Obsessive compulsive disorder in children and adolescents: duration of maintenance drug treatment.

Abstract

Introduction: Obsessions or compulsions that cause personal distress or social dysfunction have been reported to affect about 3% of children and adolescents. In children, the disorder often presents at around 10 years of age. It persists in about 40% of children and adolescents at mean follow-up of 5.7 years. The disorder is disabling with adverse impact on functioning, including education and social/family life.

Methods and outcomes: We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical question: What are the effects of maintenance drug treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder in children and adolescents? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to June 2014 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically; please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Results: Two studies were included that addressed the question of maintenance drug treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in children and adolescents.

Conclusions: In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following intervention: optimum duration of maintenance drug treatment with serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) in children and adolescents.