Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the symptomatology and routine of medicated patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

OBJECTIVES: To study the COVID-19 impact on the routine of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and putative changes in their symptoms and suicidal-related behavior, mainly in those with cleaning symptoms.

METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study in which 58 patients completed an online self-report questionnaire comprising: the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R); Coronavirus Stress and Traumatic Events Scale (COROTRAS); Coronavirus Health Impact Survey (CRISIS); Beck Anxiety and Beck Depression Inventories; and suicide-related behaviors questionnaire. Specifically regarding the last three measures, comparisons with another pre-pandemic sample (n=524) were performed.

RESULTS: During the pandemic, patients spent more days inside their homes (x²=33.39, p-value=0.007), changed their patterns of alcohol consumption (x²=87.6, p-value < 0.001), and increased usage of social media (x²=68.83, p-value < 0.001). Participants with cleaning symptoms did not significantly differ from those without it in relation to stress, anxiety/depressive symptoms, and suicidal-related behaviors. Finally, our sample did not differ from an equivalent OCD sample assessed before the pandemic in terms of anxiety and depressive symptom severity, and suicidal-related behaviors.

CONCLUSION: Overall, patients with OCD did not show changes in their lifestyle associated with higher stress levels during the pandemic. Patients with and without cleaning symptoms and patients before and during the pandemic also presented similar results.