Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) affects an estimated 2% of children in the United States and can cause considerable anxiety. OCD is characterized by a pattern of rituals (or compulsions) and obsessive thinking. Common obsessions among children and teens include a fear of dirt or germs, a need for symmetry, order, and precision, and a fear of illness or harm coming to oneself or relatives. Common compulsions include grooming, repeating, and cleaning rituals. These obsessions and compulsions can severely interfere with daily functioning and are a source of significant distress. Without...

Selective Mutism (SM) is an impairing behavioral condition in which a child fails to speak in certain social situations despite speaking regularly and normally in other situations. SM presents a significant mental and public health problem due to impact on the social, emotional, and academic functioning of young children at a critical point in their development. SM is closely related to childhood social phobia, but it cannot be treated in the same way because of the young age of the children affected, their lack of speech in the treatment setting, and the need for significant school...

Eating disorders are among the most prevalent psychiatric disorders in adolescent and young adult females, affecting approximately 10% of young women. Unfortunately, less than half of those with eating disorders receive treatment, which can be very expensive. Thus, effective prevention has become a major public health priority.

The Body Project is an empirically based eating disorder prevention program that offers young women an opportunity to critically consider the costs of pursuing the ultra-thin ideal promoted in the mass media, which improves body acceptance and reduces risk...

Interviewers face a dilemma when questioning children in a forensic context--an inherent mismatch between the needs of the legal system and the capabilities of young children. This is especially problematic when legal decisions with potentially serious consequences depend on the results of the interview, such as in cases involving eyewitness memory, divorce, and allegations of abuse and neglect. Without accommodations to a child's developmental level, interviews can result in false reports, miscommunication, and misinterpretation, despite an interviewer's best intentions....

Violence is an epidemic that negatively impacts children across their lifespan. Reports indicate 2.1 million youth have experienced physical abuse during their lifetimes, disrupting the healthy development of children from the toddler years through adolescence, and most cases involve parents. Some parents lack the skills to effectively parent and use physical discipline as a strategy to control their children's problem behaviors. They may use increasing force if children continue to be noncompliant, which places many children at-risk for harm.

Combined Parent-Child Cognitive...

Parenting any preschooler can be challenging, but when hyperactivity and impulsivity are extreme, parenting requires extraordinary effort and skill. Parents need tools for helping their children behave in ways that are adaptive and socially appropriate and that will prevent their children from developing additional difficulties. Children who are hyperactive are at risk for developing emotional or behavioral disorders, and research suggests that helping parents to provide firm and consistent limits in a nurturing environment can significantly reduce hyperactivity and associated difficulties....

Trauma can be defined as exposure to a shocking, distressing, or emotionally painful event that can result in negative mental and physical health effects. Due to its interference with development, childhood trauma is particularly detrimental and can result in symptoms including posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders, depression, dissociation, externalizing behavioral problems, and suicidal ideation. It can increase the risk of substance use, school disengagement, and academic difficulties, and it has been associated with attentional impairment, cognitive performance, and the...

Pediatric obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common condition that can take a substantial toll on the entire family system. Research suggests that families of youth with OCD face a unique set of difficulties in that they often are intimately involved in the child's symptoms. This involvement, also known as symptom accommodation, can be quite taxing, and it is often accompanied by high levels of distress, anxiety, and family conflict. These family responses, while natural and understandable, pose very real problems for treatment. Growing research suggests that poor family functioning...

It's surprisingly common for children and adolescents to play with fire and to actually set fires. A single fire has the potential to cause a cascade of serious consequences to children, families, and their community, sometimes with devastating impact. Yet, there is limited practical information and evidence-based advice available to help programs and practitioners with children and adolescents who engage in this behavior.
Assessment and Intervention with Children and Adolescents Who Misuse Fire presents practical guidelines to facilitate the clinical assessment and treatment of...

RAINBOW: A Child- and Family-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment for Pediatric Bipolar Disorder presents a 12-session family-based treatment intervention for children aged 7-13 with bipolar spectrum disorders.