Early Identification and Intervention in Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Abstract

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by persistent thoughts with subsequent repetitive behaviors. Interventions that are effective for adult OCD cannot simply be generalized to pediatric OCD, since OCD in children and adolescents usually has a different clinical presentation, etiology and course from adult OCD. Delayed and inadequate treatment is associated with a worse prognosis, making the need for early identification and intervention in pediatric OCD very urgent. In this paper, we reflected on the current constraints that make early interventions for pediatric OCD unpromoted and reviewed the approaches with potential application for early identification and early intervention in pediatric OCD, categorized by three-level prevention stages corresponding to a clinical staging model. Since the etiology of pediatric OCD is still unclear, primary prevention is most lacking, and early interventions for pediatric OCD are currently focused on the secondary prevention stage, which aims to prevent the conversion of obsessive-compulsive symptoms into full-blown OCD; tertiary prevention mostly focuses on the alleviation of mild to moderate OCD, while interventions for co-morbidities are still in their infancy. We closed by considering the important research questions on this topic.

Relationship between Cognitive Strategies of Emotion Regulation and Dimensions of Obsessive–Compulsive Symptomatology in Adolescents

“…Nonetheless, more recent studies suggest that augmenting the core ERP approach with self-compassion and emotional regulation components may yield additional benefits [12]. It is also important to note here that the prevention of OCD has received limited focus, and several studies highlight the need to identify children and adolescents at risk of developing this disorder by means of early detection as well as selective and indicated preventive interventions [13,14].…”