Gudmundur Skarphedinsson

The Nordic long-term OCD treatment study (NordLOTS): rationale, design, and methods

BackgroundThis paper describes and discusses the methodology of the Nordic long-term OCD-treatment study (NordLOTS). The purpose of this effectiveness study was to study treatment outcome of CBT, to identify CBT non- or partial responders and to investigate whether an increased number of CBT-sessions or sertraline treatment gives the best outcome; to identify treatment refractory patients and to investigate the outcome of aripiprazole augmentation; to study the outcome over a three year period for each responder including the risk of relapse, and finally to study predictors, moderators and mediators of treatment response.MethodsStep 1 was an open and uncontrolled clinical trial with CBT, step 2 was a controlled, randomised non-blinded study of CBT non-responders from step 1. Patients were randomized to receive either sertraline plus CBT-support or continued and modified CBT. In step 3 patients who did not respond to either CBT or sertraline were treated with aripiprazole augmentation to sertraline.ConclusionsThis multicenter trial covering three Scandinavian countries is going to be the largest CBT-study for paediatric OCD to date. It is not funded by industry and tries in the short and long-term to answer the question whether further CBT or SSRI is better in CBT non-responders.

The place of and evidence for serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in children and adolescents: Views based on a systematic review and meta-analysis☆

Serotonin reuptake inhibiting drugs (SRI) have been used in the treatment of paediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder over the past 30 years. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature to discuss the place of and evidence for the use of SRI in paediatric OCD, based on 14 publications of methodologically sound, randomized and controlled studies. Both SRI and specific SRIs were examined and comparisons of SRI, placebo, cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), combined (COMBO) treatments (SRI+CBT) made to investigate their relative efficacy. Using the Cochrane methodology, and as measures of effect size mean difference and Hedges g, SRIs proved to be superior to drug placebo, with a modest effect size. From direct comparisons of CBT and SRI treatments, we conclude that CBT has the superior efficacy. COMBO versus CBT shows that SRI treatment adds little to concomitant CBT, while COMBO shows favourable outcome versus SRI alone. In pre-trial partial treatment responders, those who failed a SRI had better outcome from adding CBT as compared to continuing a SRI. Those who failed CBT treatment did as well with continued CBT as with switching to a SRI. The studies of combinations and sequences of treatments need to be developed further.

Standard individual cognitive behaviour therapy for paediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder: a systematic review of effect estimates across comparisons.

Abstract Background: Previous meta-analyses of paediatric obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) have shown much higher effect size for standard individual cognitive behaviour therapy (SI-CBT) compared with control conditions than for serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) compared with placebo. Other factors, such as systematic differences in the provided care or exposure to factors other than the interventions of interest (performance bias) may be stronger confounders in psychotherapy research than in pharmacological research. Aims: These facts led us to review SI-CBT studies of paediatric OCD with the aim to compare the effect estimates across different comparisons, including active treatments. Method: We included only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or cluster RCTs with treatment periods of 12–16 weeks. Outcome was post-test score on the Childrens Yale–Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (CYBOCS). Results: Thirteen papers reporting from 13 RCTs with 17 comparison conditions were included. SI-CBT was superior to wait-list and placebo therapy but not active treatments. Effect estimates for SI-CBT in wait-list comparison studies were significantly larger than in placebo-therapy comparison studies. In addition, the SI-CBT effect estimate was not significantly different when compared with SRIs alone or combined SRIs and CBT. Conclusions: Performance bias may have inflated previous effect estimates for SI-CBT when comparison contingencies included wait-list. However, the calculated SI-CBT effect estimate was lower but significant when compared with placebo therapy. The effects of SI-CBT and active treatments were not significantly different. In conclusion, our data support the current clinical guidelines, although better comparisons between SI-CBT and SRIs are needed.

Sleep problems and cognitive behavior therapy in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder have bidirectional effects.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the presence of sleep problems and their reaction to CBT in pediatric obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Moreover, we investigated whether sleep problems predict the outcome of CBT on OCD-symptoms. METHODS 269 children and adolescents, age 7-17 years, with DSM-IV primary OCD that took part in the first step of a stepwise treatment trial, were assessed with regard to both individual sleep problems and a sleep composite score (SCS) using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Their OCD symptoms were rated using the Children Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS). RESULTS We found elevated symptoms of sleep deprivation and nightmares before treatment. However most sleep problems (e.g. nightmares (p=.03), too little sleep (p<.001), trouble sleeping (p<.001) and parasomnias p=.03)) as well as being over-tired (p<.001) reduced during CBT treatment. Co-morbidities had no effect on the reduction of SCS. Moreover, elevated levels of sleep problems using the SCS (p<.001), as well as any sleep problem at baseline (p<.001) predicted less effect of CBT on the OCD symptoms. CONCLUSION Sleep problems in paediatric OCD are frequent and interfere with treatment outcome. They need to be assessed using better methods in future trials. Moreover, lack of resolution of sleep problems need to be recognized and treated as it seems probable that continued sleep problems may have a negative impact on CBT efficacy.

Tics Moderate Sertraline, but Not Cognitive-Behavior Therapy Response in Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Patients Who Do Not Respond to Cognitive-Behavior Therapy.

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the presence of tic disorder is negatively associated with sertraline (SRT) outcomes, but not with continued cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), in a sample of youth who were unresponsive to an initial full course of CBT. Methods: In the Nordic Long-Term OCD Study, children and adolescents with OCD who were rated as nonresponders to 14 weeks of open-label CBT were randomized to continued CBT (n=28) or SRT treatment (n=22) for an additional 16 weeks of treatment. We investigated whether the presence or absence of comorbid tic disorder moderated treatment outcomes on the Childrens Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS). Results: Twelve out of 50 (24.0%) participants were diagnosed with comorbid tic disorder, with 7 receiving continued CBT and 5 receiving SRT, respectively. In patients without tic disorder, results showed no significant between-group differences on average CY-BOCS scores. However, in patients with comorbid tic disorder, those who received SRT had significantly lower average CY-BOCS scores than those who received continued CBT. Conclusions: Children and adolescents with OCD and comorbid tic disorder, who are nonresponders to an initial 14 week course of CBT, may benefit more from a serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) than from continued CBT.

Pediatric obsessive–compulsive disorder with tic symptoms: clinical presentation and treatment outcome

AbstractSome studies have shown that children and adolescents with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and co-morbid tics differ from those without co-morbid tics in terms of several demographic and clinical characteristics. However, not all studies have confirmed these differences. This study examined children and adolescents with OCD and with possible or definite tic specifiers according to the DSM-5 in order to see whether they differ from patients without any tic symptoms regarding clinical presentation and outcome of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The full sample included 269 patients (aged 7–17) with primary DSM-IV OCD who had participated in the Nordic Long-term Treatment Study (NordLOTS). Symptoms of tics were assessed using the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS-PL). One or more tic symptoms were found in 29.9% of participants. Those with OCD and co-morbid tic symptoms were more likely male, more likely to have onset of OCD at an earlier age, and differed in terms of OCD symptom presentation. More specifically, such participants also showed more symptoms of OCD-related impairment, externalization, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), social anxiety, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, the two groups showed no difference in terms of OCD severity or outcome of CBT. Children and adolescents with OCD and co-morbid tic symptoms differ from those without tic symptoms in several aspects of clinical presentation, but not in their response to CBT. Our results underscore the effectiveness of CBT for tic-related OCD. Clinical trials registration: Nordic Long-term Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Treatment Study; www.controlled-trials.com; ISRCTN66385119.

Screening efficiency of the self-report version of the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children in a highly comorbid inpatient sample

Abstract Background: The Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) is a widely used self-report questionnaire for the assessment of anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents with well documented predictive validity of the total score and subscales in internalizing and mixed clinical samples. However, no data exist on the screening efficiency in an inpatient sample of adolescents. Aim: To examine the psychometric properties and screening efficiency of the MASC in a high comorbid inpatient sample. Method: The current study used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses to investigate the predictive value of the MASC total and subscale scores for the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-age children—Present and Lifetime version (K-SADS-PL), DSM-IV diagnoses of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), separation anxiety disorder (SAD) and social phobia (SoP) in a highly comorbid inpatient sample of adolescents (11–18 years). Results: The MASC total score predicted any anxiety disorder (AD) and GAD moderately well. Physical symptoms predicted GAD moderately well. Social anxiety and separation anxiety/panic did not predict SoP or SAD, respectively. Physical symptoms and harm avoidance also predicted the presence of major depressive disorder. Conclusions: The findings support the utility of the MASC total score to predict the presence of any AD and GAD. However, the utility of the social anxiety and separation anxiety/panic subscales showed limited utility to predict the presence of SAD and SoP, respectively. The MASC has probably a more limited function in screening for AD among a highly comorbid inpatient sample of severely affected adolescents. Our results should be interpreted in the light of a small, mixed sample of inpatient adolescents.

Evidence-Based Treatments in Treatment-Naïve and Treatment-Resistant Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic, disabling, and common disorder. In this paper, we describe evidence-based treatments in treatment-naïve and treatment-refractory pediatric OCD patients. We conducted a PubMed search to identify randomized controlled trials, reviews, and expert guidelines. The evidence for cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and specific serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) among treatment-naïve patients is substantial and shows that both treatments are effective. Head-to-head trials in pediatric OCD only show that CBT is significantly more effective than SSRI. The evidence among CBT and SSRI non-responders is limited. One trial among CBT non-responders showed that both continued CBT and switching to an SSRI are effective strategies. Likewise, one trial among SSRI non-responders showed that augmenting with CBT is necessary. Evidence of treatments for treatment-refractory pediatric OCD is lacking. We describe the treatments available and evidence from studies of adult OCD. Evidence for emerging treatments such as modifying CBT and glutamatergic drugs is also described.

Obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions: Association with comorbidity profiles and cognitive-behavioral therapy outcome in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder

Our aims were to examine: (1) classes of comorbid disorders in a sample of children and adolescents with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), (2) how these classes relate to obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions, and (3) the extent to which obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions predict Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) outcome. Participants (N = 269) were assessed with the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS-PL) and the Childrens Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS). Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was used to identify comorbidity classes. Regression analyses were used to evaluate symptom dimensions as predictors of treatment outcome and their relation to comorbidity classes. Comorbidity was included in the treatment outcome analyses as it can affect outcome. Comorbidity was best categorized by a three-class model and each class was distinctively correlated with the OCD symptom dimensions. Higher scores on the symmetry/hoarding factor increased the chance of responding to CBT by an odds ratio of 1.56 (p = 0.020) when controlled for age, gender, and comorbidity class. The harm/sexual factor (p = 0.675) and contamination/cleaning factor (p = 0.122) did not predict CBT outcome. Three clinically relevant comorbidity subgroups in pediatric OCD were identified. Patients who exhibited higher levels of symmetry/hoarding dimension were more prone to respond to CBT.

Psychoeducation for Children, Parents, and Family Members About Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Abstract In this chapter we illustrate how to provide psychoeducation about cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for pediatric obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). We present practical suggestions on how to present this information to children, adolescents, and other family members in a developmentally appropriate way. The chapter covers how to communicate both basic information about OCD as well as an integrative understanding of different theoretical models of OCD. We include a step-by-step approach in how to accomplish relevant educative goals to prepare the grounds for delivering CBT and engage in exposure exercises related to CBT for the clinician. We include detailed and practical-oriented discussions on how to convey psychoeducation about treatment rationale, especially for exposure and response prevention. Finally, we discuss challenging issues which are commonly associated with poorer CBT outcome, such as poor motivation, poor insight, limited cognitive capacity, or comorbid disorders with the aim to adjust psychoeducation in order to improve outcome.