Adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder: a case note review of consecutive patients referred to a provincial regional adolescent psychiatry unit.

A number of clinical descriptions of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in adolescence are available but are often of small numbers of cases with highly selective recruitment methods. We describe the findings of a systematic case note review of 44 consecutive OCD patients referred to Oxford Regional Adolescent Unit between 1974 and 1984. The relative frequencies of previously described features of the condition in this age group are presented. Many patients had problems with peer relationships and social isolation, which often preceded the onset of other symptoms by many years. The management of the cases and outcome at discharge are outlined.