[Post-partum as a specific risk factor for the onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder: clinical-controlled study].
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study is to evaluate the presence of triggering life-events for the onset of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in women (OCD).


METHODS
Clinical controlled study.


METHODS
Service for depressive and anxiety disorders; Department of Neuroscience, Psychiatric Unit, University of Turin.


METHODS
The study compares twenty-nine women with OCD (DSM-IV criteria) with twenty-nine healthy control women matched for demographic features and with twenty-nine women with Bulimia Nervosa (DSM-IV criteria) matched for age, age at onset, education and marital status. All patients were assessed with the Clinical Structured Interview for DSMIII-R (SCID) and with the Interview for Recent Life Event by Paykel. Moreover, OCD patients were assessed with the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and bulimic patients with the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI).


RESULTS
The study demonstrates that the only specific life event that is significantly associated with the onset of OCD is "having a new born child" No significant differences in frequency and severity of stressing life events were found in the three groups.


CONCLUSIONS
The results confirms the findings of our previous study: post partum is the only risk factor for the onset of OCD in female population, compared to healthy control. Furthermore, this research points-out the importance and the specificity of this association showing that post partum is not a risk factor in all psychiatric disorders.
Maina
G
G
Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Servizio per i disturbi depressivi e d'ansia, Università degli Studi di Torino.
Vaschetto
P
P
Ziero
S
S
Di Lorenzo
R
R
Bogetto
F
F
D000328:Adult; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors
Il post partum come fattore di rischio specifico per l'esordio del disturbo ossessivo-compulsivo: studio clinico controllato.