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 .
Remission status after long-term sertraline treatment of pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder.
BACKGROUND Despite its high chronicity , few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of long-term treatment for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder ( OCD ) . The goal of the current analysis is to evaluate remission among children and adolescents with OCD treated with sertraline  for 12 months . METHODS Children ( 6 - 12 years old , n = 72 ) and adolescents ( 13 - 18 years old , n = 65 ) with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( third edition , revised ) OCD , who had completed a 12-week , double-blind , placebo-controlled sertraline study , were administered open-label sertraline  50 - 200 mg for 52 weeks . Full remission was defined by a Children 's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale ( CY-BOCS ) score of 8 or less , and partial remission was defined as a CY-BOCS score of 15 or less . RESULTS Using an last observation carried forward analysis , 47 % of patients achieved a full remission , and an additional 25 % achieved a partial remission . Among study completers , full remission was achieved by 55 % of patients and partial remission by 31 % . Two thirds of patients with severe OCD at baseline ( CY-BOCS of 26 or greater ) achieved full or partial remission . Children were more likely to achieve a full remission than adolescents . CONCLUSION Sertraline is effective in the treatment of childhood and adolescent OCD , with initial acute response converting to remission and improved functional status in a substantial proportion of patients . More research is needed to develop pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic strategies that facilitate the achievement of full remission in the remaining patients suffering from this chronic and disabling illness
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 .