Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Limited to Pregnancy

Iancu, Iulian; Lepkifker, Elie; Dannon, Pinhas N.; Kotler, Moshe

doi:10.1159/000288999

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…3 For example, it appears that contamination obsessions and washing or cleaning rituals are prevalent during pregnancy, while postpartum OCD tends to be manifested as ego-dystonic intrusive obsessional thoughts of harming the infant, accompanied by avoidance behaviors or checking rituals. 3-8 In contrast to the gradual onset of typical OCD, postpartum OCD appears to be characterized by the rapid onset of obsessional symptoms after the birth, with onset as early as the second postpartum day with a mean time to onset of 2.2 to 3.7 weeks. 7,9 OCD in pregnancy and the postpartum period often goes undiagnosed and thus untreated, resulting in adversity for the patient, her family, and the newborn.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Onset and Exacerbation of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period

Forray

Focseneanu²,

Pittman³

et al. 2010

J. Clin. Psychiatry

134

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Background The primary goal of this study was to examine the impact of pregnancy, childbirth and menstruation on the onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and/or exacerbation of OCD symptoms. Method One hundred twenty-six women attending a university-based OCD clinic aged 18-69 years who met DSM-IV criteria for OCD according to the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Disorders were interviewed retrospectively to assess OCD onset and symptom exacerbation in relationship to reproductive events. Women were placed into two groups: ever pregnant (Preg) and never pregnant (NPreg). The Preg group was further subdivided into those who reported onset of OCD in the perinatal period (perinatal-related, PR) and those that denied onset related to pregnancy (non-perinatal-related, NR). Between groups comparisons were done using a Student’s t-test for continuous measures and categorical variables were assessed using the chi-square test. Results Of the 76 women in the Preg group, 32.1% (N = 25) had OCD onset in the perinatal period (PR group), 15.4% in pregnancy, 15.4% at postpartum, and 1.3% following miscarriage. Out of 132 total pregnancies, 34.1% involved an exacerbation of symptoms, 22.0% involved an improvement in OCD symptoms, and 43.9% did not change symptom severity in women with pre-existing illness. Women in the PR group and women with perinatal worsening of pre-existing OCD were more likely to have premenstrual worsening of OCD symptoms compared to NR women (65.5% vs. 39.3%, p = 0.047). Conclusion Findings from this study provide additional evidence that pregnancy and childbirth are frequently associated with the onset of OCD or worsening of symptoms in those with pre-existing disorder. In addition, there appears to be continuity between OCD onset and/or exacerbation across the reproductive life cycle, at least with menstruation and pregnancy.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Onset and Exacerbation of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period

Forray

Focseneanu²,

Pittman³

et al. 2010

J. Clin. Psychiatry

134

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Although the number and severity of stressful life events generally do not differentiate individuals with OCD from individuals without OCD, childbirth is the one specific event that individuals with OCD endorse more frequently than other stressful life events (Albert, Maina, & Bogetto, 2000;Maina, Albert, Bogetto, Vaschetto, & Ravizza, 1999). Several researchers have demonstrated that, at least in a subset of vulnerable women, OCD develops or worsens during pregnancy and continues to cause distress in the postpartum period (Altemus, 2001;Diaz, Grush, Sichel, & Cohen, 1997), although several cases of OCD limited to pregnancy (e.g., Iancu, Lepkifker, Dannon, & Kotler, 1995) and the puerprium (e.g., Hertzberg, Leo, & Kim, 1997) have been documented. In their case series of 15 women who developed postpartum OCD, Sichel, Cohen, Dimmock, and Rosenbaum (1993) determined through a retrospective chart review that eight women had no previous psychiatric history, and seven had histories of either panic disorder (PD) or generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Anxiety symptoms and disorders at eight weeks postpartum

Wenzel

Haugen

Jackson

et al. 2005

Journal of Anxiety Disorders

310

211

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“…Of the other available literature, Sichel and colleagues 1819 described 15 women referred to a postpartum psychiatric disorders service who had postpartum new-onset obsessions without compulsions. Iancu and colleagues 20 presented the case of a young woman who developed OCD during her only pregnancy and recovered completely after giving birth to a healthy child. Finally, Williams and colleagues 21 retrospectively examined the relationship among pregnancy, the puerperium, the premenstruum, and the course of OCD in 57 women.…”

Section: Type Of Recent Life Eventsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Recent Life Events in the Onset of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Albert

Maina²,

Bogetto³

et al. 2000

CNS spectr.

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Although many investigations into the onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) suggest the occurrence of potential life events as triggering factors, such an association has not been well studied to date. The purpose of the present paper is to review the literature on OCD onset in order to determine whether OCD is triggered by recent life events, what specific events may serve as triggers, and the clinical and research implications of these factors. Overall, the available studies do not consistently support the theory that OCD is triggered by specific antecedent life events. However, there is a body of evidence to support the theory that the specific life events of pregnancy and birth of a child can trigger OCD. This apparent association has led to the investigation of certain neurohormonal factors, including changes in estrogen or oxytocin levels, that may be of etiopathogenetic significance in OCD. Confirming such associations may allow clinicians to provide more targeted preventive and therapeutic interventions.

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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Limited to Pregnancy

Cited by 6 publications

References 20 publications

Onset and Exacerbation of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period

Onset and Exacerbation of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period

Anxiety symptoms and disorders at eight weeks postpartum

The Role of Recent Life Events in the Onset of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

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