The study involves a number of visits to the clinic. The total number of visits depends on the treatment assigned and how well the teenager is responding to treatment. Some clinic visits will take only 30 minutes, while other visits will require several hours to complete. During the first 3 months of treatment, patients who are receiving CBT will visit the clinic 12-14 times, about once per week. Patients who receive only pills will visit the clinic 6-9 times.
Parents also attend some of the visits with their teen.
There are 2-3 screening visits to determine whether your teenager is eligible for the study. During these visits, the teen receives a thorough medical evaluation. The 9-month treatment phase is conducted in stages. Stage I lasts 12 weeks and includes 6-14 visits to the clinic. At the end of this 12-week stage the teen, family and doctors are told which medication was taken by the teen.