ABSTRACT
Background: With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, a large percentage of the world's population has been exposed to multiple burdens, including immediate hazards such as the risk of infection as well as social isolation, and economic insecurity. Based on the diathesis-stress model, which helps explain the development and maintenance of many mental disorders, these stresses may particularly affect people with preexisting mental disorders. In this study, we aimed to assess the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with OCD and healthy individuals. Results: According to OCSS, 23.9% of our participants were having mild OCD symptoms, 41.6% of them were having moderate symptoms, and severe symptoms presented in 34.5% of them. Our results revealed that there was a high statistically significant increase in total CSS scores in the OCD group compared to the control group. Conclusion: The results of the present study supported the notion that the increase in symptoms and general severity observed among those with OCD might primarily be due to stress induced by the current pandemic. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Arab Journal of Psychiatry is the property of Arab Federation of Psychiatrists and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)