Treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in Children
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00074815 |
Recruitment Status :
Completed
First Posted : December 22, 2003
Results First Posted : February 11, 2013
Last Update Posted : July 29, 2014
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Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder | Drug: Serotonin reuptake inhibitors management Behavioral: Cognitive behavioral therapy by a psychologist Behavioral: Instructional cognitive behavioral therapy by a psychiatrist | Phase 3 |
The vast majority of children with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) are given serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) drugs as initial treatment. However, recommended doses of these medications leave many children with clinically significant residual symptoms. Health care experts typically recommend augmenting SRI treatment with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), yet this recommendation is seldom followed. This study will contrast two CBT augmentation strategies to continued medication management alone: CBT administered by a psychologist and instructional CBT (I-CBT)administered by a psychiatrist in the context of ongoing medication management.
All patients in the trial will be eligible to receive a full course of CBT by study end. Participants in this study will be randomly assigned to receive CBT, I-CBT or continued medication management. All participants will continue their SRI treatment for 12 weeks. After the 12-week treatment period, participants who received I-CBT or medication management alone and who remain symptomatic will be given CBT as will participants who are asymptomatic but relapse within 6 months after treatment. Assessments will be conducted at Weeks 0, 4, 8, and 12. Follow-up assessments will be conducted at 3 and 6 months post-treatment.
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Actual Enrollment : | 124 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Masking: | Single (Outcomes Assessor) |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | Treatment of Pediatric OCD for SRI Partial Responders |
Study Start Date : | September 2003 |
Actual Primary Completion Date : | November 2009 |
Actual Study Completion Date : | November 2009 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
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Experimental: MedMgmt+CBT
Participants will receive the following interventions: 1)SRI medication management with a psychiatrist plus, 2) cognitive behavioral therapy with a psychologist.
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Drug: Serotonin reuptake inhibitors management
Participants are maintained on their optimized dose of SRI for OCD symptoms (see "Other Names" section for specific drugs and dosage ranges). If the participant has been treated with an SRI for at least 9 weeks AND has been at a stable dose for the past 3 weeks (e.g., the dose response curve is flat indicating no further improvement in OCD symptoms) OR the participant did not tolerate a dose increase to the next higher dose OR the participant has been at the maximum allowable dose for 3 weeks, then the participant is considered optimized and will be maintained on that dose. During trial, all participants will be maintained on their SRI dose during acute treatment at a constant dose unless side effects warrant downward adjustment of the SRI.
Other Names:
Behavioral: Cognitive behavioral therapy by a psychologist CBT consists of 14 visits over 12 weeks involving: (1) psychoeducation, (2), cognitive training, (3) mapping OCD, and (4) exposure and ritual prevention (EX/RP). The intervention was adapted from March and Mulle (1998) treatment protocol for pediatric OCD. |
Experimental: MedMgmt+I-CBT
Participants will receive the following interventions 1)SRI medication management plus, 2) instructional cognitive behavioral therapy. Both of these will be implemented by the same psychiatrist.
|
Drug: Serotonin reuptake inhibitors management
Participants are maintained on their optimized dose of SRI for OCD symptoms (see "Other Names" section for specific drugs and dosage ranges). If the participant has been treated with an SRI for at least 9 weeks AND has been at a stable dose for the past 3 weeks (e.g., the dose response curve is flat indicating no further improvement in OCD symptoms) OR the participant did not tolerate a dose increase to the next higher dose OR the participant has been at the maximum allowable dose for 3 weeks, then the participant is considered optimized and will be maintained on that dose. During trial, all participants will be maintained on their SRI dose during acute treatment at a constant dose unless side effects warrant downward adjustment of the SRI.
Other Names:
Behavioral: Instructional cognitive behavioral therapy by a psychiatrist The psychiatrist who manages medication will also provide instructions in the CBT procedures that have been found to help reduce OCD symptoms, namely EX/RP. MM+I-CBT was constructed as a single-doctor "best practice" treatment with three primary goals: (1) inclusion of the main psychoeducational and EX/RP components of the full CBT protocol; (2) feasibility of training psychiatrists to perform the CBT component of MM+I-CBT; (3) integration with protocol medication management visits; and (4) feasibility of implementation with the constraints of a busy practice oriented primarily toward pharmacotherapy. |
Active Comparator: MedMgmt Only
Participants will receive the intervention SRI medication management with a psychiatrist
|
Drug: Serotonin reuptake inhibitors management
Participants are maintained on their optimized dose of SRI for OCD symptoms (see "Other Names" section for specific drugs and dosage ranges). If the participant has been treated with an SRI for at least 9 weeks AND has been at a stable dose for the past 3 weeks (e.g., the dose response curve is flat indicating no further improvement in OCD symptoms) OR the participant did not tolerate a dose increase to the next higher dose OR the participant has been at the maximum allowable dose for 3 weeks, then the participant is considered optimized and will be maintained on that dose. During trial, all participants will be maintained on their SRI dose during acute treatment at a constant dose unless side effects warrant downward adjustment of the SRI.
Other Names:
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- Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS) [ Time Frame: Measured at baseline and Week 12. ]
OCD symptom severity was measured using the CY-BOCS, an interviewer-rated instrument that assess obsessions and compulsions separately on time consumed, distress, interference, degree of resistance, and control; it yields separate severity scores for obsessions and for compulsions (0 - 20), and a composite symptom severity score (0 to 40).
Consistent with signal detection analyses examining the optimal criterion for treatment response, a CY-BOCS reduction of 30% or more from baseline to week 12 was used as the criterion for RESPONSE and was the primary dichotomous outcome measure.
- Child Obsessive -Compulsive Impact Scale (COIS) [ Time Frame: Measured at baseline; Weeks 4, 8, and 12; and Months 3 and 6 of follow-up ]
- Child Depression Inventory [ Time Frame: Measured at baseline; Weeks 4, 8, and 12; and Months 3 and 6 of follow-up ]
- Pediatric Adverse Event Rating Scale (PAERS) [ Time Frame: Measured at baseline; Weeks 4, 8, and 12; and Months 3 and 6 of follow-up ]

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 7 Years to 17 Years (Child) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- DSM-IV Diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder
- CYBOCS total score greater than 16
Exclusion Criteria:
- Other primary or co-primary psychiatric disorder
- Pervasive developmental disorder or disorders, including Asperger's Syndrome
- Thought disorder
- Prior failed trial of cognitive-behavioral therapy
- Has pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcus (PANDAS) or maintenance antibiotic for obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Mental retardation
- Pregnancy

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00074815
United States, North Carolina | |
Duke Child and Family Study Center | |
Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27705 | |
United States, Pennsylvania | |
University of Pennsylvania, The Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety | |
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104 | |
United States, Rhode Island | |
Rhode Island Hospital | |
Providence, Rhode Island, United States, 02903 |
Principal Investigator: | John S March, MD MPH | Duke University |
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
Responsible Party: | Duke University |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT00074815 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
Pro00008097 R01MH055121 ( U.S. NIH Grant/Contract ) DSIR 84-CTM |
First Posted: | December 22, 2003 Key Record Dates |
Results First Posted: | February 11, 2013 |
Last Update Posted: | July 29, 2014 |
Last Verified: | November 2012 |
Child Adolescent |
Compulsive Personality Disorder Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Personality Disorders Mental Disorders Anxiety Disorders Fluvoxamine Citalopram Fluoxetine Paroxetine Venlafaxine Hydrochloride Sertraline Clomipramine Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors Serotonin Neurotransmitter Uptake Inhibitors |
Membrane Transport Modulators Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action Neurotransmitter Agents Serotonin Agents Physiological Effects of Drugs Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation Antidepressive Agents Psychotropic Drugs Cytochrome P-450 CYP2D6 Inhibitors Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme Inhibitors Enzyme Inhibitors Serotonin and Noradrenaline Reuptake Inhibitors Serotonin Receptor Agonists Anti-Anxiety Agents Tranquilizing Agents |