Clinical and Demographic Features of Children and Adolescents Diagnosed With Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Applied to a Training and Research Hospital

Objective:

This study aimed to evaluate sociodemographic and clinical features of children and adolescents who were diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

Method:

Data of children and adolescents that have applied to Ankara Pediatric Hematology Oncology Training and Research Hospital were retrospectively evaluated between the dates May 2013 and December 2013, and a total of 93 cases diagnosed with OCD were included in the study. Sociodemographic features, context of obsessions and compulsions, presence of accompanying any comorbid psychiatric disorders and their probable effects on sociodemographic features were analyzed and p<0.05 was accepted as statistical signifi cance level.

Results:

Mean age of the sample was 12.0±2.9 (4-17 years). Forty-nine of the cases (52.7%) were girls. Sixty-six (71%) had both obsessions and compulsions, whilst 27 of all (29%) had only obsession. There was not found purely compulsion in any case. Most commonly seen obsessions were as follows; giving physical harm, being harmed, aggression (n=30, 39.8%) and contamination, contracting a disease or getting ill (n=30, 39.8%). One obsession dominance was found in 73.1% of all cases (n=68) whereas in 26.9% of them (n=25) had one more than obsessions. Most frequently seen compulsions were "cleaning, washing, cleaning within a certain order and avoidance (n=37, 39.8%). One compulsion dominance had 51.5% of all cases (n=48), whilst 19.4% of cases (n=18) had one more compulsions. Comorbid psychiatric disorders such as ADHD and anxiety disorders have been found in 34.4% of all cases with OCD. SSRI monotherapy was used in 64.4% (n=60) of the cases whereas 25.5% (n=22) were treated with combined pharmacotherapeutic agents. Predictors of pharmacotherapeutic agent use were found as being in the adolescence period, having obsessions about contamination, contracting a disease or becoming ill or injured.

Discussion:

In the light of our results, OCD might be conceptualized as a disorder affecting both girls and boys evenly within childhood and adolescence, seen statistically higher in adolescence, and SSRIs mainly being used as the fi rst- line treatment There is a need for further novel studies in the future with community-based designs including collected quantitative and qualitative data for generalization of these results.