scholarly journals Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Online Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Support Community Members: Survey Study

10.2196/26715 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. e26715
Author(s):  
Benjamin Kaveladze ◽  
Katherine Chang ◽  
Jedidiah Siev ◽  
Stephen M Schueller
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
The United States ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
The Impact

Background People with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have faced unique challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research from the first two months of the pandemic suggests that a small proportion of people with OCD experienced worsening in their OCD symptoms since the pandemic began, whereas the rest experienced either no change or an improvement in their symptoms. However, as society-level factors relating to the pandemic have evolved, the effects of the pandemic on people with OCD have likely changed as well, in complex and population-specific ways. Therefore, this study contributes to a growing body of knowledge on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people and demonstrates how differences across studies might emerge when studying specific populations at specific timepoints. Objective This study aimed to assess how members of online OCD support communities felt the COVID-19 pandemic had affected their OCD symptoms, around 3 months after the pandemic began. Methods We recruited participants from online OCD support communities for our brief survey. Participants indicated how much they felt their OCD symptoms had changed since the pandemic began and how much they felt that having OCD was making it harder to deal with the pandemic. Results We collected survey data from June through August 2020 and received a total of 196 responses, some of which were partial responses. Among the nonmissing data, 65.9% (108/164) of the participants were from the United States and 90.5% (152/168) had been subjected to a stay-at-home order. In all, 92.9% (182/196) of the participants said they experienced worsening of their OCD symptoms since the pandemic began, although the extent to which their symptoms worsened differed across dimensions of OCD; notably, symmetry and completeness symptoms were less likely to have worsened than others. Moreover, 95.5% (171/179) of the participants felt that having OCD made it difficult to deal with the pandemic. Conclusions Our study of online OCD support community members found a much higher rate of OCD symptom worsening than did other studies on people with OCD conducted during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Factors such as quarantine length, location, overlapping society-level challenges, and differing measurement and sampling choices may help to explain this difference across studies.

scholarly journals The COVID-19 Pandemic's Impact on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Survey of Online Peer Support Community Users (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Kaveladze ◽  
Katherine Gao Chang ◽  
Jedidiah Siev ◽  
Stephen M Schueller
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Missing Data ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
The United States ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Growing Body

BACKGROUND People with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have faced unique challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research from the first two months of the pandemic suggested that between 7% and 37% of people with OCD experienced worsening in their OCD symptoms since the pandemic began, while the rest experienced either no change or an improvement in their symptoms. However, as society-level factors relating to the pandemic have evolved, the pandemic’s impacts on people with OCD have likely changed as well, in complex and population-specific ways. Therefore, this work contributes to a growing body of knowledge on the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on people, and demonstrates how differences across studies might emerge when studying specific populations and at specific timepoints. OBJECTIVE Our study aimed to learn how members of online OCD peer support communities felt the COVID-19 pandemic had impacted their OCD symptoms, 3-4 months after the pandemic began. METHODS We recruited participants from online OCD peer support communities for our brief survey. Participants indicated how much they felt their OCD symptoms had changed since the pandemic began, and how much they felt that having OCD was making it harder to deal with the pandemic. RESULTS 196 people responded to our survey, although some participants skipped some questions. Among non-missing data, 65.9% (108/164) of respondents were from the United States and 90.5% (152/168) had been subjected to a stay-at-home order. 92.9% (182/196) of respondents said they experienced worsening of their OCD symptoms since the pandemic began, although the extent to which symptoms worsened differed across dimensions of OCD, with symmetry and completeness symptoms less likely than others to have worsened. 95.5% (171/179) of respondents felt that having OCD made it harder to deal with the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS Our study of online OCD peer support community members found a considerably higher rate of OCD symptom worsening than did other studies of people with OCD during the pandemic. Factors such as quarantine length, location, overlapping society-level challenges, and differing measurement and sampling choices may help to explain this difference across studies.

Defining and Addressing Gaps in Care for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in the United States

2021 ◽  
pp. appi.ps.2020002
Author(s):  
Meredith S. Senter ◽  
Sapana R. Patel ◽  
Lisa B. Dixon ◽  
Robert W. Myers ◽  
H. Blair Simpson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
The United States ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A Vocational Perspective

1997 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-30
Author(s):  
Robert Miranda ◽  
Carolyn W. Rollins
Keyword(s):  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Age Of Onset ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Life Time ◽  
The United States ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Academic History ◽  
The Impact

In recent years the number of individuals diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) has increased. With a life time prevalence of 2.5%, OCD is more prevalent than schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or panic disorder. Undiagnosed and untreated, OCD can have negative effects on many aspects of an individual's life, including vocation. With the mean age of onset in the United States being approximately 16 years of age, the impact of OCD on an individual's vocational development can be considerable. Additionally, individuals with this disorder may present a poor work or academic history. Their vocational performance may be incorrectly interpreted as indicative of irresponsibility or a poor work ethic rather than as a consequence of the disease. Therefore, rehabilitation counselors should be cognizant of the symptoms associated with OCD and the negative impact of the disorder on an individual's life. This article outlines symptoms of the disorder, explores current treatment options, and discusses vocational implications associated with OCD.

Obsessions, Compulsions, Clozapine, and Risperidone

CNS Spectrums ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 26-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert W. Baker ◽  
Paul D. Bermanzdhn ◽  
Donna Ames Wirshing ◽  
K. N. Roy Dhengappa
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Serotonin Reuptake ◽  
Antipsychotic Drugs ◽  
The United States ◽  
Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
The Past ◽  
First Time

In the past decade, clozapine, risperidone, and olanzapine were marketed for the first time in the United States, and other new antipsychotic drugs are expected to follow soon. Also within the past decade, the efficacy of serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) has been demonstrated in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and the serotonin hypothesis of OCD has been articulated clearly.

Epidemiology of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Cross Culture and Economy

CNS Spectrums ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 4 (S3) ◽  
pp. 6-12
Author(s):  
Donald W. Black
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Treatment Response ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
The United States ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThis manuscript summarizes the presentations of an international panel of experts, representing France, Hungary, India, South Africa, and the United States, on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). OCD is culturally universal but probably heterogeneous. New data presented concern a follow-up study from a joint Yale-Brown clinical project; a prevalence study in Hungary; a molecular genetics study from South Africa; a comorbidity study from India; a clinical study from Paris comparing OCD with subclinical OCD; a discussion of compulsive buying as a cross-cultural phenomenon; and survey results showing the impact of OCD on quality of life and economic variables. A roundtable discussion led to a consensus that researchers must continue to: (1) investigate the prevalence of OCD in non Western samples and in less developed countries; (2) collect clinical data on OCD in child and adolescent samples, as well as in off-spring of adults with OCD; (3) refine the concept of age of onset; (4) study the impact of OCD on quality of life and the economy; (5) investigate the validity of the obsessive-compulsive spectrum in epidemiologic and clinical samples and develop appropriate instruments for its assessment; (6) study personality disorder and how it affects treatment response, and examine its prevalence in epidemiologic samples; (7) explore the concept of OCD heterogeneity, which may reflect differing etiologies but may also suggest differential treatment strategies; (8) conduct follow-up studies, particularly now that effective treatments may alter course of illness; and, finally, (9) investigate treatment response and whether certain subtypes demand unique approaches.

A comparative study of obsessive-compulsive disorder in Costa Rica and the United States

2008 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 609-619 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise A. Chavira ◽  
Helena Garrido ◽  
Monica Bagnarello ◽  
Amin Azzam ◽  
Victor I. Reus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Costa Rica ◽  
Comparative Study ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
The United States ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder

Cross-National Epidemiology of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

CNS Spectrums ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 3 (S1) ◽  
pp. 6-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myrna M. Weissman
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Clinical Characteristics ◽  
Age At Onset ◽  
Diagnostic Procedures ◽  
The United States ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Cross National

Our knowledge of the prevalence and demographic and clinical characteristics of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has, until recently, been based almost exclusively on patient samples. The epidemiology of OCD was first described in a large United States household sample from the Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) study. Since these original observations, the rates of OCD in household populations determined from diagnostic procedures similar to those used in the United States have been published from different parts of the world. Detailed comparisons of rates, sex ratios, age at onset, and demographic and clinical characteristics of OCD in these samples are now available.This article reports on the cross-national epidemiology of OCD from seven international epidemiologic surveys, including the United States ECA study. Each survey used the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS), a highly structured interview, developed for use in epidemiologic surveys, that yields Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition (DSM-III) psychiatric diagnoses. All investigators provided the data from their study to be pooled at Columbia University, and the prevalence rates were standardized to the age and sex distribution of the five-site ECA household population so that more precise estimates and comparisons could be made.

scholarly journals A cross-cultural clinical comparison between subjects with obsessive-compulsive disorder from the United States and Brazil

2017 ◽  
Vol 254 ◽  
pp. 104-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustavo C. Medeiros ◽  
Albina R. Torres ◽  
Christina L. Boisseau ◽  
Eric W. Leppink ◽  
Jane L. Eisen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Clinical Comparison

Reducing the Social Stigma Associated with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A Controlled Trial of an Intervention Program in a Turkish Community Sample

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-120
Author(s):  
Ayça Aktaç Gürbüz ◽  
Orçun YORULMAZ ◽  
Gülşah DURNA
Keyword(s):  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Case Vignette ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact

Scientific research into the reduction of stigmatization, particularly related to specific problems such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), is scarce. In the present study, we examine the impact of a video-based antistigma intervention program for OCD in a pretest-posttest control group research. After being randomly assigned to either an intervention (n= 101) or control group (n= 96), the participants reported their attitudes on a hypothetical case vignette before and after OCD vs. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) videos, and again six months later as a follow up assessment. The mixed design analyses for the group comparisons indicated that although there was no significant difference in the measures of the control group, the participants watching the anti-stigma OCD video, in which the focus was psychoeducation and interaction strategies, reported significantly lower scores on social distances and negative beliefs for the case vignettes they read, and this difference was maintained six months later. Then, the present results indicate the effectiveness of our anti-stigma intervention program for OCD. Interventions to reduce stigmatization can also be viewed as effective tools for changing the attitudes of people toward OCD, although further research and applications are needed related to specific disorders if a longlasting impact is to be achieved.

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