Category: Research

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Quality of life in youth with obsessive–compulsive disorder

fabianlenhard

Successful treatment of childhood OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) is associated with an increase of quality of life in the long term. This was demonstrated by a new study, published by first author Sanne Jensen, the NordLOTS group and me as a co-author. This study is a long-term follow up of one of the largest pediatric OCD studies, the Nordic Longterm OCD Treatment Study (NordLOTS), conducted in Denmark, Norway and Sweden: 220 children 7 to 17 years received CBT in a first step (cognitive behavior therapy). Those who did not respond fully to CBT received either more CBT or medication (a so … Continue reading Quality of life in youth with obsessive–compulsive disorder

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Internet CBT for youth with OCD: Effects not only maintained in the long-term but continue to improve

fabianlenhard

In a recent study from our group, the long-term effect of internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy (ICBT) for youth with OCD was evaluated. A group of 13 to 17 year olds received therapist-guided ICBT. Surprisingly, when followed-up 3 and 12 months after the treatment, we found that the improvements were not only maintained but that symptoms of OCD further decreased. This was unexpected, as we do not see this continued improvement in regular, face-to-face CBT for OCD. These findings are of importance for patients, clinicians and researchers, as they suggest that the true effect of ICBT unfolds gradually over time. Although … Continue reading Internet CBT for youth with OCD: Effects not only maintained in the long-term but continue to improve

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Lessons learned from implementation of internet CBT in Sweden, UK and Australia

fabianlenhard

In a recent publication from our Swedish group together with colleagues from the UK and Australia, we summarize what we have learned from implementing internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy (ICBT) at three sites in Gothenburg, London and Brisbane. In this study … Continue reading Lessons learned from implementation of internet CBT in Sweden, UK and Australia

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A brief Measure of Impairment in Youth: The Work and Social Adjustment Scale – Youth and Parent Version (WSAS-Y/P)

fabianlenhard

Our international team from London and Stockholm has recently published the youth version of the popular WSAS, which is a very well known and widely used measure of impairment, however, thus far only available for adults. The WSAS for youth … Continue reading A brief Measure of Impairment in Youth: The Work and Social Adjustment Scale – Youth and Parent Version (WSAS-Y/P)

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The Internet Intervention Patient Adherence Scale for Guided Internet-Delivered Behavioral Interventions: Development and Psychometric Evaluation

fabianlenhard

Patient adherence is defined as the degree to which a patient follows a given health care intervention or medical advice. In medicine good adherence would be e.g. if a patient takes medication or follows dietary advice according to the prescription. … Continue reading The Internet Intervention Patient Adherence Scale for Guided Internet-Delivered Behavioral Interventions: Development and Psychometric Evaluation

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New technologies to deliver CBT for kids with OCD

fabianlenhard

I was gladly surprised to find the print copy of “Innovations in CBT for Childhood Anxiety, OCD, and PTSD: Improving Access and Outcomes” on my desk when I came back from my late summer holiday. Me and my colleagues Kristina Aspvall, David Mataix-Cols and Eva Serlachius wrote the chapter on new technologies for the delivery of CBT for pediatric OCD, including webcamera-supported approaches, internet-delivered CBT, apps and virtual reality (VR). In its entirety, this book is a real whopper of over 700 pages, and offers plenty of valuable information of the latest innovations for better access to CBT. You can … Continue reading New technologies to deliver CBT for kids with OCD

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The Work and Social Adjustment Scale – Youth and Parent version (WSAS-Y/P): Preprint out now!

fabianlenhard

The Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS) has for many years been a useful and widely appreciated tool to measure functional impairment in adults with various conditions. Now we present a youth and parent version of the WSAS, the WSAS-Y and WSAS-P. This is a project that Prof. David Mataix-Cols from KI and our Clinical Research Unit, dr Amita Jassi from the Maudsley Hospital in London, me and other coauthors from Stockholm and London have been working on together and a result of joint efforts from our London and Stockholm clinical research teams. You can access the first version of … Continue reading The Work and Social Adjustment Scale – Youth and Parent version (WSAS-Y/P): Preprint out now!

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Self-help for childhood mental health problems holds promise of easy-access, affordable psychological help

fabianlenhard

A recent review from the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK shows that self-help methods can be a good alternative for children with different mental health problems. In the light of several reports that point to increasing numbers of children with mental health problems, it appears obvious that children should be given the best possible treatment as early as possible. In addition, other studies underline that there are major benefits when targeting psychological problems early in life rather than later in aduldhood. However, when it comes to psychological treatments, such as cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), there … Continue reading Self-help for childhood mental health problems holds promise of easy-access, affordable psychological help

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Book release: “Innovations in CBT for Childhood Anxiety, OCD, and PTSD”

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Cambridge University Press just released a comprehensive book on new interventions for anxiety, OCD and PTSD, Edited by Lara J. Farrell, Griffith University, Queensland , Thomas H. Ollendick, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University , Peter Muris, Universiteit Maastricht, Netherlands. Anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are amongst the most prevalent disorders in childhood and cause major suffering and impairment if not effectively diagnosed and treated. This book highlights advances in technology and neuroscience that improve the access and outcomes for young people suffering from anxiety disorders, OCD or PTSD. In Part II – OCD, you cand read a contribution of Kristina Aspvall, David … Continue reading Book release: “Innovations in CBT for Childhood Anxiety, OCD, and PTSD”

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The internet intervention Patient Adherence Scale (iiPAS) – Preprint available now!

fabianlenhard

Finally, I have submitted a manuscript that I have been working on for quite a while together with my dear colleagues at CAP Research Centre and the Karolinska. We have developed and evaluated a scale to measure patient adherence in … Continue reading The internet intervention Patient Adherence Scale (iiPAS) – Preprint available now!