Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is one of the most common of all psychiatric disorders, and is considered to be one of the most disabling of all medical disorders.
People with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) experience obsessions (i.e. repetitive thoughts or images that the person finds intrusive and inappropriate, which lead to an increase in levels of anxiety) and/or compulsions (i.e. repetitive rituals to counter obsessions and lower anxiety). For example, a person may have obsessions about contamination/germs, which lead them to wash their hands repetitively (i.e. the compulsion).
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Who gets OCD?
Around 2-3% of people will develop OCD during the course of their lifetime. It is equally common in males and females, and appears to occur at similar rates throughout the world. OCD normally begins in adolescence or young adulthood, but may be first diagnosed during childhood, especially in boys.
OCD is associated with significant functional impairment; for example, a person with OCD may avoid going to places where they have to use public restrooms because these situations induce their specific obsessive-compulsive symptoms (i.e., obsessions [contamination fears] and/or compulsions [excessive washing]). In children and teenagers, schoolwork is often negatively affected by OCD, mainly because concentration in class is affected by the disorder.
Research into OCD-related functional impairment
Not much research has been done on the functional impairments of children and adolescents with OCD. The few previous studies that have been done suggest that OCD-related functional impairment in childhood/adolescence may differ across cultures. Thus, there is a need to conduct a study of this sort in South Africa, as this will inform the future diagnosis and treatment of South African children and adolescents with OCD.
The University of Cape Town is conducting such a study. It began last year and is continuing this year.
Thus far, the results indicate that children regard more of their OCD-related problems as being significant than do their parents. In addition, parents report that the most significant domain of impairment was in the school setting; child reports, in contrast, show that significant impairments occur in both the school and social domains. Furthermore, parents and children differed in terms of their ratings regarding the most significant individual functional problems (e.g., parents rated “getting ready for bed at night as a significant problem, and children rated “going shopping or trying on clothes” as a significant problem).
Interestingly, these findings differ from those of previous North American and European studies, and thus provide the rationale for future research that will examine the effect of culture on childhood OCD-related functional impairment. This future research will have important implications for the diagnosis and treatment of children with OCD in South Africa.
Therefore, this study has provided the preliminary steps towards reaching the goal of a comprehensive understanding of childhood OCD-related functional impairment, so that clinicians, parents and teachers can work together toward effective early interventions and so possibly prevent the development of long-lasting problematic behaviours.
The study requires the participation of the parent/s and the child/adolescent who has been diagnosed with OCD. The study involves two interviews and the completion of a questionnaire. Participants will be paid R150. Information will be treated as confidential.
If you would like to participate in the study or find out more about it, please contact these researchers in the UCT Department of Psychology: Dr. Kevin Thomas (021-6504608) or Lara Hoppe (0845010385/larahoppe@gmail.com)
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