title: Quality of life changes following inpatient and outpatient treatment in obsessive-compulsive disorder: a study with 12 months follow-up.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Quality of life (QoL) is increasingly recognized as a critical outcome parameter in mental health studies. The aim of this study was to investigate different domains of the QoL in persons with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) before and after a multimodal, disorder-specific in- and outpatient treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data of 73 persons with OCD treated in an inpatient setting followed by outpatient treatment were analyzed. The World Health Organization Quality of Life abbreviated (a multidimensional measure of the QoL) and the Beck Depression Inventory were administered prior to (baseline) and 12 months after the inpatient treatment (follow-up).
  
  
  RESULTS
  At baseline, participants reported a significantly diminished psychological, social, physical, and global QoL compared to the German general population. Environmental QoL was not impaired in the present sample. The QoL was significantly improved at follow-up, except for social QoL, but remained below norm values. The QoL improvement was predicted by improvements of depressive symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicate that persons with OCD suffer from a very low QoL. The QoL was significantly improved after 12 months of intensive state-of-the-art treatment. However, the QoL indices remained considerably lower than population norm values, indicating the need for additional research into novel treatment options for persons with OCD.
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Freiburg, Hauptstraße 5, 79104, Freiburg, Germany. elisabeth.hertenstein@uniklinik-freiburg.de.
authors: Elisabeth
authors: E
authors: Hertenstein
authors: Nicola
authors: N
authors: Thiel
authors: Nirmal
authors: N
authors: Herbst
authors: Tobias
authors: T
authors: Freyer
authors: Christoph
authors: C
authors: Nissen
authors: Anne Katrin
authors: AK
authors: Külz
authors: Ulrich
authors: U
authors: Voderholzer