OBJECTIVE: The aim of the current study was to prospectively examine a course of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) during the early postpartum period. METHOD: The study data were collected from 16 pregnant women with a diagnosis of OCD according to the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I). Obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms were assessed by the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) before and after childbirth. Psychopharmacologic or psychotherapeutic treatments were not administered over the study period. RESULTS: Scores of the mean Y-BOCS-total and Y-BOCS-obsession were significantly reduced from the basal levels to 6 weeks postnatally. No significant difference was found in terms of Y-BOCS-compulsion between 2 interviews. During the study period, whereas the Y-BOCS-total scores were decreased by at least 25% in 8 (50.0%) of 16 patients, only 1 (6.2%) of 16 patients experienced at least a 25% increase in the same scores. CONCLUSION: The results from a small patient group suggest that some patients may experience a marked improvement in preexisting OCD symptoms after childbirth.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of the current study was to prospectively examine a course of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) during the early postpartum period. METHOD: The study data were collected from 16 pregnant women with a diagnosis of OCD according to the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I). Obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms were assessed by the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) before and after childbirth. Psychopharmacologic or psychotherapeutic treatments were not administered over the study period. RESULTS: Scores of the mean Y-BOCS-total and Y-BOCS-obsession were significantly reduced from the basal levels to 6 weeks postnatally. No significant difference was found in terms of Y-BOCS-compulsion between 2 interviews. During the study period, whereas the Y-BOCS-total scores were decreased by at least 25% in 8 (50.0%) of 16 patients, only 1 (6.2%) of 16 patients experienced at least a 25% increase in the same scores. CONCLUSION: The results from a small patient group suggest that some patients may experience a marked improvement in preexisting OCD symptoms after childbirth.
Authors: Katriina Tiira; Osmo Hakosalo; Lauri Kareinen; Anne Thomas; Anna Hielm-Björkman; Catherine Escriou; Paul Arnold; Hannes Lohi Journal: PLoS One Date: 2012-07-26 Impact factor: 3.240