[Severe early-childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder--case report on a 4-year-old girl]

Obsessive compulsive disorder in very young children - a case series from a specialized outpatient clinic

BACKGROUND

Paediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic condition often associated with severe disruptions of family functioning, impairment of peer relationships and academic performance. Mean age of onset of juvenile OCD is 10.3 years; however, reports on young children with OCD show that the disorder can manifest itself at an earlier age. Both an earlier age of onset and a longer duration of illness have been associated with increased persistence of OCD. There seems to be difficulty for health professionals to recognize and diagnose OCD in young children appropriately, which in turn may prolong the interval between help seeking and receiving an adequate diagnosis and treatment. The objective of this study is to enhance knowledge about the clinical presentation, diagnosis and possible treatment of OCD in very young children.

CASE PRESENTATION

We describe a prospective 6 month follow-up of five cases of OCD in very young children (between 4 and 5 years old). At the moment of first presentation, all children were so severely impaired that attendance of compulsory Kindergarten was uncertain. Parents were deeply involved in accommodating their child's rituals. Because of the children's young age, medication was not indicated. Therefore, a minimal CBT intervention for parents was offered, mainly focusing on reducing family accommodation. Parents were asked to bring video tapes of critical situations that were watched together. They were coached to reduce family accommodation for OCD, while enhancing praise and reward for adequate behaviors of the child. CY-BOCS scores at the beginning and after 3 months show an impressive decline in OCD severity that remained stable after 6 months. At 3 months follow-up, all children were able to attend Kindergarten daily, and at 6 months follow-up, every child was admitted to the next level / class.

CONCLUSIONS

Disseminating knowledge about the clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment of early OCD may shorten the long delay between first OCD symptoms and disease-specific treatment that is reported as main predictor for persistent OCD.

Zwangsstörungen im Kindes- und Jugendalter

Zwangsstörungen zählen mit einer Prävalenz von 1 bis 2 % zu den häufigeren Störungen im Kindes- und Jugendalter. Komorbide Störungen sind regelhaft vorhanden und die psychosozialen Beeinträchtigungen sind oftmals gravierend. Trotz guter Behandelbarkeit der Zwangsstörung gestaltet sich der Langzeitverlauf bei einem bedeutsamen Teil der Betroffenen insgesamt ungünstig. Der vorliegende Beitrag gibt eine selektive Übersicht zu Definition und Klassifikation, Epidemiologie, Symptomatik, Komorbidität, Diagnostik und Verlauf der Zwangsstörung im Jugendalter.

Assessing the validity of current mouse genetic models of obsessive-compulsive disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a disorder characterized by unwanted and intrusive thoughts, images, or impulses and/or repetitive behavior. OCD is a major cause of disability; however, the genetic factors and pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this complex, heterogeneous disorder remain largely unknown. During the past decade, a number of putative mouse genetic models of OCD have been developed for the purpose of studying the neural mechanisms underlying this disorder and developing novel treatments. This review presents and evaluates these experimental preparations to date. Models using knockout or transgenic approaches, as well as those examining variation in genetically diverse populations, are evaluated and discussed.