Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
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Acute exacerbation of OCD symptoms precipitated by media reports of COVID-19

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journal contribution
posted on 2022-03-21, 14:48 authored by I French, John LyneJohn Lyne
The emergence of COVID-19 has recently dominated public discourse given its serious impact on vulnerable patient groups. Advice in relation to reducing risk of contamination has justifiably been circulated widely during the COVID-19 crisis. Contamination fear is a common obsessional theme in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and there is a need for increased research on how infectious disease epidemics affect patients with OCD. We present the case of a lady in her 30s with a history of well-controlled contamination OCD who presented acutely with a significant exacerbation of OCD symptoms precipitated by media reports of COVID-19. The case highlights the potential psychological impacts of infectious disease epidemics on individuals with mental illness. We also highlight some of the risks posed to such patients in response to epidemics such as the COVID-19 crisis.

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The original article is available at https://www.cambridge.org/

Published Citation

French I, Lyne J. Acute exacerbation of OCD symptoms precipitated by media reports of COVID-19. Ir J Psychol Med. 2020;37(4):291-294

Publication Date

21 May 2020

PubMed ID

32434605

Department/Unit

  • Psychiatry

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Version

  • Published Version (Version of Record)