Obsessional Compulsive Disorder in Adolescent Populations: Experiences of Offering a Combined Pharmacological–Psychological Approach

Abstract

The use of a standardised protocol for the pharmacological (using Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors–SSRIs) and psychological treatment of 10 consecutive adolescent patients with Obsessional Compulsive Disorder is reported. The psychological treatment consisted of exposure to the feared stimulus and cognitive behavioural treatment of anxiety associated with this procedure. The results suggest that there are benefits from both pharmacological and psychological treatments. However, both treatments were difficult to implement. For the SSRIs, some patients reported disinhibition of mood swings and behaviour. For those patients who showed benefits from the pharmacological treatments, there appeared to be a decrease in willingness to attempt psychological methods. The psychological methods require considerable time, which may not be available in clinics, and substantial effort by the patients.