Clinical characteristics of moderate-severe obsessive-compulsive disorder in children and adolescents in China.

OBJECTIVE: This study reports clinical characteristic of moderate-severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) among school students in China. METHODS: We examined 153 patients for the distribution of OCD symptoms using the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale Symptoms Checklist, the severity of anxiety and depression symptoms using the Hamilton Anxiety Scale and the Hamilton Depression Scale-24, respectively, and impairment in learning, family and social functions using the Pediatric Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire. RESULTS: The number of total OCD, obsession and compulsion symptoms was 6.71 (standard deviation [SD] = 2.25), 3.77 (SD = 1.32) and 2.94 (SD = 1.59), respectively. The incidence of moderate and severe depressive symptoms for junior high school students was significantly higher than for primary and high school students. The number of children and adolescents with OCD increased with age, reaching a peak in the senior high school stage. CONCLUSION: The most common symptoms in children and adolescent OCD patients are miscellaneous obsessions, aggressiveness, religiousness, checking, miscellaneous compulsions, cleaning-washing and repeating. These patients show a relatively high co-occurrence rate of anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms, which impairs their learning, as well as their family and social functions.

Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation for post-traumatic stress disorder: Assessor-blinded, randomized controlled study.

AIM: Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) has the potential to alleviate post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The purpose of this study was to determine whether adding TEAS to sertraline or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) could improve the anti-PTSD efficacy. METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial, 240 PTSD patients (60 in each group) were assigned to receive simulated TEAS combined with sertraline (group A) or with CBT (group B), active TEAS combined with CBT (group C), or active TEAS combined with CBT plus sertraline (group D) for 12 weeks. The outcomes were measured using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale, PTSD Check List-Civilian Version, and 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. RESULTS: While PTSD symptoms reduced over time in all patients, groups C and D had markedly greater improvement in both PTSD and depressive measures than groups A and B in all post-baseline measurement points, with moderate to very large effect sizes of 0.484-2.244. Groups C and D also had a significantly higher rate than groups A and B on clinical response (85.0% and 95.0% vs 63.3% and 60.0%, P < 0.001) and on remission (15.0% and 25.0% vs 3.3% and 1.7%, P < 0.001). The incidence of adverse events was similar between groups A and D and between groups B and C. CONCLUSIONS: Additional TEAS augments the anti-PTSD and antidepressant efficacy of antidepressants or CBT, without increasing the incidence of adverse effects. TEAS could serve as an effective intervention for PTSD and comorbid depression. This trial was registered with www.chictr.org (no.: ChiCTR1800017255).