Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-m6dg7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-10-31T09:12:00.420Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Obsessive-compulsive Disorder in Children and Adolescents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 October 2014

Neville J. King*
Affiliation:
Monash University
Thomas H. Ollendick
Affiliation:
Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, USA
Iain M. Montgomery
Affiliation:
University of Tasmania
*
Faculty of Education, School of Graduate Studies, Monash University, Clayton VIC 3168, Australia
Get access

Abstract

This selective review shows that childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a serious condition that requires early identification and treatment. Initially, we examine the relationship of childhood rituals to OCD, and discuss recent findings on the epidemiology of childhood OCD. The DSM-IV criteria for OCD are presented, along with recent findings on psychopathology. Clinical management of childhood OCD is a challenging and difficult task for mental health professionals. We briefly describe and evaluate advances in behavioural treatment — mainly in vivo exposure and response prevention. The adjunctive use of antidepressant medication is also examined. Whilst these clinical innovations are promising, further controlled evaluations are necessary before the efficacy of behavioural intervention can be confidently asserted.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Adams, P.L. (1973). Obsessive children. New York: Penguin.Google Scholar
American Psychiatric Association (1987). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed., rev.). Washington, DC: Author.Google Scholar
American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.Google Scholar
Baer, L., & Minichiello, W.E. (1990). Behavior therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder. In Jenike, M., Baer, L. & Minichiello, W. (Eds.), Obsessive compulsive disorders: Theory and management (pp. 203232). Chicago: Year Book Medical Publishers.Google Scholar
Barlow, D. (1988). Anxiety and its disorders: The nature and treatment of anxiety and panic. New York: Guilford.Google Scholar
Berg, C.Z., Rapoport, J.L., Whitaker, A., Davies, M., Leonard, H., Swedo, S.E., Braimen, S, & Lenane, M. (1989). Childhood obsessive compulsive disorder: A two-year prospective follow-up of a community sample, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 28, 528533.Google Scholar
Berg, C.Z., Whitaker, A., Davies, M., Flament, M.F., & Rapoport, J.L. (1988). The survey form of the Leyton Obsessional Inventory – Child Version: Norms from an epidemiological study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 27, 759763.Google Scholar
Bolton, D., Collins, S., & Steinberg, D. (1983). The treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder in adolescence: A report of fifteen cases. British Journal of Psychiatry, 142, 456464.Google Scholar
Campbell, L.M. (1973). A variation of thought-stopping in a twelve-year-old boy: A case report. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 4, 6970.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Denkla, M.B. (1989). The neuropsychological examination. In Rapoport, J.L. (Ed.), Obsessive-compulsive disorder in children and adolescents (pp. 107118). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.Google Scholar
Flament, M.F., Koby, E., Rapoport, J.L., Berg, C.J., Zahn, T., Cox, C., Denkla, M., & Lenane, M. (1990). Childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder: A prospective follow-up study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 31, 363380.Google Scholar
Flament, M.F., Rapoport, J.L., Berg, C.J., Sceery, W., Kilts, C., Mellström, B., & Linnoila, M. (1985). Clomipramine treatment of childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder: A double blind controlled study. Archives of General Psychiatry, 42, 977983.Google Scholar
Flament, M.F., Whitaker, A., Rapoport, J.L., Davies, M., Berg, C.Z., Kalikow, K., Sceery, W., & Shaffer, D. (1988). Obsessive compulsive disorder in adolescence: An epidemiological study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 27, 764771.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Francis, G. (1988). Childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder: Extinction of compulsive reassurance-seeking. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 2, 361366.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hollingsworth, C., Tanguay, P., Grossman, L., & Pabst, P. (1980). Long-term outcome of obsessive compulsive disorder in children, Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 19, 134144.Google Scholar
Judd, L. (1965). Obsessive compulsive neurosis in children. Archives of General Psychiatry, 12, 136143.Google Scholar
Kearney, C.A., & Silverman, W.K. (1990). Treatment of an adolescent with obsessive-compulsive disorder by alternating response prevention and cognitive therapy: An empirical analysis. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 21, 3947.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Leonard, H.L. (1989). Childhood rituals and superstitions: Developmental and cultural perspective. In Rapoport, J. (Ed.), Obsessive-compulsive disorder in children and adolescents. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.Google Scholar
Leonard, H.L., Goldberger, E.L., Rapoport, J.L., Cheslow, D.L., & Swedo, S.E. (1990). Childhood rituals: Normal development of obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 29, 1723.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Leonard, H.L., Swedo, S.E., Allen, A.J., & Rapoport, J.L. (1994). Obsessive-compulsive disorder. In Ollendick, T.H., King, N.J., & Yule, W., (Eds), International handbook of phobic and anxiety disorders in children and adolescents (pp. 207221). New York: Plenum.Google Scholar
Leonard, H.L., Swedo, S.E., Lenane, M.C., Rettew, D.C., Hamburger, S.D., Bartko, J.J., & Rapoport, J.L. (1993). A two to seven year follow-up study of 54 obsessive compulsive children and adolescents. Archives of General Psychiatry, 50, 429439.Google Scholar
Leonard, H.L., Swedo, S.E., Rapoport, J.L., Koby, E.V., Lenane, M.C., Cheslow, D.L., & Hamburger, S.D. (1989). Treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder with clomipramine and desipramine in children and adolescents. A double-blind crossover comparison. Archives of General Psychiatry, 46, 10881092.Google Scholar
Mavissikalian, M., Turner, S.M., Michelson, L., & Jacob, R. (1985). Tricyclic antidepressants in obsessive-compulsive disorder: Anti-obsessional or antidepressant agents? II. American Journal of Psychiatry, 142, 572576.Google Scholar
Mills, H.L., Agras, S., Barlow, D.H., & Mills, J.R. (1973). Compulsive rituals treated by response prevention: An experimental analysis. Archives of General Psychiatry, 28, 524529.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ownby, R.L. (1983). A cognitive behavioral intervention for compulsive handwashing with a thirteen-year-old boy. Psychology in the Schools, 20, 219222.Google Scholar
Rapoport, J.L. (1988). The boy who couldn't stop washing. New York: E.P. Dutton.Google Scholar
Rapoport, J.L. (1989). Introduction. In Rapoport, J.L. (Ed.), Obsessive-compulsive disorder in children and adolescents (pp. 39). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.Google Scholar
Rutter, M., Tizard, J., & Whitmore, K. (1970). Education, health and behavior. London: Longmans.Google Scholar
Steketee, G., & Cleere, L. (1990). Obsessive-compulsive disorders. In Bellack, A.S., Hersen, M., & Kazdin, A.E. (Eds.), International handbook of behavior modification and therapy (pp. 307332). New York: Plenum.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Swedo, S.E., & Rapoport, J.L. (1989). Phenomenology and differential diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder in children and adolescents. In Rapoport, J.L. (Ed.), Obsessive-compulsive disorder in children and adolescents (pp. 1332). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.Google Scholar
Swedo, S.E., & Rapoport, J.L. (1990). Obsessive-compulsive disorder in childhood. In Hersen, M. & Last, C.G. (Eds.), Handbook of child and adult psychopathology: A longitudinal perspective (pp. 211219). New York: Pergamon.Google Scholar
Thoren, P., Ashberg, M., Bertilsson, L., Mellström, B., Sjoqvist, F., & Träskman, L. (1980). Clomipramine treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder: II. Archives of General Psychiatry, 37, 1289–1259.Google Scholar
Turner, S.M., & Beidel, D.C. (1988). Treating obsessive-compulsive disorder. New York: Pergamon.Google Scholar
van Amerongen, S.T. (1980). Latency and prepubertal children. In Noshpitz, J. (Ed.), Basic handbook of child psychiatry, (Vol. 3). New York: Basic.Google Scholar
Wise, S.P., & Rapoport, J.L. (1989). Obsessive-compulsive disorder: Is it basal ganglia dysfunction. In Rapoport, J.L. (Ed.), Obsessive-compulsive disorder in children and adolescents (pp. 327344). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association..Google Scholar
Wolff, R.P., & Wolff, L.S. (1991). Assessment and treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder in children. Behavior Modification, 15, 372393.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yarrow, M.R., Campbell, J.D., & Burton, R.V. (1970). Recollections of childhood: A study of retrospective method. Monograph of the Society of Research and Child Development, 35.Google Scholar
Zikis, P. (1983). Treatment of an 11-year-old obsessive-compulsive ritualizer and ticqueur girl with in vivo exposure and response prevention. Behavioural Psychotherapy, 11, 7581.Google Scholar