Open J Psychiatry Allied Sci. 2025 Jan 8. Epub ahead of print.

Life events and obsessive-compulsive disorder: is there a link?

Sarkhel S, Mehta VS, Rai S, Praharaj SK.

Abstract

Background: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic disabling anxiety disorder affecting one to three per cent of the population. Among environmental factors affecting the disorder, stressful life events have been hypothesised to play an important role. Studies exploring the role of life events in OCD have reported conflicting results. Methodology: Thirty patients fulfilling the Diagnostic Criteria for Research (DCR) of the tenth revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) for OCD were rated with the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAM-A), and the Presumptive Stressful Life Events Scale (PSLES). Thirty healthy controls were also rated on PSLES. Both groups were compared in terms of occurrence of life events in last one year and lifetime. Results: There were significantly higher life events in the previous one year period (t=2.44, p=0.018) in patient group as compared to controls, whereas there was no difference in lifetime PSLES scores. The perceived stress score in past one year on PSLES was significantly higher for the personal events among the patients as compared to controls (t=2.56, p=0.013), but the difference was not significant for impersonal events. Conclusion: Life events were significantly more frequent in OCD patients in last one year as compared to healthy controls. The severity of OC symptoms, however, was not found to be related to the number of life events.

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