Introduction to the Special Issue: Complexities and New Developments in Adolescent Obsessive-Compulsive Related Disorders

Abstract

As readers of this special issue will see, the treatments provided in the Obsessive-Compulsive Related Disorder (OCRD) cases described are highly varied. The unifying feature would be better described as an age group rather than a breakdown in inhibitory control as speculated to be the primary unifying mechanism in the OCRD. It is encouraging that effective treatments are emerging for adolescents with OCRDs. Providers will do well to recognize that the appearance of the OCRD does not imply that a treatment for one disorder (i.e., exposure with response prevention [ERP] for OCD) will necessarily also provide relief for another condition in this class (i.e., for Trichotillomania [TM] or Hoarding Disorder [HD]). Instead, given the heterogeneity of these disorders, it comes as little surprise that the interventions are also varied, and providers will require training in a wide range of interventions embedded in sound clinical conceptualization (i.e., Tolin, 2016). It is hoped that these cases will spark additional research on clinical presentations of adolescents with OCRDs.