Pediatric Obsessive-compulsive Disorder Treatment Study Research Articles

Secondary outcomes from the pediatric obsessive compulsive disorder treatment study II

The Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Treatment Study II (POTS II) investigated the benefit of serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) augmentation with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Primary outcomes focused on OCD symptom change and indicated benefit associated with a full course of CBT. Given that the majority of youth with OCD suffer from significant comorbid symptoms and impaired quality of life, the current study examined POTS II data for effects on secondary outcomes. Participants were 124 youth ages 7–17 years with a primary diagnosis of OCD who were partial responders to an adequate SRI trial. Participants were randomized to medication management, medication management plus instructions in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), or medication management plus full CBT. Acute effects on non-OCD anxiety, depression, inattention, hyperactivity, and quality of life were examined across treatment conditions. Improvement across treatment was observed for non-OCD anxiety, inattention, hyperactivity, and quality of life. Changes were generally significantly greater in the group receiving full CBT. Child-rated depression was not found to change. OCD-focused treatment lead to improvement in other areas of psychopathology and functioning. For youth who are partial responders to SRI monotherapy, augmentation with full CBT may yield the greatest benefit on these secondary outcomes. Clinical trials registrationTreatment of Pediatric OCD for SRI Partial Responders, Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00074815, http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00074815.

Elevated Autism Spectrum Disorder Traits in Young Children with OCD.

Studies have shown a high prevalence of autistic spectrum traits in both children and adults with psychiatric disorders; however the prevalence rate has not yet been investigated in young children with OCD. The aim of the current study was to (1) determine whether ASD traits indicated by the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) and the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) were elevated in young children with OCD who do not have a specific ASD diagnosis and (2) determine if ASD traits were associated with OCD severity. Participants (N=127) were children ages 5-8years enrolled in the pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder treatment study for young children (POTS Jr.). Results indicated that the SRS showed elevated autistic traits in the sample and was associated with OCD severity whereas the SCQ did not indicate heightened ASD symptoms. Implications of these results are discussed.

Review of Pharmacotherapy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Disorders, 3rd ed., by David R. Rosenberg and Samuel Gershon

Review of Pharmacotherapy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Disorders, 3rd ed., by David R. Rosenberg and Samuel Gershon

Tic-Related Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Phenomenology and Treatment Outcome in the Pediatric OCD Treatment Study II

Prior research has shown that youth with co-occurring tic disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may differ from those with non-tic-related OCD in terms of clinical characteristics and treatment responsiveness. A broad definition of "tic-related" was used to examine whether children with tics in the Pediatric OCD Treatment Study II differed from those without tics in terms of demographic and phenomenological characteristics and acute treatment outcomes. Participants were 124 youth aged 7 to 17 years, inclusive, with a primary diagnosis of OCD who were partial responders to an adequate serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) trial. Participants were randomized to medication management, medication management plus instructions in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), or medication management plus full CBT. Tic status was based on the presence of motor and/or vocal tics on the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale. Tics were identified in 53% of the sample. Those with tic-related OCD did not differ from those with non-tic-related OCD in terms of age, family history of tics, OCD severity, OCD-related impairment, or comorbidity. Those with tics responded equally in all treatment conditions. Tic-related OCD was very prevalent using a broad definition of tic status. Results suggest that youth with this broad definition of tic-related OCD do not have increased OCD severity or inference, higher comorbidity rates or severity, or worsened functioning, and support the use of CBT in this population. This highlights the importance of not making broad assumptions about OCD symptoms most likely to occur in an individual with comorbid tics. Clinical trial registration information-Treatment of Pediatric OCD for SRI Partial Responders; http://clinicaltrials.gov; NCT00074815.

Family-based treatment of early childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder: the Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Treatment Study for Young Children (POTS Jr)--a randomized clinical trial.

Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) has been established as efficacious for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) among older children and adolescents, yet its effect on young children has not been evaluated sufficiently. To examine the relative efficacy of family-based CBT (FB-CBT) involving exposure plus response prevention vs an FB relaxation treatment (FB-RT) control condition for children 5 to 8 years of age. A 14-week randomized clinical trial (Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Treatment Study for Young Children [POTS Jr]) conducted at 3 academic medical centers between 2006 and 2011, involving 127 pediatric outpatients 5 to 8 years of age who received a primary diagnosis of OCD and a Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale total score of 16 or higher. Participants were randomly assigned to 14 weeks of (1) FB-CBT, including exposure plus response prevention, or (2) FB-RT. Responder status defined as an independent evaluator-rated Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale score of 1 (very much improved) or 2 (much improved) and change in independent evaluator-rated continuous Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale total score. RESULTS Family-based CBT was superior to FB-RT on both primary outcome measures. The percentages of children who were rated as 1 (very much improved) or 2 (much improved) on the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale at 14 weeks were 72% for FB-CBT and 41% for FB-RT. The effect size difference between FB-CBT and FB-RT on the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale was 0.31 (95% CI, 0.17-0.45). The number needed to treat (NNT) with FB-CBT vs FB-RT was estimated as 3.2 (95% CI, 2.2-5.8). The effect size difference between FB-CBT and FB-RT on the Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale at week 14 was 0.84 (95% CI, 0.62-1.06). A comprehensive FB-CBT program was superior to a relaxation program with a similar format in reducing OCD symptoms and functional impairment in young children (5-8 years of age) with OCD. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00533806.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy Augmentation of Pharmacotherapy in Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: The Pediatric OCD Treatment Study II (POTS II) Randomized Controlled Trial

Cognitive Behavior Therapy Augmentation of Pharmacotherapy in Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: The Pediatric OCD Treatment Study II (POTS II) Randomized Controlled Trial

Error in Financial Disclosure in: Cognitive Behavior Therapy Augmentation of Pharmacotherapy in Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: The Pediatric OCD Treatment Study II (POTS II) Randomized Controlled Trial

Error in Financial Disclosure in: Cognitive Behavior Therapy Augmentation of Pharmacotherapy in Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: The Pediatric OCD Treatment Study II (POTS II) Randomized Controlled Trial

Incorporating play therapy into evidence-based treatment with children affected by obsessive compulsive disorder.

This article outlines the etiology, symptoms, and two of the most current evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions associated with children diagnosed with ob-sessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Research demonstrates that a combination ofcognitive–behavioral therapy with exposure treatment, along with psychopharmaco-logical treatment, is the “gold standard” when providing mental health care tochildren with OCD (Pediatric OCD Treatment Study, 2004, Journal of the AmericanMedical Association, 292 , 1969–1976.). While play therapy has not been identi edas a singularly bene cial paradigm to mitigate the symptoms associated with OCD(Piacentini & Langley, 2004, Journal of Clinical Psychology, 60, 1181–1194.), theauthors of this article argue that play therapy can be integrated within the evidence-based treatment modalities to provide a developmentally appropriate context forchildren. Speci cally, play therapy techniques may be bene cial for children at-tempting to externalize the internal dialogue of repetitive thoughts associated withOCD. Last, implications for play therapists are addressed.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Researchers at University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Duke University, Brown, Michigan, and University of Massachusetts, Worcester, as members of the Pediatric-OCD Treatment Study II (POTS II) Randomized Controlled Trial, examined effects of augmenting serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) treatment with short-term cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) in 124 pediatric outpatients, 7 to 17 years of age, with a primary diagnosis of OCD.

Predictors of Parental Accommodation in Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Findings from the Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Treatment Study (POTS) Trial

Few studies have examined predictors of parental accommodation (assessed with the Family Accommodation Scale-Parent Report) among families of children with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). No studies have examined this phenomenon using empirically derived subscales of the Family Accommodation Scale-Parent Report (i.e., Caregiver Involvement, Avoidance of Triggers). Ninety-six youths (and their families) were included in the present study. Parents were asked to complete the Family Accommodation Scale-Parent Report. Families also completed several additional measurements assessing child- and parent-level variables of interest. Regression analyses were used to examine potential predictors of accommodation. Results support prior research suggesting that accommodation is ubiquitous among the families of children with OCD. Analyses revealed that several child-level (i.e., compulsion severity, oppositional behavior, and frequency of washing symptoms) and one parent-level (i.e., symptoms of anxiety) predictors work jointly to provide significant predictive models of parental accommodation. Clinicians and researchers should be aware of the impact of specific child- and parent-level variables on family accommodation in pediatric OCD and in turn their implications for treatment compliance, adherence, and, by extension, outcome. Study limitations warrant replication and extension of these findings; in particular, researchers may seek to obtain a better understanding of how the various facets of parental accommodation may differentially affect treatment.

Predictors and Moderators of Treatment Outcome in the Pediatric Obsessive Compulsive Treatment Study (POTS I)

To identify predictors and moderators of outcome in the first Pediatric OCD Treatment Study (POTS I) among youth (N = 112) randomly assigned to sertraline, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), both sertraline and CBT (COMB), or a pill placebo. Potential baseline predictors and moderators were identified by literature review. The outcome measure was an adjusted week 12 predicted score for the Children's Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS). Main and interactive effects of treatment condition and each candidate predictor or moderator variable were examined using a general linear model on the adjusted predicted week 12 CY-BOCS scores. Youth with lower obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) severity, less OCD-related functional impairment, greater insight, fewer comorbid externalizing symptoms, and lower levels of family accommodation showed greater improvement across treatment conditions than their counterparts after acute POTS treatment. Those with a family history of OCD had more than a sixfold decrease in effect size in CBT monotherapy relative to their counterparts in CBT without a family history of OCD. Greater attention is needed to build optimized intervention strategies for more complex youth with OCD. Youth with a family history of OCD are not likely to benefit from CBT unless offered in combination with an SSRI. Treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in Children, http://www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT00000384.

CBT Goes Home to Benefit Children With OCD

“Phone home” may be just one alternative to providing cognitive-behavioral therapy to children with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Intensive Family-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Applications for Treatment of Medication Partial- or Nonresponders

Serotonin reuptake inhibitor medications and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) are both effective treatments for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Despite recommendations that youth with OCD be treated with CBT alone or together with serotonin reuptake inhibitor medication, many youth are treated with medication alone or with non-CBT psychotherapy initially. Although effective, symptom remission with medication alone is rare (e.g., only 21.4% of youth achieved remission with sertraline in the Pediatric OCD Treatment Study, 2004) and residual symptoms often remain (e.g., 58% of subjects in the March et al. [1998] sertraline trial were not considered treatment responders). This paper reviews the literature on the efficacy of CBT for pediatric OCD, particularly as it relates to the treatment of youth with prior inadequate response to medication. It also describes an intensive, family-based CBT program for children and adolescents with OCD and support for its efficacy among those with prior partial- or nonresponse to medication. Finally, we present a case study of an adolescent girl with OCD who participated in the intensive treatment program after having limited benefit from medication and non-CBT psychotherapy and experienced a favorable response.

The Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Treatment Study II: rationale, design and methods.

This paper presents the rationale, design, and methods of the Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Treatment Study II (POTS II), which investigates two different cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) augmentation approaches in children and adolescents who have experienced a partial response to pharmacotherapy with a serotonin reuptake inhibitor for OCD. The two CBT approaches test a "single doctor" versus "dual doctor" model of service delivery. A specific goal was to develop and test an easily disseminated protocol whereby child psychiatrists would provide instructions in core CBT procedures recommended for pediatric OCD (e.g., hierarchy development, in vivo exposure homework) during routine medical management of OCD (I-CBT). The conventional "dual doctor" CBT protocol consists of 14 visits over 12 weeks involving: (1) psychoeducation, (2), cognitive training, (3) mapping OCD, and (4) exposure with response prevention (EX/RP). I-CBT is a 7-session version of CBT that does not include imaginal exposure or therapist-assisted EX/RP. In this study, we compared 12 weeks of medication management (MM) provided by a study psychiatrist (MM only) with two types of CBT augmentation: (1) the dual doctor model (MM+CBT); and (2) the single doctor model (MM+I-CBT). The design balanced elements of an efficacy study (e.g., random assignment, independent ratings) with effectiveness research aims (e.g., differences in specific SRI medications, dosages, treatment providers). The study is wrapping up recruitment of 140 youth ages 7–17 with a primary diagnosis of OCD. Independent evaluators (IEs) rated participants at weeks 0,4,8, and 12 during acute treatment and at 3,6, and 12 month follow-up visits.NCT00074815

Treatment Outcome for Adolescent Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in a Specialized Hospital Setting

Although few data are available concerning adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the existing literature suggests that cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is the first-line treatment of choice for adolescents with mild to moderate OCD. A combination of CBT and serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) is recommended for more severe forms of OCD, based on the Expert Consensus Guidelines for the Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and the Pediatric OCD Treatment Study (POTS). Despite the effectiveness of CBT, a recent meta-analysis found that 27% of adolescent outpatients fail to show clinically significant improvement following CBT and many also fail to show improvement with pharmacotherapy. One alternative for those who do not improve with outpatient treatment is an intensive inpatient program. Within the last 10 years, two specialty hospitals have created programs that provide intensive CBT milieu treatment with multidisciplinary support (e.g., nursing, psychopharmacology) to treat adolescents with OCD. This naturalistic study describes treatment outcomes in 23 patients who received treatment in one of these programs between 2005 and 2006. Results suggest significant improvements on the majority of outcome measures, with 70% of the patients judged to meet criteria for clinically significant change. Thus, inpatient treatment appears potentially efficacious, although future controlled trials with larger samples are needed.

Research on Children Yielding Valuable Clinical Information

Research on Children Yielding Valuable Clinical Information

Tics Moderate Treatment Outcome with Sertraline but not Cognitive-Behavior Therapy in Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

The presence of a comorbid tic disorder may predict a poorer outcome in the acute treatment of pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Using data from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded Pediatric OCD Treatment Study (POTS) that compared cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT), medical management with sertraline (SER), and the combination of CBT and SER (COMB), to pill placebo (PBO) in children and adolescents with OCD, we asked whether the presence of a comorbid tic disorder influenced symptom reduction on the Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS) after 12 weeks of treatment. Fifteen percent (17 of 112) of patients exhibited a comorbid tic disorder. In patients without tics, results replicated previously published intent-to-treat outcomes: COMB > CBT > SER > PBO. In patients with a comorbid tic disorder, SER did not differ from PBO, while COMB remained superior to CBT and CBT remained superior to PBO. In contrast to CBT outcomes, which are not differentially impacted, tic disorders appear to adversely impact the outcome of medication management of pediatric OCD. Children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder and a comorbid tic disorder should begin treatment with cognitive-behavior therapy alone or the combination of cognitive-behavior therapy plus a serotonin reuptake inhibitor.

Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, Sertraline, and Their Combination for Children and Adolescents With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: The Pediatric OCD Treatment Study (POTS) Randomized Controlled Trial

Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, Sertraline, and Their Combination for Children and Adolescents With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: The Pediatric OCD Treatment Study (POTS) Randomized Controlled Trial

Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, Sertraline, and Their Combination for Children and Adolescents With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: The Pediatric OCD Treatment Study (POTS) Randomized Controlled Trial

Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, Sertraline, and Their Combination for Children and Adolescents With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: The Pediatric OCD Treatment Study (POTS) Randomized Controlled Trial

Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, Sertraline, and Their Combination for Children and Adolescents With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

The empirical literature on treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in children and adolescents supports the efficacy of short-term OCD-specific cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) or medical management with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. However, little is known about their relative and combined efficacy. To evaluate the efficacy of CBT alone and medical management with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor sertraline alone, or CBT and sertraline combined, as initial treatment for children and adolescents with OCD. The Pediatric OCD Treatment Study, a balanced, masked randomized controlled trial conducted in 3 academic centers in the United States and enrolling a volunteer outpatient sample of 112 patients aged 7 through 17 years with a primary Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition diagnosis of OCD and a Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS) score of 16 or higher. Patients were recruited between September 1997 and December 2002. Participants were randomly assigned to receive CBT alone, sertraline alone, combined CBT and sertraline, or pill placebo for 12 weeks. Change in CY-BOCS score over 12 weeks as rated by an independent evaluator masked to treatment status; rate of clinical remission defined as a CY-BOCS score less than or equal to 10. Ninety-seven of 112 patients (87%) completed the full 12 weeks of treatment. Intent-to-treat random regression analyses indicated a statistically significant advantage for CBT alone (P = .003), sertraline alone (P = .007), and combined treatment (P = .001) compared with placebo. Combined treatment also proved superior to CBT alone (P = .008) and to sertraline alone (P = .006), which did not differ from each other. Site differences emerged for CBT and sertraline but not for combined treatment, suggesting that combined treatment is less susceptible to setting-specific variations. The rate of clinical remission for combined treatment was 53.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 36%-70%); for CBT alone, 39.3% (95% CI, 24%-58%); for sertraline alone, 21.4% (95% CI, 10%-40%); and for placebo, 3.6% (95% CI, 0%-19%). The remission rate for combined treatment did not differ from that for CBT alone (P = .42) but did differ from sertraline alone (P = .03) and from placebo (P<.001). CBT alone did not differ from sertraline alone (P = .24) but did differ from placebo (P = .002), whereas sertraline alone did not (P = .10). The 3 active treatments proved acceptable and well tolerated, with no evidence of treatment-emergent harm to self or to others. Children and adolescents with OCD should begin treatment with the combination of CBT plus a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor or CBT alone.