Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is still an unrecognised disorder: a study on the recognition of OCD in psychiatric outpatients.
OBJECTIVE
The study aims to investigate the recognition of patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in psychiatric outpatients.


METHODS
A total of 2282 outpatients seen at 14 different psychiatric clinics in South Germany were asked to participate in the study. Five hundred and eighty-nine (30%) of the original 2282 patients met screening criteria for OCD, and of those, 237 (42%) participated in the final interview including DSM-IV diagnosis, and comorbidity.


RESULTS
Sixty-nine of 589 participating patients who screened positively for obsessive symptoms actually had an Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Only 19 (28%) of the outpatients diagnosed with OCD according to DSM-IV criteria were also given this diagnosis by their consultant. The psychopathology scores indicated that the OCD patients had clinically relevant OCD with a mean Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Score (Y-BOCS) of 17.5 (± 5.4), and a mean Clinical Global Impression Score (CGI) of 5.2 (± 1.2).


CONCLUSIONS
In outpatient clinics over 70% of OCD patients remain unrecognised and thus untreated by consultants. Screening questions provide a rapid way of identifying those who may have OCD and should be incorporated into every mental state examination by consultants.
Wahl
K
K
University Clinic of Luebeck, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Luebeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, Luebeck, Germany.
Kordon
A
A
Kuelz
K A
KA
Voderholzer
U
U
Hohagen
F
F
Zurowski
B
B
D000328:Adult; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D010045:Outpatients; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires