Impact of COVID-19 epidemic in prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Abstract

Objectives: To find out the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic in the prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder and differences in sociodemographic factors. Study Design: Descriptive study. Setting: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Nishtar Hospital Multan. Period: January to March 2022. Material & Methods: The sample consisted of 50 OCD patients (Male=34, Females=16). Convenient sampling method was used to approach participants. Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive scale was used along with Sociodemographic variables. Results were analyzed by using SPSS-21. Results: Findings of the study showed that Obsession with ideas of contamination and compulsion related to cleaning and washing rituals were more prevalent during Epidemic. It was also explored that there was significant increase in Incidence and prevalence of OCD during and after epidemic. Male population were more affected by OCD during Epidemic as compared to females. Residents of urban areas were more vulnerable for developing OCD. The incidents of developing OCD during the epidemic was higher in young population especially students. Conclusion: It is concluded that prevalence and incidents of OCD increased due to epidemic of COVID-19 Furthermore, it was further observed certain obsessions (obsession of contamination) and specific compulsions (cleaning and washing) was significantly higher than other types of OCD.