Obsessive-compulsive disorder in childhood and adolescence: a clinical study

The clinical records of 72 children and adolescents aged 5-18 with a diagnosis of OCD were examined. Mean age of onset was 11 years. Repeating, cleaning and checking were the most common compulsions. Twenty percent of subjects showed obsessions unrelated to compulsions. In 53% of cases stress situations preceded the disorder. Seventy-seven percent of subjects suffered some other psychiatric disorder, lifetime or current, particularly anxiety and affective disorders. The majority (57%) had some first-degree relative with a psychiatric diagnosis. Family conflicts, social withdrawal and poor school performance were also common features.