Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the symptomatology and routine of medicated patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder

TL;DR

This study found that OCD patients, including those with cleaning symptoms, did not experience significant changes in symptoms or stress during the pandemic.

Contribution

The study compares OCD symptomatology and behavior during and before the pandemic, focusing on cleaning symptoms and suicidal behaviors.

Findings

OCD patients did not show increased stress, anxiety, or suicidal behaviors during the pandemic.

Patients with cleaning symptoms had similar outcomes to others in terms of mental health.

Pre-pandemic and pandemic OCD samples showed no significant differences in symptoms.

Abstract

To study the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 on the routine of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and changes in symptoms and suicidal-related behavior, mainly in those with cleaning symptoms.

In this cross-sectional study, 58 patients completed an online self-report questionnaire that included the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised, Coronavirus Stress and Traumatic Events Scale, Coronavirus Health Impact Survey, Beck Anxiety and Beck Depression inventories, and Suicide-Related Behaviors Questionnaire. Comparisons were made with another pre-pandemic sample (n=524) regarding the last three measures.

During the pandemic, the patients spent more days inside their homes (χ2 = 33.39, p = 0.007), changed their alcohol consumption patterns (χ2 = 87.6, p < 0.001), and increased social media usage (χ2 = 68.83, p < 0.001). Participants with cleaning symptoms did not significantly differ from the others in relation to stress, anxiety/depressive symptoms, or suicidal-related behaviors. Finally, our sample did not differ from an equivalent OCD sample assessed before the pandemic in terms of anxiety and depressive symptom severity or suicidal-related behaviors.

Overall, patients with OCD showed no lifestyle changes associated with higher stress levels during the pandemic. Patients with and without cleaning symptoms and patients before and during the pandemic presented similar results.

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