Publications by authors named "Judith B Nissen"

Article Synopsis
  • Tic disorders (TD) can significantly affect individuals and society, and understanding their genetic causes could lead to better treatments, as family history is a key risk factor.
  • A large-scale GWAS meta-analysis was conducted with nearly 10,000 TD cases and over 981,000 controls, revealing a significant genetic association, though it couldn't be replicated in another study.
  • The findings suggest a complex genetic landscape for TD, highlighting certain genes and brain regions involved, but additional research is needed to firmly establish reliable genetic links.
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Objective: Children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are at risk for long-term adversity, but factors influencing long-term outcomes are unclear. A general factor of psychopathology, often referred to as the p factor, captures variance shared by all mental disorders and has predicted long-term outcomes in youth with anxiety and depressive disorders. The p factor has never been examined in relation to outcomes in pediatric OCD.

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Article Synopsis
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) affects about 1% of people and has a strong genetic component, but previous studies have not fully explained its genetic causes or biological mechanisms.
  • A large genome-wide association study (GWAS) analyzed data from over 53,000 OCD cases and over 2 million control participants, identifying 30 significant genetic markers related to OCD and suggesting a 6.7% heritability from SNPs.
  • The research also found 249 candidate risk genes linked to OCD, particularly in specific brain regions, and showed genetic correlations with various psychiatric disorders, laying the groundwork for further studies and potential treatments.
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Article Synopsis
  • Four GWAS studies on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have been conducted, showing a SNP-heritability of 28% but revealing only one significant SNP so far.
  • A new meta-analysis significantly increased the sample size to analyze 37,015 OCD cases against 948,616 controls, identifying 15 independent genome-wide significant loci, 14 of which were novel.
  • The research highlighted genetic correlations between OCD and various psychiatric disorders, while also mapping the genetic basis and biological pathways associated with OCD susceptibility.
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Objective: To examine relapse rates following remission in a 3-year follow-up study in pediatric patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) treated with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in a first step, and either continued CBT or sertraline (randomized selection) in a second step.

Method: Participants (N = 269) fulfilled DSM-IV OCD criteria with a mean severity on the Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS) of 24.6 (SD = 5.

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Family accommodation (FA) involves the actions taken by family members, particularly parents, to accommodate a child´s obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms, reducing distress or impairment. This behavior may maintain compulsive and avoidant behavior, preventing corrective learning or habituation. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and factors influencing FA in a large Scandinavian sample of children with OCD.

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The present study aimed to: (a) identify latent class trajectories of OCD-related functional impairment, before, during and over three years after stepped-care treatment in children and adolescents with OCD; (b) describe these classes according to pretreatment characteristics; (c) identify predictors of trajectory class membership and (d) examine the relationship of functional impairment trajectory classes with OCD symptom severity trajectory classes. The sample consisted of 266 children and adolescents (aged 7-17 years) with OCD, participating in the Nordic long-term OCD treatment study. Latent class growth analysis was conducted using Child Obsessive-Compulsive Impact Scale-Revised (COIS-R) data from children and parents on seven assessment points over a three-year period.

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A recent study identified three distinct treatment-response trajectories in pediatric OCD where higher levels of contamination symptoms predicted a limited response to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). This study extends these findings by examining which specific symptoms characterize limited CBT response from baseline to 3-year follow-up, with an emphasis on contamination symptoms. The study sample comprised 269 pediatric patients with OCD, all receiving stepped-care treatment with manualized CBT.

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It is unknown if long-term remission for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients is associated with post-treatment OCD symptom severity. The aim of the present study was to evaluate if post-treatment symptom severity cut-offs can discriminate remitters from non-remitters in pediatric OCD patients during three years of follow-up. All participants (N = 269) from the Nordic Long-term OCD Treatment Study (NordLOTS) undergoing stepped-care treatment were included.

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Trichotillomania (TTM) is associated with great psychosocial impairment and reduced quality of life and the lifetime prevalence is 1-3 %. The purpose of this review is to give an up-to-date overview of TTM. It describes the genesis and epidemiology of trichotillomania (TTM), including prevalence in terms of age and gender.

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Background: Studies on child and adolescent obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) indicate that symptom severity is similar across age, but significant age differences of symptom profile and comorbid disorders have been observed. These earlier studies have yielded mixed results, are methodologically heterogenous and tend to have fairly small sample sizes. The current study examines these differences in one of the largest samples to date and the first sample outside of an English-speaking cultural context.

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Research on early-life family environment on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) risk is limited, and sex differences have not been sufficiently studied. We investigated early-life family composition and parental socio-economic status (SES) as OCD risk factors while stratifying for sex in a sample of 1,154,067 individuals from the Danish population (7550 of whom had OCD). Data on early-life family composition (birth order, number of siblings, number of parents in household at proband age 6), parental SES at age 6 (parental income, occupation, and education level), history of parental psychiatric illness, and parental age at birth on OCD risk (i.

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The aims of the study were to estimate the prevalence of body dysmorphic symptoms in a sample of children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder, possible clinical correlates and whether BDD symptoms predict poorer treatment outcomes after cognitive behavioral therapy. The study included 269 children and adolescents with OCD, aged 7-17 years, from Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, who were treated with 14 weekly sessions of manualized, exposure-based CBT. Twenty-one patients (7.

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Background: Limited studies are available that investigate the reactions to COVID-19 pandemic by people suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Due to the nature of the pandemic and the heightened focus on contamination, cleaning, and social distancing, it is likely that a deterioration of OCD symptoms and severity will be seen.

Aims: Our aims were to evaluate (1) self-reported changes in OCD symptom severity of adults with OCD during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, (2) whether the COVID-19 pandemic would trigger self-reported contamination symptoms in persons with no history of such symptoms, (3) self-reported variables associated with OCD symptom severity change, and 4) self-reported changes in quality of life.

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The present study aimed to investigate the long-term quality of life (QoL) in a large sample of pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients. The study included 220 pediatric OCD patients from the Nordic Long-term OCD Treatment Study (NordLOTS) who were evaluated at seven time points before, during, and after stepped-care treatment over a 3-year follow-up period. Data from three symptom severity trajectory classes formed the basis of the QoL evaluation: acute (n = 127, N = 147), slow (n = 46, N = 63), and limited responders (n = 47, N = 59).

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Background: First-line treatments for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) include exposure-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). No studies have thus far identified distinct classes and associated predictors of long-term symptom severity during and after treatment. Yet, these could form the basis for more personalized treatment in pediatric OCD.

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Objective: Identifying factors associated with early treatment response is important, because it can help allocate limited resources in psychiatric care more appropriately. This study examined baseline characteristics of participants with early response to exposure-based cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Method: 269 participants with OCD, aged 7-17 years, were enrolled in a 14-weeks CBT program.

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The knowledge of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and its treatment has advanced in the latest years and is summarised in this review. Child and adolescent OCD is a chronic condition, and if it is left untreated, it often continues into adulthood with debilitating effect on the quality of life. Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is the recommended first-line treatment for children and adolescents, and continued CBT or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatment can be effectively given to non-responders to initial CBT.

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The presence of comorbid conditions associated with paediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is reported to range from 50 to 80% and to have an impact on treatment outcome. Accurate identification of comorbid psychiatric disorders is necessary in order to provide personalised care. Reliable and valid diagnostic interviews are essential in the process of establishing the correct diagnoses.

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Objective: This study evaluated the long-term outcomes of a stepped care treatment for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and investigated whether response to first-step cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is an important indicator of 3-year outcomes.

Method: This study is a part of the Nordic Long-term OCD Treatment Study (NordLOTS), in which 269 children and adolescents were treated with CBT. Nonresponders to CBT were randomized to extended treatment with continued CBT or pharmacotherapy with sertraline.

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Hoarding, common in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), has specific clinical correlates and is associated with poor prognosis. However, there are few studies of hoarding in pediatric OCD. This study estimates the occurrence of hoarding symptoms in a sample of children and adolescents with OCD, investigating possible differences in demographic and clinical variables between pediatric OCD with and without hoarding symptoms.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to explore the types of comorbid disorders in children and adolescents with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), how these relate to various OCD symptoms, and whether these symptoms can predict the success of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
  • The research involved 269 participants who were assessed using specific diagnostic tools, and statistical methods were applied to identify relationships between comorbidity classes and symptom dimensions.
  • Results indicated three distinct comorbidity classes correlated with OCD symptoms, and higher scores in the symmetry/hoarding dimension significantly predicted a positive response to CBT, while other factors like harm/sexual and contamination/cleaning did not show predictive value.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study explored the link between poor insight, avoidance behavior, and not-just-right sensations in children and adolescents with OCD, focusing on their baseline characteristics and treatment outcomes.
  • Avoidance behavior and poor insight were found to heighten baseline severity of OCD, while not-just-right sensations were more related to specific OCD subtypes.
  • Post-treatment results indicated that poor insight and avoidance behavior hindered remission and increased the need for more treatment sessions, suggesting that understanding these factors can guide better treatment strategies.
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Chronic tic disorders may have a huge influence on quality of life. Habit reversal training (HRT) and exposure response prevention (ERP) are effective treatments. In a blinded assessed, open trial, this study evaluates the effectiveness of a newly developed Scandinavian tic treating manual designed to treat adolescents with a chronic tic disorder, combining HRT and ERP.

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Unlabelled: Some studies have shown that children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and co-morbid tics differ from those without co-morbid tics in terms of several demographic and clinical characteristics. However, not all studies have confirmed these differences. This study examined children and adolescents with OCD and with possible or definite tic specifiers according to the DSM-5 in order to see whether they differ from patients without any tic symptoms regarding clinical presentation and outcome of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

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