An ecological momentary assessment of OCD-relevant intrusions: Frequency, feared self, and concealment.

This study provides the first examination of the frequency, characteristics, and dynamics surrounding daily experiences of OCD-relevant intrusions among non-clinical participants (N = 54, Nobs = 2314) using ecological momentary assessment. It also examines the extent to which self-related constructs-participants' feared-self beliefs and their tendency to conceal aspects of self-relate to such intrusive phenomena. Participants completed a baseline questionnaire before reporting state depressed mood and intrusions up to five times per day (at semi-random intervals) for 14 days. Results suggest that questionnaire measures may result in underreporting of the frequency of intrusions, with most participants (80%) reporting at least one intrusion across the momentary observations, and 20% of observations indicating intrusive phenomena experienced since the previous momentary report. Baseline factors including OCD-related beliefs and feared self were related to the proportion of intrusions experienced, whereas self-concealment was not. Within the moment, state feared-self predicted intrusion-related distress, duration, perceived importance, the urge to act, and the need to control thoughts. The urge to conceal within the moment was significant but negatively related to perceived importance and the urge to act. Overall, this study provides evidence for the relevance of momentary measures of intrusions, and adds to evidence for self-beliefs in the dynamics of the disorder.

Socioeconomic resources moderate the relationship between maternal prenatal obsessive-compulsive symptoms and infant negative affectivity.

Perinatal maternal depression, anxiety, and stress are associated with poor infant outcomes. However, no known study has investigated the effects of perinatal maternal obsessive-compulsive symptomatology on infant outcomes while considering important situational factors such as socioeconomic resources. Therefore, we investigated the effects of prenatal and postnatal obsessive-compulsive symptomatology on infant behavioral reactivity, beyond the effects of postnatal depressive symptomatology, at 6 months of age. It was expected that socioeconomic resources would moderate this relationship. We recruited 125 pregnant women from a Health Professional Shortage Area for mental health and primary care in the Midwest United States and interviewed them at approximately 34 weeks gestation and again at 6 months postnatally. They were administered questionnaires at both time points measuring obsessive-compulsive and depressive symptoms. Infant behavioral reactivity was gathered during 6-month follow-up through behavioral observation coding and maternal-report modalities. Maternal-reported infant negative affectivity at 6 months was related to greater severity of maternal postnatal depressive symptomatology, and socioeconomic resources moderated the relationship between maternal prenatal obsessive-compulsive symptoms and maternal-reported infant negative affectivity. However, neither of these relations was statistically significant when infant reactivity was quantified using behavioral observations.

Direct and indirect assessment of perfectionism in patients with depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

According to the transdiagnostic perspective, psychological disorders share common cognitive processes involved in their pathogenesis. One dysfunctional belief that has been found to be associated with several psychological disorders, including major depressive disorder (MDD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), is perfectionism. Perfectionism comprises two factors, namely, perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns. This study aims to replicate and extend previous research in several ways. We aimed to assess similarities between the two disorders using Bayesian statistics. Furthermore, as dysfunctional beliefs are assumed to not be fully accessible by introspection, we included an indirect measure (perfectionism single category implicit association task; SC-IAT). The SC-IAT and a self-report measure of perfectionism (FMPS) was used in patients with MDD (n = 55), OCD (n = 55), and in healthy controls (n = 64). In replication of previous findings, patients with MDD and OCD differed from healthy controls regarding self-reported perfectionism scores. Furthermore, Bayesian statistics showed that the two patient groups did not differ regarding perfectionistic strivings and only showed differences on perfectionistic concerns, when the doubts about actions subscale-which is also closely related to symptoms of OCD-was included. Contrary to our expectations, the SC-IAT did not discriminate groups. In conclusion, these results give further evidence that self-reported perfectionism may serve as a relevant transdiagnostic process. More studies are needed to assess implicit facets of perfectionism.

The global assessment of OCD.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a common mental disorder that often causes great sufferance, with substantial impairment in social functioning and quality of life and affects family and significant relationships. Notwithstanding its severity, OCD is often not adequately diagnosed, or it is diagnosed with delay, leading often to a long latency between onset of the OCD symptoms and the start of adequate treatments. Several factors contribute to the complexity of OCD's clinical picture: early age of onset, chronic course, heterogeneity of symptoms, high rate of comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders, slow or partial response to therapy. Therefore, it is of primary importance for clinicians involved in diagnosing OCD, to assess all aspects of the disorder. This narrative review focuses on the global assessment of OCD, highlighting crucial areas to explore, pointing out the clinical features which are relevant for the treatment of the disorder, and giving an overview of the psychometric tools that can be useful during the screening procedure.

The role of early-life family composition and parental socio-economic status as risk factors for obsessive-compulsive disorder in a Danish national cohort.

Research on early-life family environment on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) risk is limited, and sex differences have not been sufficiently studied. We investigated early-life family composition and parental socio-economic status (SES) as OCD risk factors while stratifying for sex in a sample of 1,154,067 individuals from the Danish population (7550 of whom had OCD). Data on early-life family composition (birth order, number of siblings, number of parents in household at proband age 6), parental SES at age 6 (parental income, occupation, and education level), history of parental psychiatric illness, and parental age at birth on OCD risk (i.e., an ICD-10 diagnosis of F42.x) were obtained from Danish population registers. Survival analyses using Cox regression were performed with age as the underlying time variable. Analyses were adjusted for calendar time, and differential effect by sex was tested for exposures. We found that birth order and advanced maternal age were risk factors for OCD in males, and being an only child was associated with increased OCD risk in both sexes. Early childhood SES variables including parental education, occupation, and income were associated with OCD risk, and these effects were more pronounced in females. Significant interaction effects for parental education/occupation and the presence of non-OCD psychiatric diagnoses in the proband also emerged. Our results suggest that early-life SES and family composition may be important risk factors for OCD, and heterogeneity in OCD cases in terms of psychiatric comorbidities, as well as sex differences should be carefully examined in relation to risk factors.

The price of love: an investigation into the relationship between romantic love and the expression of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

BACKGROUND: The present study explored the influence of romantic love on the expression of several obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) characteristics, including symptom severity, symptom dimensions, age at onset, sensory phenomena (SP), and developmental course, as well as other related comorbid disorders. It was hypothesized that love-precipitated OCD would be associated with a set of distinct characteristics and exhibit greater rates of comorbid disorders. METHODS: The analyses were performed using a large sample (n = 981) of clinical patients with a primary diagnosis of OCD (Females = 67.3%, M age = 35.31). RESULTS: Love-precipitated OCD was associated with greater severity of SP and later age at onset of obsessions. However, symptom severity, symptom dimension, developmental course, and psychiatric comorbidities were not associated with love-precipitated OCD. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that romantic love does shape the expression of OCD, especially with regard to SP and onset age. These findings encourage further exploration to determine its clinical significance as a phenotype.

A cross-species assessment of behavioral flexibility in compulsive disorders.

Lack of behavioral flexibility has been proposed as one underlying cause of compulsions, defined as repetitive behaviors performed through rigid rituals. However, experimental evidence has proven inconsistent across human and animal models of compulsive-like behavior. In the present study, applying a similarly-designed reversal learning task in two different species, which share a common symptom of compulsivity (human OCD patients and Sapap3 KO mice), we found no consistent link between compulsive behaviors and lack of behavioral flexibility. However, we showed that a distinct subgroup of compulsive individuals of both species exhibit a behavioral flexibility deficit in reversal learning. This deficit was not due to perseverative, rigid behaviors as commonly hypothesized, but rather due to an increase in response lability. These cross-species results highlight the necessity to consider the heterogeneity of cognitive deficits in compulsive disorders and call for reconsidering the role of behavioral flexibility in the aetiology of compulsive behaviors.

From checking the door to checking the app: assessment and treatment implications for obsessive-compulsive disorder in the digital era.

In the last 20 years, technology is increasingly integrated into daily life. Daily interactions with smart devices have become routine with much of our lives taking place in a digital environment. It is therefore not surprising that the manifestations of psychiatric disorders including Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder have changed in recent years reflecting this reality. Clinicians should be aware of the potential impact of such changes when considering symptom presentation and diagnosis.

The efficacy and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion combined with western medicine for obsessive-compulsive disorder: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Obsessive-compulsive disorder is common, chronic mental disorder, which is characterized by recurrent, unwanted, or intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors or mental action. Acupuncture and moxibustion, as a popular form of complementary and alternative therapy, have the advantages of low side effects, high safety, and low cost. The research showed that acupuncture and moxibustion have a good clinical efficacy on obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, there is no literature to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder. Thus, this study is aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion for obsessive-compulsive disorder patients, providing reliable evidence for clinical application. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials of acupuncture and moxibustion combined with western medicine for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder will be searched in the databases including PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane library, Web of science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI), WanFang, the Chongqing VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, and China biomedical literature database (CBM) from inception to June, 2020. In addition, Baidu, Google Scholar, International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, and Chinese Clinical Trials Registry will be searched to obtain the gray literature and relevant data that have not yet been published. Two qualified researchers will extract data and assess the risk of bias from included studies dependently. Statistical analysis is performed in RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: The efficacy and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion combined with western medicine for obsessive-compulsive disorder will be assessed based on the total effective rate, Hamilton Anxiety Scale score, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression score, Clinical Global Impression score, side effects, and so on. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed systematic review and meta-analysis of acupuncture and moxibustion combined with western medicine for treating obsessive-compulsive disorder is expected to provide reliable evidence for clinical application. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The private information from individuals will not publish. This systematic review also will not involve endangering participant rights. Ethical approval is not required. The results may be published in a peer-reviewed journal or disseminated in relevant conferences. OSF REGISTRATION NUMBER: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/CDGTW.

Comparing effects of detached mindfulness and cognitive restructuring in obsessive-compulsive disorder using ecological momentary assessment.

Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) has been shown to be a valid and sensitive measure of treatment effects in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). As part of a clinical trial, this EMA study deals with a comparison of two treatment conditions, that is, cognitive restructuring (CR) and detached mindfulness (DM). EMA data from n = 39 OCD patients were available from a randomized clinical trial on the effectiveness of CR and DM. Smartphone-based EMA sampling spread over 4 days each before and after treatment, with 10 random prompts per day and a 2-week intervention of either CR or DM. We tracked CR strategies (e.g., questioning an appraisal by re-evaluating risk), DM strategies (e.g., allowing one's thoughts to come and go), and application of newly learned strategies during Post-Treatment EMA. Although there was a trend towards DM strategies being applied more often during Pre-Treatment EMA than CR strategies, we did not find differences during Post-Treatment EMA between CR and DM regarding frequency or difficulty of application and experienced relief. As expected, we found a clear pre-post increase for all CR and DM behaviours except for one DM item. However, we did not find a treatment-specific increase of CR and DM behaviours; that is, both interventions equally well promoted a seemingly general treatment effect. Despite the ecological validity of EMA, however, social desirability effects cannot be ruled out, so that this conclusion must be handled cautiously. Further research is needed to replicate and generalize our results.

[The clinical assessment of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in children and adolescents - A study with the Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS-D)]. / Die klinische Beurteilung von Zwangssymptomen bei Kindern und Jugendlichen.

The clinical assessment of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in children and adolescents - A study with the Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS-D) Abstract. Objective: The CY-BOCS is internationally the most widely used instrument for the assessment of juvenile obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In this study, for the first time, the psychometric properties of a German version of the CY-BOCS (CY-BOCS-D) are examined in a pediatric OCD sample (n = 169; age 11-18 years). Method: The factor structure, internal consistencies, convergent and divergent validity are analyzed. Results: The exploratory factor analyses confirm a two-factor structure of the CY-BOCS-D Rating Scale and reveal a four-factor structure of the CY-BOCS-D Checklist. The internal consistencies are satisfactory to very good, convergent and divergent validity are confirmed. Conclusions: The results support the CY-BOCS as a "gold standard" also for OCD-diagnostics in German-speaking countries.

Different Clinical Expression of Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents: Assessment and Treatment.

BACKGROUND: Fearful and anxious behaviour is especially common in children, when they come across new situations and experiences. The difference between normal worry and an anxiety disorder is in the severity and in the interference with everyday life and normal developmental steps. Many longitudinal studies in children suggest that anxiety disorders are relatively stable over time and predict anxiety and depressive disorders in adolescence and adulthood. For this reason, the early diagnostic and treatment are needed. Researchers supposed that anxiety is a result of repeated stress. Additionally, some genetic, neurobiological, developmental factors are also involved in the aetiology. METHODS AND SUBJECTS: The aim of this article is to summarize and to present our own results obtained with the assessment and treatment of different forms of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents such as: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Dental anxiety, General Anxiety Disorder (GAD), and Anxious-phobic syndrome. Some results are published separately in different journals. a) Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in 10 young children aged 9 ± 2, 05 y. is evaluated and discussed concerning the attachment quality. b) The group with OCD comprises 20 patients, mean age 14,5 ± 2,2 years, evaluated with Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), Child behaviour Checklist (CBCL), K-SADS (Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School age children), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), SCWT (Stroop Colour Word task), WCST (Wisconsin Card Scoring test). c) Dental stress is evaluated in a group of 50 patients; mean age for girls 11,4 ± 2,4 years; for boys 10,7 ± 2,6 years, evaluated with (General Anxiety Scale (GASC), and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ). d) Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) profiles obtained for General Anxiety Disorder in 20 young females and 15 males aged 25,7± 5,35 years, and a group with Panic attack syndrome N=15 aged 19,3±4,9 years are presented and discussed by comparison of the results for healthy people. e) Heart Rate Variability (HRV) was applied for assessment and treatment in 15 anxious-phobic patients, mean age 12, 5±2,25 years and results are compared with other groups of mental disorder. RESULTS: Children with PTSD showed a high level of anxiety and stress, somatization and behavioural problems (aggression, impulsivity, non-obedience and nightmares), complemented by hypersensitive and depressed mothers and misattachment in the early period of infancy. Consequently, the explanation of the early predisposition to PTSD was related to be the non-developed Right Orbital Cortex. The later resulted from insecure attachment confirmed in all examined children. The obtained neuropsychological profile of children with OCD confirmed a clear presence of obsessions and compulsions, average intellectual capacities, but the absence of depressive symptoms. Executive functions were investigated through Event Related Potentials on Go/NoGo tasks. Results showed that no significant clinical manifestations of cognitive dysfunction among children with OCD in the early stage of the disorder are present, but it could be expected to be appearing in the later stage of the disorder if it is no treated. In a study of 50 children randomly selected, two psychometric instruments were applied for measuring general anxiety and personal characteristics. It was confirmed that there was presence of significant anxiety level (evaluated with GASC) among children undergoing dental intervention. The difference in anxiety scores between girls and boys was also confirmed (girls having higher scores for anxiety). Results obtained with EPQ showed low psychopathological traits, moderate extraversion and neuroticism, but accentuated insincerity (L scale). L scales are lower by increasing of age, but P scores rise with age, which can be related to puberty. No correlation was found between personality traits and anxiety except for neuroticism, which is positively correlated with the level of anxiety. The obtained profiles for MMPI-201 in a group of patients with general anxiety are presented as a figure. Females showed only Hy peak, but in the normal range. However, statistics confirmed significant difference between scores in anxiety group and control (t= 2, 25164; p= 0, 038749). Males showed Hs-Hy-Pt peaks with higher (pathological) scores, related to hypersensitivity of the autonomic nervous system, as well as with manifested anxiety. Calculation confirmed significant difference between control and anxiety in men (t= 15.13, p=0.000). Additionally, MMPI profiles for patients with attack panic syndrome are also presented as a figure. Control scales for females showed typical V form (scales 1 and 3) related to conversing tendencies. In addition, females showed peaks on Pt-Sc scales, but in normal ranges. Pathological profile is obtained in males, with Hy-Sc peaks; this profile corresponds to persons with regressive characteristics, emotionally instable and with accentuated social withdraw. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a measure of the beat to beat variability in heart rate, related to the work of autonomic nervous system. It may serve as a psychophysiological indicator for arousal, emotional state and stress level. We used HRV in both, the assessment and biofeedback training, in a group of anxious-phobic and obsessive-compulsive school children. Results obtained with Eysenck Personality Questionnaire showed significantly higher psychopathological traits, higher neuroticism and lower lie scores. After 15 session HRV training very satisfying results for diminishing stress and anxiety were obtained.

Short Versus Long Scales in Clinical Assessment: Exploring the Trade-Off Between Resources Saved and Psychometric Quality Lost Using Two Measures of Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms.

Short measures of psychological constructs are routinely used to save assessment time and cost. The downside is a trade-off between resource savings and psychometric quality. When evaluating tests, a pragmatic strategy is frequently applied that neglects the assessment objective, which may result in unfair rejection or unmindfully acceptance of short scales. Our main aim is to demonstrate the consequences of applying a pragmatic test evaluation strategy. We used two tests that measure the same construct-obsessive-compulsive symptomatology-but differ considerably in test length (1:3) and evaluated the measures by taking the assessment objective into account. The two scale scores showed distinct profiles of psychometric qualities. Whereas routinely evaluated reliability, factorial validity, and convergent/discriminant validity did not differ, rendering both tests useful for research purposes, substantial differences were found for qualities that are rarely focused on-measurement precision and diagnostic validity-which are highly relevant for accurate decisions in clinical practice.

The Assessment of the Relationship Between ADHD and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Child and Adolescent Patients.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined ADHD comorbidity in child and adolescent patients who diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). METHOD: Sixty-eight child and adolescent patients with PTSD and 42 child and adolescent patients with OCD were evaluated for ADHD. The sample included 110 patients who were administered structured clinical interviews based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.). RESULTS: Results showed that 22.05% patients with PTSD and 59.52% patients with OCD met criteria for ADHD. CONCLUSION: The results of our study indicate that no meaningful differences were detected in comparisons between PTSD and OCD groups, in having ADHD as comorbidity.

Assessment and treatment of trichotillomania (hair pulling disorder) and excoriation (skin picking) disorder.

Recommendations are provided for the assessment and treatment of trichotillomania (hair pulling disorder, or HPD) and excoriation disorder (skin picking disorder, or SPD), two body-focused repetitive behavior (BFRB) disorders, based on their severity, comorbidities, and behavioral style. Habit reversal training (HRT) and stimulus control are first-line behavioral treatments that can be used in cases of all severity levels and may be particularly helpful when pulling or picking is performed with lowered awareness/intention. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) are behavioral treatments that can be employed to augment HRT/stimulus control, especially when negative emotions trigger the pulling or picking. There are currently no FDA-approved pharmacologic treatments for HPD or SPD, though certain medications/supplements have shown varying degrees of efficacy in trials. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) should be considered for all severity levels and styles given its moderate gain/low side effect profile. Other pharmacologic interventions, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), should be considered in cases with significant comorbidities or previous behavioral/NAC treatment failure.

Gambling disorder and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder: A frequent but understudied comorbidity.

Background and aims Epidemiological data have suggested that the prevalence of co-occurring personality disorders is particularly high in people with gambling disorder (GD). Among the personality disorders, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) appears to be the most common problem. The objective of this study was to investigate the clinical presentation of GD with and without co-occurring OCPD. Methods We studied 25 subjects with current GD and lifetime diagnosis of OCPD. They were matched for age and gender with 25 individuals with current GD but no lifetime diagnosis of any personality disorder. Results Subjects with GD and OCPD demonstrated (a) lower severity of gambling symptoms, (b) slower progression from recreational gambling to full-blown GD, (c) preferred individual forms of betting, (d) identified more triggers to gambling (specially the availability of money and stress); and (e) reported less negative impact on relational problems due to GD. Conclusions Our research provides further insight on GD co-occurring with OCPD, such as increasing social support and improvement of coping skills, especially to deal with financial difficulties and stress. Our findings may lead to more customized and effective therapeutic approaches to this frequent comorbidity.

To What Extent do Clinical Practice Guidelines Respond to the Needs and Preferences of Patients Diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder? / ¿En qué medida las guías de práctica clínica responden a las necesidades y preferencias de los usuarios diagnosticados de trastorno obsesivo compulsivo?

INTRODUCTION: The number of Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) to help in making clinical decisions is increasing. However, there is currently a lack of CPG for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder that take into account the requirements and expectations of the patients. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to determine whether recommendations of the NICE guideline, "Obsessive-compulsive disorder: core interventions in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder and body dysmorphic disorder" agrees with the needs and preferences of patients diagnosed with OCD in the mental health service. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Two focal groups were formed with a total of 12 participants. They were asked about the impact of the disorder in their lives, their experiences with the mental health services, their satisfaction with treatments, and about their psychological resources. Preferences and needs were compared with the recommendations of the guidelines, and to facilitate their analysis, they were classified into four topics: information, accessibility, treatments, and therapeutic relationship. RESULTS: The results showed a high agreement between recommendations and patients preferences, particularly as regards high-intensity psychological interventions. Some discrepancies included the lack of prior low-intensity psychological interventions in mental health service, and the difficulty of rapid access the professionals. CONCLUSIONS: There is significant concordance between recommendations and patients preferences and demands, which are only partially responded to by the health services.

Validation, reliability, and specificity of CliniCom™ Psychiatric Assessment Software.

The purpose of this study was to determine the specificity and reproducibility of CliniCom™ Psychiatric Assessment Software to appropriately diagnose five prevalent mental health disorders. This online assessment tool incorporates proprietary algorithms for its propensity assessment. Unlike other questionnaires, which require a survey per specific mental disorder, CliniCom can simultaneously assess multiple mental disorders for an individual. CliniCom was concordant with other commonly used assessment tools in diagnosing five prevalent disorders including: Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and Social Phobia. The online tool was overall 78% concordant in diagnosing the same disorder during a test-retest analysis. When subjects exhibited two, three, or four disorders, the tool was less consistent in diagnosing the same set of disorders during the test-retest analysis (53% concordant). However, if evaluated as individual disorders within subjects, the more persistent disorders had a higher rate of concordance: MDD (83.3%), ADHD (81.0%), and OCD (68.4%). This study proposes CliniCom as an online assessment tool that demonstrates specificity in identifying specific psychiatric conditions and shows reproducibility over multiple administrations.

Psychometric Evaluation of the Caregiver Burden Inventory in Children and Adolescents With PANS.

Objectives: To establish the psychometric properties of the Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI) in patients with Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS), which is characterized by the abrupt onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder and/or restricted eating and at least two additional psychiatric symptoms. Parents of patients with PANS have reported high caregiver burden. However, no validated instrument of burden exists for this population. Methods: Study took place at a community-based PANS clinic where the CBI is administered as part of routine clinical care. The first CBI available during an active disease flare was analyzed (N =104). Construct validity was evaluated within a confirmatory factor analytic framework. Associations between the CBI and patient/family characteristics were explored, and preliminary normative data for this population are presented. Results: Item-factor loadings were strong, and the overall fit of the model was good (root mean square error of approximation = .061). Strict/metric measurement invariance was demonstrated across age. The mean Total Score in this sample was 36.72 ± 19.84 (interquartile range 19-53). Total Scores on the CBI were significantly elevated for parents of children who switched schools because of their illness (Cohen's d = 0.75, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.28-1.22) and for those who had reduced work hours to accommodate the child's illness (Cohen's d = 0.65, 95% CI 0.10-1.20). However, in this relatively high-status sample, socioeconomic variables did not predict Total Scores. Conclusions: Parents of patients with PANS experience high caregiver burden. The CBI may be confidently used to assess caregiver burden in this population.