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Multicenter Study
. 2022 Oct:154:293-299.
doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.07.058. Epub 2022 Aug 5.

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

Beatrice Benatti  1 , Umberto Albert  2 , Giuseppe Maina  3 , Laura Celebre  4 , Nicolaja Girone  4 , Stefano Bramante  3 , Sylvia Rigardetto  5 , Caterina Viganò  4 , Bernardo Dell'Osso  6
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

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

Beatrice Benatti et al. J Psychiatr Res. 2022 Oct.

Abstract

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.

Keywords: Avoidance; COVID-19; Internet-checking; Obsessive compulsive disorder; Suicidal ideation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest Authors have no conflicts of interest to declare in relation to the content of the present article.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Comparison of clinical features between OCD patients with vs without clinical worsening. **p < 0.005 *p < 0.005 ^p < 0.05.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Comparison of clinical features between male and female OCD patients with clinical worsening. **p < 0.005 *p < 0.005 ^p < 0.05.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Comparison of OW patients between first and second waves of COVID-19. **p < 0.005 *p < 0.005 ^p < 0.05.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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