Using the Cochrane methodology , and as measures of effect size mean difference and Hedge 's 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 .
Serotonin reuptake inhibiting drugs ( SRI ) have been used in the treatment of paediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder over the past 30 years .
Group cognitive-behavioral therapy versus sertraline for the treatment of children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
OBJECTIVE To compare the effectiveness of group cognitive-behavioral therapy ( GCBT ) and of sertraline in treatment-naïve children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder . METHOD Between 2000 and 2002 , 40 subjects between 9 and 17 years old were r and omized to receive GCBT ( n = 20 ) or sertraline ( n = 20 ) . GCBT consisted of a manual-based 12-week cognitive-behavioral protocol adapted for groups , and treatment with sertraline involved medication intake for 12 weeks . Subjects were assessed before , during , and after treatment ( at 1 , 3 , 6 , and 9 months after treatment conclusion ) . Primary outcome measure was the Children 's Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale . Repeated- measures analyses of variance were done . RESULTS Both GCBT and sertraline conditions had significant improvement in obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms as measured by the Children 's Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale after 12 weeks of treatment . After the 9-month follow-up period , subjects in the GCBT condition had a significantly lower rate of symptom relapse than those in the sertraline group . CONCLUSIONS The treatment with GCBT may be effective in decreasing obsessive-compulsive symptoms in childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder and should be considered as an alternative to either individual cognitive-behavioral therapy or a medication , such as sertraline . Results support the effectiveness and the maintenance of gains of GCBT in the treatment of youngsters with obsessive-compulsive disorder
Using the Cochrane methodology , and as measures of effect size mean difference and Hedge 's 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 .
Serotonin reuptake inhibiting drugs ( SRI ) have been used in the treatment of paediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder over the past 30 years .