The two first-line empirically-supported treatment recommended for youth with OCD include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs).[11] Cognitive behavioral therapy is a psychological treatment that includes psychoeducation, cognitive training, symptom hierarchy development, and exposure with response prevention (ERP).[12; 13] Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have evaluated the efficacy of CBT for youth with OCD using manualized treatment protocols that emphasize either cognitive or behavioral components, with most treatments involving both aspects. Irrespective of these distinctions, CBT significantly reduces obsessive-compulsive symptom severity relative to waitlist,[14–18] placebo,[19] treatment-as-usual,[20] and relaxation training (RT) comparison conditions,[21–23] with maintenance up to 7 years after acute treatment.[24] Indeed, CBT is a highly preferred treatment option for parents of children with OCD,[25] and is recommended as a first-line monotherapy for youth with mild-to-moderate OCD symptom severity and together with SRIs for more severe cases.[11]
