Prospects for the use of cognitive-behavioral therapy in childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a common and debilitating anxiety disorder that is often seen in children and adolescents. In adults, cognitive-behavioral therapy has been demonstrated to be an efficacious and cost-effective treatment. Research with children is ongoing and preliminary results point toward cognitive-behavioral therapy as an appropriate first-line treatment. Successful cognitive-behavioral therapy with children requires not only skills in the application of behavioral techniques, such as exposure and ritual prevention, but also an understanding of how developmental issues impact treatment response and how to modify the therapeutic approach to match the child's needs. In this article, we review the outcome literature on cognitive-behavioral therapy for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder and discuss its successful application.