[Quality of life in individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder: a review].
OBJECTIVE
Obsessive-compulsive disorder affects between 1.6 and 3.1% of the population. Due to the distress caused by obsessive-compulsive disorder leading to disability as well as the prevalence of the disease, there has been an increase in the number of studies focusing on the general well-being of patients by assessing quality of life.


METHODS
A literature review of the studies that investigated the quality of life of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder was performed. The search was carried out in the following database: Medline, SciELO and PsychoInfo, and the following key-words were used "quality of life" and "obsessive-compulsive disorder". Twenty-seven articles about the topic were selected. The results from this study describe the areas most severely affected by the disorder as well as the relationship between obsessive-compulsive disorder and quality of life. In addition, the effects of the treatment on the patients' quality of life are presented.


RESULTS
The social and familial relationships and the occupational performance (capacity to work and study) were the areas most severely affected by the disorder, and, although there was an improvement with the treatment, these areas remain at a poor level of performance. The obsessions were associated with the most significant impairment of the quality of life if compared to the compulsions (rituals).


CONCLUSIONS
Results from the selected studies suggest that obsessive-compulsive disorder patients have an impairment of quality of life. The level of impairment is similar to that of schizophrenic patients. Future studies with different designs are necessary so that more consistent results can be established.
Niederauer
Kátia Gomes
KG
Departamento de Psiquiatria, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. katianied@brturbo.com.br
Braga
Daniela Tusi
DT
Souza
Fernanda Pasquoto de
FP
Meyer
Elizabeth
E
Cordioli
Aristides Volpato
AV
D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000150:complications; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D005195:Family Relations; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012919:Social Behavior