Severe pediatric obsessive compulsive disorder and co-morbid autistic symptoms: Effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy

Clinical consensus exists on the recommendation to add medication to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for children with moderate to severe obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). However, it has never been examined if CBT monotherapy indeed is less effective for this subgroup. In addition, CBT is often expected to be less suitable in case of an autism spectrum disorder. The aim of the present study was to examine if CBT monotherapy is an effective treatment for children with severe OCD and for children with co-morbid autistic symptoms.