Obsessive—compulsive disorder in childhood

Abstract

Twenty children who met DSM-III-R criteria for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) were identified among 190 consecutive referrals to an anxiety clinic for children and adolescents. Children and their families were assessed directly for lifetime psychopathology with structured diagnostic interviews, at which time sociodemographic data also were collected. Results indicated that clinically referred childhood OCD is more common among boys, and that boys have an earlier age-at-onset than their female counterparts. As true for adult patients with the disorder, obsessions without compulsions were relatively rare, multiple rituals were common, and the most common compulsive ritual was washing. Comorbid anxiety disorders were common among the children, but depressive disorders were rare. Examination of the psychiatric histories of the first- degree relatives (mothers, fathers, siblings) yielded a prevalence rate of 7.7% for OCD; thus, we did not obtain strong support for the notion that the disorder aggregates within families. Findings from this study provide independent confirmation of results previously obtained from the NIMH cohort of OCD children.