Obsessive Compulsive Disorder during COVID-19 – two- and six-month follow-ups.OCD during COVID-19

Carmi, Lior; Ben-Arush, Oded; Fostick, Leah; Cohen, Hagit; Zohar, Joseph

BACKGROUND: Psychiatric patients are perceived to be especially vulnerable during a pandemic as it increases stress and uncertainty. Several current publications have considered Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) patients to be particularly vulnerable during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), and clinicians were advised to adjust treatments accordingly. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the two- and six-month impacts of COVID-19 on the symptom severity of OCD patients. METHODS: A cohort of OCD patients, actively treated with Exposure and Response Prevention [ERP] combined with pharmacological treatment, was evaluated as part of their regular psychiatric assessment twice: 113 patients were evaluated at their two-month follow-up, and 90 patients (from that cohort), were evaluated at their six-month follow up. RESULTS: Eighty-four percent of the patients at the two-month follow-up and 96% of the patients at the six-month follow-up did not show OC symptom deterioration. The results were also replicated in the OCD subgroup that included contamination (washers) and patients with illness obsessions who were believed to be particularly vulnerable, considering their obsessional content. CONCLUSION: OCD patients (including those with obsessions related to contamination and health) who are under an active ERP and pharmacological treatment, did not experience exacerbated symptoms during COVID-19 at their two- and six-month follow-ups.