Study of Family-Based Self-Help Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Plus Medication for Adolescents Aged 10 to 17 With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying if a self-help book, combined with medication, can help reduce obsessive-compulsive disorder OCD symptoms in adolescents aged 10 to 17. The trial aims to find out whether this combination improves symptom severity better than medication alone and to identify which adolescents benefit most from the self-help approach. It is a randomized controlled trial led by Shanghai Mental Health Center focusing on family-based cognitive behavioral therapy CBT intervention. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group will continue stable medication and follow a 12-week CBT-based self-help book designed for Chinese adolescents, involving family participation. They will read one chapter weekly and complete exercises, with therapist support via WeChat messages. After this, a 3-month follow-up phase will collect data on symptom maintenance and treatment adherence without new therapies. The control group will continue medication alone for 12 weeks, then receive access to the self-help book as delayed intervention. Throughout the study, participants will attend clinic visits before and after the intervention to check symptoms and perform assessments. Researchers will measure changes in OCD severity using the Childrens Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale CY-BOCS and other related scales at multiple points including post-intervention and follow-ups at 1 and 3 months. The study also tracks depression, anxiety, and clinical global impressions to monitor progress and safety over the course of about six months.

Effect of a Family-Based CBT Self-Help Intervention for Adolescents With OCD