Research has provided evidence for two effective obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) treatments in children.
One is medication, most commonly in the form of prescribed selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors. The other -- often used in combination with the medication -- is a particular form of cognitive behavioral therapy called exposure and response prevention. “The child is exposed to the feared thought while resisting engaging in the compulsive behavior, in a graduated fashion -- practicing at first with something that’s just a little bit scary,” R. Lindsey Bergman, PhD explains. A reward system is used to reinforce the child’s attempts at engaging in exposure activities regardless of their success in resisting compulsions. Over time, and with follow-up at home, compulsive behaviors are extinguished, as the exposures demonstrate that negative consequences do not result when the compulsive behavior or ritual is resisted.
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