ABSTRACT
Pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) often produces significant and chronic impairment for patients and their families. A subset of youths with OCD experience rapid-onset, severe OCD symptoms with multiple co-occurring neuropsychiatric problems, motor/sensory impairments, and dietary restrictions temporally linked to infectious disease, termed pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS). Although medical treatment for youths in this clinical subgroup has gained attention in recent years, literature detailing the evidence-based psychological treatment of such cases remains sparse. We describe the application of exposure plus response prevention (ERP), a cognitive-behavioral approach with extensive research support for pediatric and adult OCD, for a pediatric patient who presented for treatment with a multidisciplinary team of infectious disease, psychiatry, and psychology. This case report details the flexible application of ERP, as guided by a social-ecological framework wherein the patient, family, and broader community were all integral to treatment. This case study emphasizes the importance of future research on PANS-suspected pediatric OCD cases, as well as the utility of flexible application of ERP, guided by an ecological framework.
Disclosure statement
Written release was provided from the family to publish these findings.