Clinical Characteristics of Young People Referred to an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Clinic in the United Kingdom

Abstract

The Maudsley Hospital children's OCD clinic is the first clinic in the UK which is specifically set up to cater for the needs of young people with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). A retrospective review of case notes was carried out for patients seen between April 1998 and December 1999. Gender, age at assessment, age of onset of symptoms, family history, co-morbid diagnosis, previous treatment and severity of OCD, as measured by the score on the children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale, were all measured. The results showed that 57 (74%) of the children referred fulfilled the criteria for OCD. The majority of children who did not have OCD had other neurodevelopmental disorders. Of the children with a diagnosis of OCD, the ratio of males to females was 1.1 to 1. The clinical profile of children seen was similar to profiles seen in other childhood OCD clinics around the world, however, half of the children seen had not received either specific medication or cognitive-behavioural therapy prior to referral.