Topic “Obsessive-compulsive disorder (F42)”

The purpose of this study is to improve our understanding of processes within the brain that may relate to OCD in childhood. Specifically, we will look at how children with OCD filter or “screen-out” irrelevant sensory information. Additionally, we will study children’s performance on cognitive tasks that require them to deviate or switch-away from a well-learned response. In other words, we examine how “flexible” they are when required to change approaches. We believe that obsession and compulsions experienced with OCD may relate to these broader deficits in flexibility with learning and filtering extraneous information. We hope that identifying these markers can help us better understand illness severity/clinical symptoms and predict how children respond to treatment.

OCD is among the most common disorders of childhood, and it affects both children and their families. Efforts to improve therapy outcomes for youth with OCD increasingly have attempted to augment individual cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with greater family involvement. Increased family participation is aimed at helping families to cope and manage childhood OCD effectively. This study examines whether adding family therapy to traditional individual CBT (the current gold standard) improves outcomes for youth with OCD.

Please contact Don Nathanson for more information about the study 310-206-1350