The University of Nebraska Medical Center Department of Psychiatry is
looking for 20 children and teenagers, ages 7-17, to participate in a 13-week
research study of obsessive-compulsive disorder. UNMC is part of a national,
21-center study to evaluate a drug that may help help children who suffer
from the disorder.
Study participants are needed who are not currently on medication or
are willing to discontinue their current medication. Both the child and
parent must be willing to participate. Evaluations, medication, laboratory
tests and treatment during the study are free.
Recent surveys estimate that as many as one in 40 people in the U.S.
may have the disorder, but it is difficult to detect if hidden from others.
The disorder can be so severe that it interferes with the ability to perform
normal everyday activities or tasks.
I think it is important to realize that this disorder is a relatively
common disorder in adults, and in up to 50 percent of cases, it starts
in childhood or adolescence, said Christopher Kratochvil, M.D., assistant
professor, and director of outpatient services, UNMC Division of Child
& Adolescent Psychiatry. Unfortunately, it is often not recognized
and goes undiagnosed for years before being properly identified. This lack
of recognition in children and adolescents have led many in child psychiatry
to refer to the disorder as a hidden epidemic.
Symptoms of obsessions include one or more of the following: concern
with dirt or germs; fear of harming oneself or others; fear of something
terrible happening; forbidden, aggressive or perverse sexual thoughts;
images or impulses; concern with order and exactness; and intrusive nonsense
sounds, words or music.
Compulsions include: excessive or ritualized handwashing, showering,
bathing, toothbrushing or grooming; repeating rituals such as going in
and out of a door or up or down from a chair; checking doors, locks, the
stove, etc.; organizing or sorting; counting, hoarding or collecting rituals;
and rituals of cleaning household or inanimate objects.
For more information on participating in the study, call 559-5056.
UNMC is the only public academic health science center in the state.
Through its commitment to research, education and patient care, UNMC has
established itself as one of the country’s leading centers for cancer research
and treatment and solid organ transplantation. More than $34 million in
research grants and contracts are awarded to UNMC scientists annually.
In addition, UNMC’s educational programs are responsible for training more
health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution.