Behavioral therapy was effective compared with no treatment. In
the four studies reviewed, 37% to 88% fewer children had
obsessive-compulsive disorder after treatment. This corresponded
to a drop of eight points on the gold standard outcome measure
of symptoms for the condition, the Children's Yale-Brown
Obsessive Compulsive Scale, CY-BOCS. Outcomes were not
significantly different between behavioral therapy and
medication (weighted mean difference -3.87, 95% confidence
interval -8.15 to 0.41). Compared with medication alone, the
combination of behavioral therapy and psychotropic drugs
significantly improved compulsive behaviors in children and
adolescents (weighted mean difference -4.55, 95% CI -7.40 to
-1.70). However, the combination was not superior to behavioral
therapy alone (weighted mean difference -2.80, 95% CI -7.55 to
1.95). The four randomized or quasi-randomized clinical trials
included in the review involved 222 participants with ages
ranging from seven years to 18 years two months. Boys and gir