The sudden, acute onset of neuropsychiatric symptoms, high frequency of comorbidities (i.e., anxiety, behavioral regression, depression, and suicidality), and poor quality of life capture the PANS subgroup as suddenly and severely impaired youth. Identifying clinical characteristics of youth with PANS will allow clinicians to diagnose and treat this subtype of OCD with a more strategized and effective approach.

Background: This study reports an open trial of family-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) exhibiting an onset pattern consistent with pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS). Methods: Eleven primarily Caucasian youth with PANS-related OCD (range = 4-14 years; 6 boys) who were incomplete responders to antibiotic treatment, received family-based CBT delivered either face-to-face or via web camera. Results: All participants completing treatment (8 of 8) were considered improved at posttreatment, and average obsessivecompulsive symptom severity was reduced by 49%. Significant reductions in obsessive-compulsive symptom severity and in clinician-and parent-rated OCD-related impairment were noted. Reductions in parent-and child-rated anxiety, child-rated OCD-related impairment, and comorbid neuropsychiatric symptoms were not statistically significant. Conclusions: Gains were maintained at follow-up, with 100% (6 of 6) of those assessed remaining improved. Implications for treatment and further research are discussed.

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