
What is the prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder?
January 22, 2024A recent meta-analysis estimated that 0.3% of children meet diagnostic criteria for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) at any given time. This equates to about 18,500 children in Canada and 2,300 children in BC. OCD also starts early, with nearly 25% of boys who develop it doing so before age 10 and with 25% of overall cases emerging by age 14. This early onset makes it crucial to identify these young people and provide effective treatments quickly, so children can thrive and so OCD does not persist into adulthood. For more information, see Vol. 16, No. 1 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.