title: Course of obsessive-compulsive disorder during early postpartum period: a prospective analysis of 16 cases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the current study was to prospectively examine a course of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) during the early postpartum period.
  
  
  METHODS
  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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results from a small patient group suggest that some patients may experience a marked improvement in preexisting OCD symptoms after childbirth.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Meram Faculty of Medicine, Selçuk University, 42080 Konya, Turkey. farukuguz@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Faruk
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Uguz
authors.forename: Kazim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gezginc
authors.forename: Ismet Esra
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Zeytinci
authors.forename: Savas
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karatayli
authors.forename: Rustem
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Askin
authors.forename: Ozkan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Guler
authors.forename: Figen Kir
authors.initials: FK
authors.lastname: Sahin
authors.forename: H Murat
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Emul
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ozbulut
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gecici
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012720:Severity of Illness Index