Glutamate and the Treatment of Obsessive‐Compulsive Disorder

public health problem. Patients suffering from OCD have distressing obsessions and compulsions that impair their daily functioning. This severe and chronically debilitating disorder affects more than 3 million people in the United States. Estimates of the lifetime prevalence of OCD in pediatric and adult populations range from 1% to 3%. According to the World Health Organization, OCD is among the 10 most disabling medical conditions worldwide. Among anxiety disorders, the National Comorbidity Survey Replication states that OCD has the highest percentage (50.6%) of serious cases. The clinical phenomenology and nosology of pediatric OCD are well described. This makes OCD a leading candidate for innovative developmental neurobiological study. In contrast to major depression and bipolar disorder, the clinical presentation in childhood and adulthood is similar, making findings more applicable across the age span. The two reasons to focus our study and attention on pediatric OCD are: