Effects of strict COVID-19 lockdown on patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder compared to a clinical and a nonclinical sample.

BACKGROUND: Symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have been reported to increase during the COVID-19 lockdowns because of the hygiene requirements related to the pandemic. Patients with adjustment disorder (AD) may, in turn, represent a vulnerable population for identifiable stressors. In this study, we aimed at assessing potential symptoms changes in OCD patients during the lockdown in comparison with AD patients as well as versus healthy controls (HC). METHODS: During the COVID-related lockdown, we enrolled 65 patients and 29 HC. Participants were tested with four clinical rating scales (Yale-Brown obsessive-compulsive scale and Brown Assessment of Beliefs Scale for OCD patients; Beck Depression Inventory-II and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Y for each group) that had been also administered just before the Italian lockdown. RESULTS: Our results showed that during the lockdown: (i) the symptoms of depression and anxiety increased in all groups, but this increase was most pronounced in HC (p < 0.001); (ii) OCD symptoms severity did not increase, but the insight worsened (p = 0.028); (iii) the proportion of OCD patients showing hygiene-related symptoms increased (p = 0.031 for obsessions of contamination), whereas that of patients with checking-related symptoms decreased. CONCLUSIONS: The lockdown-induced psychological distress apparently changed the characteristics and the pattern of OCD symptoms expression but not their overall severity. This evidence confirms the heterogeneity and changing nature of OCD symptoms, strongly depending on the environmental circumstances.

Understanding the support needs of parents of children with obsessive-compulsive disorder: a qualitative descriptive study in the UK.

INTRODUCTION: Caring for a child with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can be extremely difficult, yet evidence-based support strategies for parents/carers are limited. A detailed understanding of parent support needs is an important first step in intervention development and qualitative research with this focus is currently lacking. In this study, the viewpoints of parents and professionals were used to understand support needs and preferences when caring for a child with OCD. This qualitative descriptive study formed part of a wider UK-based project aimed at developing better support for parents of children with OCD. METHOD: Individual semi-structured interviews (and an optional one-week journal) with a purposive sample of parents of children and young people (CYP) with OCD, aged 8-18, and focus groups (or individual interviews where preferred) with a purposive sample of professionals supporting CYP with OCD. Data comprised transcripts of audio-recorded interviews and focus groups, and text from journals. Analysis was informed by the Framework approach involving inductive and deductive coding, supported by NVivo 12.0 software. Co-production methods were adopted throughout the research process, including the involvement of a parent co-researcher and charity collaborators. RESULTS: Interviews were undertaken with 20 parents, of which 16 completed a journal. Twenty-five professionals took part in a focus group or interview. Five key themes relating to parent support challenges and support needs/preferences were identified (1) Coping with the impact of OCD; (2) Getting help for my child; (3) Understanding parents' role; (4) Making sense of OCD; (5) Joined-up care. CONCLUSION: Parents caring for children with OCD have clear caregiver support needs which are currently not being met. Through triangulation of parent and professional accounts, this study has identified parent support challenges (e.g., emotional impact of OCD, visibility of caring role, misunderstanding about OCD) and support needs/ preferences (e.g., headspace/respite, compassion/sensitivity, guidance on accommodation) to lay the vital foundations for the development of effective parent support interventions. There is now an urgent need to develop and test an intervention to support parents in their caregiving role, with the aim of preventing and/or reducing their levels of burden and distress and ultimately, improving their quality of life.

Prevalence and predicors of COVID-centred obsessive compulsive disorder among Iranian COVID-19 recovered individuals: a Bayesian analysis.

BACKGROUND: The evidence on the psychological consequences of coronavirus 2019 mainly relates to general psychiatric problems, and a few studies have reported the incidence and predictors of obsessive-compulsive disorder. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and its predictors in Iranian COVID - 19 recovered individuals at 3-6 months, 6-12 months, and 12-18 months after recovery. METHOD: In this cross-sectional analytical study, 300 participants were randomly selected based on the inclusion criteria from three hospitals in three different regions of Tehran, Iran, and were assessed by the Clinical Demographic Information Questionnaire, the Obsessive Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R), the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 (DASS21), The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). The obtained data were analyzed with SPSS version 26. RESULTS: The results showed that the mean score of OCD is 30.58 ± 15.22, with a prevalence of 71% (n = 213). Female gender (BF = 0.50, p = 0.01), sleep disturbance (BF = 0.02, p = 0.001), PTSD (BF = 0.009, p = 0.0001), depression (BF = 0.0001, p = 0.0001), and stress (BF = 0.0001, p = 0.001) are the strongest predictors of the presence of OCD in recovered COVID - 19 individuals. CONCLUSION: OCD-like symptoms was observed in the majority of COVID - 19 recovered individuals with mild to moderate severity. In addition, the stated prevalence, severity, and significance varied according to sociodemographic and health inequalities.

The relationship between fear of Covid-19 and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus pandemic and health measures related to it have led to an increase in mental health problems. The relatively high incidence of the disease and its mortality rate created anxiety in society. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of fear of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and its relationship with obsessive-compulsive disorder in patients who attended the outpatient clinic of Besat Hospital in Hamadan. METHODS: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 320 patients who attended the outpatient clinic of Besat Hospital in Hamadan were selected by random sampling method in 2021. Data were collected using the Fear of the coronavirus (COVID-19) questionnaire and obsessive-compulsive disorder scale and analyzed using SPSS software (V16). They were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and independent t-test. RESULTS: The mean ± SD age of the subjects was 34.14 ± 9.30 years and 65% of the study subjects were women. The mean ± SD score on the obsessive-compulsive disorder scale was 32.90 ± 19.87 and the mean ± SD score for fear of coronavirus was 16.82 ± 5.79. The contamination dimension of OCD had the highest score of 9.04 ± 5.46 and stealing had the lowest score of 0.10 ± 0.49. The mean fear of COVID-19 in people who had a history of obsessive-compulsive disorder before the quarantine was significantly higher than in those who did not have it (P = 0.002). Along with the increasing fear of coronavirus scale score, the score of obsessive-compulsive disorders increased except for the stealing dimension (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study showed that there was a moderate level of fear of COVID-19 among the study population. Also, a relatively high proportion of study subjects had a weak manifestation of OCD. It seems that two years after the beginning of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, people have adapted to the conditions, and their fear of the disease is reduced.

Inflammatory neuropsychiatric disorders and COVID-19 neuroinflammation.

Neuropsychiatric sequalae to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection are beginning to emerge, like previous Spanish influenza and severe acute respiratory syndrome episodes. Streptococcal infection in paediatric patients causing obsessive compulsive disorder (PANDAS) is another recent example of an infection-based psychiatric disorder. Inflammation associated with neuropsychiatric disorders has been previously reported but there is no standard clinical management approach established. Part of the reason is that it is unclear what factors determine the specific neuronal vulnerability and the efficacy of anti-inflammatory treatment in neuroinflammation. The emerging COVID-19 data suggested that in the acute stage, widespread neuronal damage appears to be the result of abnormal and overactive immune responses and cytokine storm is associated with poor prognosis. It is still too early to know if there are long-term-specific neuronal or brain regional damages associated with COVID-19, resulting in distinct neuropsychiatric disorders. In several major psychiatric disorders where neuroinflammation is present, patients with abnormal inflammatory markers may also experience less than favourable response or treatment resistance when standard treatment is used alone. Evidence regarding the benefits of co-administered anti-inflammatory agents such as COX-2 inhibitor is encouraging in selected patients though may not benefit others. Disease-modifying therapies are increasingly being applied to neuropsychiatric diseases characterised by abnormal or hyperreactive immune responses. Adjunct anti-inflammatory treatment may benefit selected patients and is definitely an important component of clinical management in the presence of neuroinflammation.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorders in the Primary Care Setting.

Mental health is a very important component of whole health because the body, mind, and spirit are woven together to create the fabric of a person's life. Many people in the United States and globally are living with mental health challenges, and it seems that much more attention has been given to anxiety-related mental health conditions in the past few years due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. The pandemic may certainly have accelerated the onset of mental health conditions for some who were already predisposed, whether it be to depression, anxiety, psychosis, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, to name a few.

Higher anxiety and perceived trauma among COVID-19 patients: a prospective comparative study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, and traumatic stress are not rare during infectious outbreaks, as the COVID-19 pandemic has posed a great concern to the general population. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether experiencing psychiatric symptoms during COVID-19 is the result of the burden of carrying an illness or the COVID-19 itself. METHOD: Two hundred ten subjects and three different groups of participants (COVID-19 patients, university staff, and orthopedic patients) were recruited. They answered a demographic questionnaire, Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) test for OCD symptoms, Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) for perceived trauma, Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) for anxiety, and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) for depression assessments using phone or face-to-face interviews. RESULT: At least one OCD symptom was observed in 85.7% of the subjects. However, there was no significant difference between the 3 groups (p = 0.2194). Perceived trauma was significantly higher among COVID-19 patients followed by university staff and orthopedic patients (23.73, 16.21, 11.51 mean IES-R scores respectively, p = 8.449e-14). COVID-19 patients also showed higher anxiety (mean BAI score: 17.00) than the university staff and orthopedic patients' group (9.22 and 5.56 respectively) (p = 6.175e-08). BDI score did not show much variation for depression, the mean score was 9.66, 9.49, and 6.7 for the COVID-19 patients, university staff, and orthopedic patients respectively, (p = 0.2735). CONCLUSION: Perceived trauma and anxiety symptoms are significantly higher in COVID-19 patients and the symptoms of OCD and depression do not differ between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 people, so the necessity of screening and following treatment of patients with COVID-19 should be kept in mind. TRIAL REGISTRATION: IR.IUMS.FMD.REC.1399.761.

Prevalence of post-COVID symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder in Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) symptoms in patients who have survived COVID-19. METHODS: The study used an observational cross-sectional design between July and October 2021. The target population was adult patients who had confirmed COVID-19 infection prior to joining the study, OCD symptoms were assessed using the Arabic OCD scale created by Abohendy and colleagues, which included 83 questions covering 12 different domains and was administired online. RESULTS: A total of 356 patients were included in the analysis. Approximately 9.0% and 1.7% of the patients had a history of psychiatric disease and OCD diagnosis (respectively). The total symptom score was 32.8%. The most frequently reported domains were rumination of ideas (55.5%), re-checking compulsions (37.0%), and slowness (34.0%), while the least frequently reported domains included obsessive impulses (26.3%), obsessive images (26.5%), and religious compulsions (26.8%). Unlike other domains, the purity and cleanliness compulsions scores were significantly higher than the scale reference population. A higher total symptom score was observed in psychiatric patients (p=0.004) and, to a lesser extent, in OCD patients (p=0.250). CONCLUSION: Overall, OCD symptoms, including cleanliness and fear of disease obsessions, tend to be higher in psychiatric and OCD patients, these findings are valuable for future studies.

Prevalence of obsessive-Compulsive symptoms and the level of fear due to COVID-19 pandemic among the undergraduate medical students in a tertiary care unit in Southern India.

Background: The emergence of COVID-19 and its consequences is causing widespread fears, anxiety, and worries. To overcome the transmission of COVID-19, people resorted to compulsive behaviors. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to assess the prevalence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCSs) due to COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence of level of fear due to COVID-19 pandemic, and to assess the factors associated with OCSs due to COVID-19 pandemic among the undergraduate medical students of in tertiary unit in Southern India. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted in 250 undergraduate medical students (both MBBS and BDS, from 1st to 4th year) in the institute. Students who had consented in the study were included as study participants. The Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale and Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19 S) were used in assessing OCSs and the level of fear due to COVID-19. Chi-square test and multiple logistic regression were used to compute the factors associated with OCS. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 21 ± 1.313 years. The prevalence of OCS in undergraduate medical students was 36 (14.4%), and the level of FCV-19 was 107 (42.8%). Male students (17.8%, 44.2%) had higher OCSs and levels of fear as compared to female students (13.6%, 42.4%). Students with FCV-19 were three (adjusted odds ratio-3.418, 95% confidence interval-1.596, 7.319) times more likely to manifest OCSs while factors such as age, gender, and course were not significantly associated with OCS. Conclusion: Psychological counseling for undergraduate students should be pivotal, especially during pandemics and outbreaks.

First vs second wave of COVID-19 pandemic in patients with obsessive compulsive disorder: A multicentre report from tertiary clinics in Northern Italy.

INTRODUCTION: Among patients with mental illness, those with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) showed a significant clinical worsening by the COVID-19 pandemic. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on OCD have been shown to worsen symptoms severity, with serious clinical consequences. However, the persistence of COVID-19 pandemic in OCD patients has been poorly investigated. The purpose of the present study was to assess the impact of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in a sample of OCD patients and to compare the results with those obtained during the first wave on the same OCD sample. METHODS: 116 OCD outpatients attending three OCD tertiary clinics in Northern Italy and previously included in a report on the impact of COVID-19, were followed-up in order to investigate sociodemographic and clinical features. Appropriate statistical analyses for categorical and continuous variables were conducted. RESULTS: The 43 OCD patients with a clinical worsening (OW) reported a significant development of new obsessions/compulsions and the recurrence of past OC symptoms, higher rates of psychiatric comorbidities and sleep disturbances compared to patients without symptom worsening. Moreover, an increase in avoidance behaviors, suicidal ideation, Internet checking for reassurance, and job difficulties emerged in OW patients. Also, lower rates of pharmacological stability, and higher rates of therapy adjustment were observed. In terms of sex differences, males showed higher rates of past obsessions occurrence, while females showed a rise in Internet checking behaviors. When comparing OW patients between the first and the second wave, the latter showed significantly higher rates of past obsession occurrence and lower rates of pharmacological stability. Moreover, patients with OW showed a significantly older age during the second wave. CONCLUSION: The persistence of the COVID-19 pandemic showed a globally impaired clinical picture in the analyzed OCD sample. A further worsening between the two waves timepoints emerged, mainly involving older patients with OCD. The concordance between our results and those existing in literature highlights the importance of an accurate long-term monitoring of OCD patients in light of COVID-19 pandemic persistence.

Incidence rate of psychiatric disorders in 2020: The pivotal role played by SARS-CoV-2 infection.

IMPORTANCE: The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly impacted mental health outcomes. While the frequency of anxiety and depressive symptoms has increased in the whole population, the relationship between COVID-19 and new psychiatric diagnoses remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To compare the population incidence rate of emergence of de novo psychiatric disorders in 2020 compared to the previous years, and to compare the incidence rate of new psychiatric disorder diagnoses between people with vs without COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This study utilized administrative claims data from the Clinformatics® Data Mart database, licensed from Optum®. The study is a cross-sectional analysis that compared the incidence rate of new psychiatric disorders in 2020 vs. 2018 and 2019 in the entire insured population database. Subsequently, the incidence of new psychiatric disorders in people with vs. without COVID-19 during 2020 was analyzed. EXPOSURE: The exposures included diagnosis and severity of COVID-19 infection. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: The dependent variables of interest were the incidence rates of new psychiatric disorders, specifically schizophrenia spectrum disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. RESULTS: The population studied included 10,463,672 US adults (mean age 52.83, 52% female) who were unique people for the year of 2020. Incidence of newly diagnosed psychiatric disorders per 1,000 individuals in the 2020 whole population were 28.81 (CI: 28.71, 28.92) for anxiety disorders, 1.04 (CI: 1.02, 1.06) for schizophrenia disorders, 0.42 (CI: 0.41, 0.43) for OCD and 28.85 (CI: 28.75, 28.95) for mood disorders. These rates were not significantly higher than 2018 or 2019. When comparing incidence rates between COVID-19 vs. non-COVID-19 populations in 2020, the rates were significantly higher in the COVID-19 population: 46.89 (CI: 46.24, 47.53) for anxiety, 49.31 (CI: 48.66, 49.97) for mood disorders, 0.57 (CI: 0.50, 0.65) for OCD, and 3.52 (CI: 3.34, 3.70) for schizophrenia. COVID-19 severity was significantly associated with new diagnoses of schizophrenia, anxiety and mood disorders in multivariate analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to 2018 and 2019, in 2020 there was no increased incidence of new psychiatric disorders in the general population based on insurance claims data. Importantly, people with COVID-19 were more likely to be diagnosed with a new psychiatric disorder, most notably disorders with psychosis, indicating a potential association between COVID-19 and mental/brain health.

Impact of the fear of Covid-19 infection on intent to breastfeed; a cross sectional survey of a perinatal population in Qatar.

OBJECTIVES: Infection control measures during the Covid-19 pandemic have focused on limiting physical contact and decontamination by observing cleaning and hygiene rituals. Breastfeeding requires close physical contact and observance of hygienic measures like handwashing. Worries around contamination increase during the perinatal period and can be expressed as increase in obsessive compulsive symptoms. These symptoms have shown to impact breastfeeding rates. This study attempts to explore any relationship between the Covid-19 pandemic and perinatal obsessive-compulsive symptomatology and whether the Covid-19 pandemic has any impact on intent to breastfeed. METHODS: A cross sectional survey of perinatal women attending largest maternity centre in Qatar was carried out during the months of October to December 2020. Socio-demographic information, intent to breastfeed and information around obsessive compulsive thoughts around Covid-19 pandemic were collected using validated tools. RESULTS: 15.7% respondents report intent to not breastfeed. 21.4% respondents reported obsessive-compulsive symptoms. 77.3% respondents believed the biggest source of infection was from others while as only 12% of the respondents believed that the source of infection was through breastfeeding and 15.7% believed the vertical transmission as the main source of risk of transmission. CONCLUSIONS: The rates of Obsessive-compulsive symptoms were increased and the rates of intent to breastfeed were decreased when compared with pre pandemic rates. The obsessive-compulsive symptoms and the intent to not breastfeed were significantly associated with fear of infection to the new-born. Obsessive-compulsive symptoms were not significantly correlated with intent to breastfeed and can be seen as adaptive strategies utilized by women to continue breastfeeding in the context of fear of infection.

Parental surveillance of OCD and mental health symptoms during COVID-19: A longitudinal study of Australian children, adolescents and families.

To ensure the needs of children and families are met for the remainder of the COVID-19 situation and beyond there is a demand for a specific response strategy. This longitudinal study will investigate the impact of COVID-19 on Australian parental and childhood mental health symptoms, particularly OCD symptoms, examining the stability of this relationship over time and the needs and preferences for mental health support in response to child symptoms. A total of 141 parents completed a questionnaire during the lockdown period in Australia (June-September 2020). Thirty-five of them completed a follow-up questionnaire during the post-lockdown period (November 2020-January 2021). The questionnaire assessed COVID-19 experiences/worries/knowledge, child OCD, and child/parental anxiety and depression. Sub-samples of youth were determined based on parent-report of an existing diagnosis of any mental health (n = 24), of OCD (n = 22), or no mental health diagnosis (i.e., healthy, n = 81). Results: Parents reported a significant positive association between increased parental worries regarding COVID-19, and their own as well as their child's mental health symptoms. The current sample of children experienced elevated symptom severity for OCD symptoms during COVID-19. The OCD group reported significant reductions in child OCD symptoms at post-lockdown. The any mental health diagnosed children are at greater risk of developing OCD symptoms and reported strong preferences for increased support as a result. The exploratory nature of this study adds further insight into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on child OCD and parent mental health symptoms and the stability of symptoms over time.

Provider perceptions of telehealth and in-person exposure and response prevention for obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Until recently, psychotherapies, including exposure and response prevention (ERP) for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), have primarily been delivered in-person. The COVID-19 pandemic required OCD providers delivering ERP to quickly transition to telehealth services. While evidence supports telehealth ERP delivery, limited research has examined OCD provider perceptions about patient characteristics that are most appropriate for this modality, as well as provider abilities to identify and address factors interfering with effective telehealth ERP. In the present study, OCD therapists (N = 113) rated the feasibility of delivering telehealth ERP relative to in-person for different (1) patient age-groups, (2) levels of OCD severity, and (3) provider ability to identify and address factors interfering with ERP during in-person and telehealth ERP (e.g., cognitive avoidance, reassurance seeking, etc.). Providers reported significantly greater feasibility of delivering telehealth ERP to individuals ages 13-to-65-years relative to other age groups assessed. Greater perceived feasibility for telehealth relative to in-person ERP was reported for lower versus higher symptom severity levels. Lastly, providers felt better able to identify and address problematic factors in-person. These findings suggest that providers should practice appropriate caution when offering telehealth ERP for certain patients with OCD. Future research may examine how to address these potential limitations of telehealth ERP delivery.

Managing the COVID-19 pandemic in people with mental disorders: An exploratory telephone interview study in a psychiatric outpatient department.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown measures reduced well-being in the general population significantly and led to an increase in anxiety and depression symptoms, however, results on the impact on people with mental disorders are heterogeneous to date. The aim of this study was to investigate the mental health status, social support, perceived stress, and the medical care provision of people with mental disorders during the time period immediately after the first COVID-19 lockdown in spring 2020 in Germany. METHODS: Participants were people with mental disorders currently receiving treatment in the psychiatric outpatient department of the University Hospital Leipzig, Germany. Structured telephone interviews were administered to assess depressive symptoms, self-rated medical care provision, attitudes and social and emotional aspects of the pandemic (social support, perceived stress, loneliness, resilience, and agreeableness). RESULTS: A total of N = 106 people completed the telephone interview. The most frequent clinician-rated diagnoses were attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD; n = 29, 27.4%) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD; n = 24, 22.6%). The mean Patient Health Questionnaire-9 sum score was 10.91 (SD = 5.71) and the majority of participants (n = 56, 52.8%) reported clinically relevant depressive symptoms. A low self-rated medical care provision was significantly associated with higher depressive symptom load. In a regression analysis, higher perceived stress levels and low medical care provision significantly predicted depressive symptoms. Furthermore, 38.1% (n = 40) reported to feel relieved as a result of the restrictions and, due to previous experience in dealing with crisis, half of the participants (n = 53, 50.5%) stated they were better able to deal with the current situation than the general population. CONCLUSIONS: This study emphasizes the importance of maintenance of medical care provision for people with mental disorders, as cancelled or postponed treatment appointments and perceived stress were associated with higher depressive symptoms. Regular treatment services showed to have a protective effect. In addition, a majority of people with mental disorders felt prepared for managing the COVID pandemic due to existing crisis management abilities. These resources should also be taken into account for further future treatment considerations. TRIAL REGISTRATION: German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00022071).

Obsessive beliefs prospectively predict adherence to safety behaviours related to COVID-19 through obsessive-compulsive symptoms and COVID-19 distress: A serial multiple mediator analysis.

Obsessive-compulsive tendencies may render individuals vulnerable to elevated distress and over-adherence to safety behaviours during illness outbreaks. The present study investigated obsessive beliefs as a predictor of obsessive-compulsive symptoms, COVID-19 distress and the exercise of safety behaviours related to COVID-19 in a community sample. Four hundred seventy-nine participants responded to a questionnaire battery in March 2020 and 218 individuals participated in a follow-up assessment in September 2020. Results indicated that baseline obsessive beliefs predicted the exercise of baseline safety behaviours through obsessive-compulsive symptoms and COVID-19 distress. In addition, the relationship between baseline obsessive beliefs and safety behaviour adoption 6 months later was mediated by later obsessive-compulsive symptoms and COVID-19 distress. Findings extended prior research on the association between obsessive-compulsive phenomena and psychological changes related to illness outbreaks. The implications for prevention and treatment strategies are discussed.

Resilience predicts positive mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic in New Yorkers with and without obsessive-compulsive disorder.

There has been substantial concern about the mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for those with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) given the overlap between OCD symptoms (e.g., excessive handwashing) and appropriate disease prevention measures. However, the pandemic has demonstrated heterogeneous mental health effects, suggesting that individual-level factors could play a role in buffering or exacerbating its deleterious impact. This study aimed to understand how individual differences in resilience were associated with trajectories of obsessive-compulsive, depression, and anxiety symptoms among healthy adults and those with OCD residing in New York City, considered the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States at its onset. The sample consisted of healthy individuals (n = 30) and people with OCD (n = 33) who completed clinical interviews and self-report questionnaires that assessed baseline resilience, OCD symptoms, depression, anxiety, and perceived positive effects of the pandemic at four assessment timepoints: baseline (April 2020) and one, two, and six months later. Linear mixed-effects growth models revealed that greater resilience was associated with stable trajectories of symptoms over time. Conversely, less resilience was associated with worsening obsessive-compulsive symptoms from the two-month to six-month assessment timepoints and worsening depressive symptoms at six months across both groups, and with worsening anxiety symptoms in individuals with OCD at six months. Resilience was correlated with the ability to appreciate "silver linings" of the pandemic. These findings highlight resilience as a potential treatment target for bolstering mental health outcomes among individuals with and without psychopathology during sustained and unprecedented periods of stress.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Preliminary Findings From a Study in the United Arab Emirates.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic among the general population of the United Arab Emirates.Methods: An online survey of a convenience sample was conducted between October 2020 and January 2021. The Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) was used to assess symptoms of OCD. The rate of OCD symptoms in those who had positive COVID-19 test results was compared with those who had no previous COVID-19 diagnosis.Results: The total number of participants was 702, including 371 males and 325 females (6 skipped the question regarding sex). Most participants reported no previous psychiatric history (84.3%). Previous psychiatric diagnoses were reported by 15.7% of participants (n = 110) and included generalized anxiety (27.3%), phobia (1.8%), depression (19.1%), bipolar mood disorder (1.8%), OCD (6.3%), and panic attacks (8.2%). There were 39 (5.6%) participants who had past psychiatric history but were unsure of the exact diagnosis. Presence of history of OCD for the total sample was reported by 7 (1%) participants. A family history of OCD was reported by 34 (4.8%) participants. A total of 218 (31.1%) participants scored mild, moderate, severe, or extreme OCD symptoms. Clinically significant OCD symptoms were reported by 75 participants (10.7% of the total sample). The mean (SD) score of the Y-BOCS was 6.63 (7.13) for the COVID-positive group and 4.9 (6.34) for the COVID-negative group, which was statistically significant (P = .0008).Conclusions: The study findings indicate an increased prevalence of OCD during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is significantly higher among people with positive COVID-19 infection compared to those with negative COVID-19 test results.

Mental health and perceived impact during the first Covid-19 pandemic year: A longitudinal study in Dutch case-control cohorts of persons with and without depressive, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the longer-term impact of the Covid-19 pandemic beyond the first months of 2020, particularly for people with pre-existing mental health disorders. Studies including pre-pandemic data from large psychiatric cohorts are scarce. METHODS: Between April 2020 and February 2021, twelve successive online questionnaires were distributed among participants of the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety, Netherlands Study of Depression in Older Persons, and Netherlands Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Association Study (N = 1714, response rate 62%). Outcomes were depressive symptoms, anxiety, worry, loneliness, perceived mental health impact of the pandemic, fear of Covid-19, positive coping, and happiness. Using linear mixed models we compared trajectories between subgroups with different pre-pandemic chronicity of disorders and healthy controls. RESULTS: Depressive, anxiety and worry symptoms were stable since April-May 2020 whereas happiness slightly decreased. Furthermore, positive coping steadily decreased and loneliness increased - exceeding pre-Covid and April-May 2020 levels. Perceived mental health impact and fear of Covid-19 fluctuated in accordance with national Covid-19 mortality rate changes. Absolute levels of all outcomes were poorer with higher chronicity of disorders, yet trajectories did not differ among subgroups. LIMITATIONS: The most vulnerable psychiatric groups may have been underrepresented and results may not be generalizable to lower income countries. CONCLUSIONS: After a year, levels of depressive and worry symptoms remained higher than before the pandemic in healthy control groups, yet not in psychiatric groups. Nevertheless, persistent high symptoms in psychiatric groups and increasing loneliness in all groups are specific points of concern for mental health care professionals.

The impact of COVID-19 on patients with OCD: A one-year follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, concerns regarding its psychological effects on people with preexisting psychiatric disorders have been raised, particularly obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Nevertheless, only a few longitudinal studies have been performed, and a more longstanding follow-up of a clinical sample is needed. In this study, our aim was to investigate the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on symptom changes in a sample of Brazilian OCD patients for about a one-year period. METHODS: Thirty OCD outpatients seen in a specialized OCD clinic in Rio de Janeiro were evaluated at baseline and after one year (during the pandemic). Sociodemographic and clinical variables were collected along with a questionnaire aimed at quantifying the number of stressful events related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Comparisons between two time points (pre vs. during COVID-19) and two subgroups (patients with vs without worsening of symptoms) were carried out. RESULTS: As a group, OCD patients treated with SRIs had an overall stabilization of symptoms throughout the follow-up period, regardless of the number of stressful experiences related to coronavirus (median baseline YBOCS remained 22.0 at follow-up). In addition, when individually analyzed, even those who reported an increase in their symptoms did not describe a greater number of COVID-19 related events. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with OCD, who were under treatment, did not show significant symptom deterioration as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Individual variations in OCD symptom severity did not seem to be related to experiences linked to coronavirus.