Clinical Features, Psychiatric Comorbidities and Treatments in Childhood OCD in terms of OCD Severity, Age and Gender

Semiha Cömertoğlu Arslan; Hatice Altun; Elif Milhan  Islah; Sümeyye Güneş

doi:10.58600/eurjther2200

Authors

Semiha Cömertoğlu Arslan Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Kahramanmaras SutcuImam University, Kahramanmaras, Türkiye https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2296-5853
Hatice Altun Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Kahramanmaras SutcuImam University, Kahramanmaras, Türkiye https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6802-8216
Elif Milhan Islah Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Kahramanmaras SutcuImam University, Kahramanmaras, Türkiye https://orcid.org/0009-0004-9921-6916
Sümeyye Güneş Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Kahramanmaras SutcuImam University, Kahramanmaras, Türkiye https://orcid.org/0009-0000-4879-678X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58600/eurjther2200

Keywords:

Child, Adolescent, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Comorbidity, Psychopharmacotherapy

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical features, psychiatric comorbidities, and treatments of childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), with consideration given to OCD severity, gender and age.

Method: The study included 104 children and adolescents between the ages of 6 and 17 who were diagnosed with OCD and followed up in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry outpatient clinics between 2016 and 2023. The study examined the sociodemographic characteristics, clinical features, comorbid psychiatric disorders, and treatment approaches of children and adolescents with OCD.

Results: The sample had a mean age of 13.1 ± 2.7 years, and the mean age at onset of OCD was 11.9 ± 2.7 years (range: 5-17 years). Those with mild OCD had a significantly lower mean age at presentation and onset of OCD compared to those with moderate and severe OCD (p=0.012, p=0.02, respectively). Patients with severe OCD had longer illness duration (p=0.009) and outpatient follow-up (p=0.004) compared to those with moderate OCD. Boys had significantly higher rates of family history of psychiatric disorders (p=0.006), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder/oppositional defiant disorder (p=0.003), and tic disorder (p=0.035) comorbidity rates than girls, while girls had higher rates of anxiety disorders (p=0.022) comorbidity. The study found that repeating and counting compulsions were more common in adolescents than in preadolescents (p=0.003, all).

Conclusion: These results suggest that clinical presentation and comorbidity may vary with disease severity, gender and age, in children and adolescents with OCD. Early intervention is crucial to prevent clinical progression, worsening, and mental health sequelae.

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