordan & Michael L. Sulkowski

  2. Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610-0165, USA

    Adam M. Reid & Bianca Augusto

  3. Diagnostic Center, Curry Ingram Academy, Brentwood, TN, USA

    Amy Mariaskin

Authors
  1. Cary Jordan
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  2. Adam M. Reid
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  3. Amy Mariaskin
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  4. Bianca Augusto
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  5. Michael L. Sulkowski
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Correspondence to Cary Jordan.

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Jordan, C., Reid, A.M., Mariaskin, A. et al. First-Line Treatment for Pediatric Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder. J Contemp Psychother 42, 243–248 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-012-9210-z

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