Hostname: page-component-7dd5485656-npwhs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-10-31T12:56:02.777Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A Review on Quality of Life and Depression in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 November 2014

Steffen Moritz
Steffen Moritz*
Affiliation:
Dr. Moritz is head of the neurocognitive unit of the psychiatric hospital at the, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorfin, Germany.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Quality of life (QoL) is increasingly recognized as a pivotal outcome parameter in research on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). While the concept remains somewhat ill-defined, there is now little dispute that the patients’ personal goals deserve foremost consideration during the course of treatment as the primary aim of treatment should be relief from individual despair, which is related but by no means synonymous to symptom reduction. Studies using generic (ie, illness-unspecific) instruments have confirmed poor QoL in OCD patients across a wide range of domains, especially with respect to social, work role functioning, and mental health aspects. Scores are sometimes as low as those obtained by patients with schizophrenia. Depression and obsessions are the symptom clusters that most strongly contribute to low QoL. Findings from a novelsurvey of 105 OCD participants point to multiple daily life problems, poor work status, and tense social networks in these patients. In order to achieve therapeutic success and improve QoL, functional problems at work and comorbid disorders such as secondary depression and physical impairments should be targeted. While successful treatment sometimes positively impacts well-being, in some studies symptom decline did not translate into improved QoL.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
CNS Spectrums , Volume 13 , Issue S14 , 2008 , pp. 16 - 22
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

1.Bullinger, M, Kirchberger, I. SF-36. Fragebogen zum Gesundheitszustand. Göttingen (Germany): Hogrefe; 1998.Google Scholar
2.Mendlowicz, MV, Stein, MB. Quality of life in individuals with anxiety disorders. Am J Psychiatry. 2000;157(5):669–682.Google Scholar
3.World Health Organization. Basic Documents. 6th ed. Geneva (Switzerland): WHO Press; 2006.Google Scholar
4.Ware, JE, Kosinski, M, Gandek, B. SF-36 Health Survey. Manual and Interpretation Guide. Lincoln, RI: QualityMetric Incorporated; 1993.Google Scholar
5.Skevington, SM, Lotfy, M, O’Connell, KA. The World Health Organization’s WHOQOL-BREF quality of life assessment: Psychometric properties and results of the international field trial. A Report from the WHOQOL Group. Quality of Life Res. 2004;13(2):299–310.Google Scholar
6.Koran, LM, Thienemann, ML, Davenport, R. Quality of life for patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 1996;153(6):783–788.Google Scholar
7.Stengler-Wenzke, K, Kroll, M, Matschinger, H, Angermeyer, MC. Subjective quality of life of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2006;41(8):662–668.Google Scholar
8.Lochner, C, Mogotsi, M, du Toit, PL, Kaminer, D, Niehaus, DJ, Stein, DJ. Quality of life in anxiety disorders: a comparison of obsessive-compulsive disorder, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder. Psychopathol. 2003;36(5):255–262.Google Scholar
9.Bobes, J, Gonzalez, MP, Bascaran, MT, Arango, C, Saiz, PA, Bousono, M. Quality of life and disability in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Eur Psychiatry. 2001;16:239–245.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10.Moritz, S, Rufer, M, Fricke, S, et al.Quality of life in obsessive-compulsive disorder before and after treatment. Compr Psychiatry. 2005;46(6):453–459.Google Scholar
11.Sorensen, CB, Kirkeby, L, Thomsen, PH. Quality of life with OCD. A self-reported survey among members of the Danish OCD Association. Nord J Psychiatry. 2004;58(3):231–236.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12.Eisen, JL, Mancebo, MA, Pinto, A, et al.Impact of obsessive-compulsive disorder on quality of life. Compr Psychiatry. 2006;47(4):270–275.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13.Rodriguez-Salgado, B, Dolengevich-Segal, H, Arrojo-Romero, M, et al.Perceived quality of life in obsessive-compulsive disorder: related factors. BMC Psychiatry. 2006;6:20.Google Scholar
14.Hollander, E, Kwon, JH, Stein, DJ, Broatch, J, Rowland, CT, Himelein, CA. Obsessive-compulsive and spectrum disorders: overview and quality of life issues. J Clin Psychiatry. 1996;57(Suppl 8):3–6.Google Scholar
15.Koran, LM. Quality of life in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2000;23(3):509–517.Google Scholar
16.Stein, DJ, Roberts, M, Hollander, E, Rowland, C, Serebro, P. Quality of life and pharmaco-economic aspects of obsessive-compulsive disorder. A South African survey. S Afr Med J. 1996;86(12 Suppl):1579,1582–1575.Google Scholar
17.Leon, AC, Portera, L, Weissman, MM. The social costs of anxiety disorders. Br J Psychiatry. 1995;Suppl(27):19–22.Google Scholar
18.Mancebo, MC, Greenberg, B, Grant, JE, et al.Correlates of occupational disability in a clinical sample of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Compr Psychiatry. 2008;49(1):43–50.Google Scholar
19.DuPont, RL, Rice, DP, Shiraki, S, Rowland, CR. Economic costs of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Med Interface. 1995;8(4):102–109.Google Scholar
20.Bobes, J, Gonzalez, MP, Bascaran, MT, Arango, C, Saiz, PA, Bousono, M. Quality of life and disability in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Eur Psychiatry. 2001;16(4):239–245.Google Scholar
21.Malik, ML, Connor, KM, Sutherland, SM, Smith, RD, Davison, RM, Davidson, JR. Quality of life and posttraumatic stress disorder: a pilot study assessing changes in SF-36 scores before and after treatment in a placebo-controlled trial of fluoxetine. J Trauma Stress. 1999;12(2):387–393.Google Scholar
22.Quilty, LC, Van Ameringen, M, Mancini, C, Oakman, J, Farvolden, P. Quality of life and the anxiety disorders. J Anxiety Disord. 2003;17(4):405–426.Google Scholar
23.Bystritsky, A, Liberman, RP, Hwang, S, et al.Social functioning and quality of life comparisons between obsessive-compulsive and schizophrenic disorders. Depress Anxiety. 2001;14(4):214–218.Google Scholar
24.Stengler-Wenzke, K, Kroll, M, Matschinger, H, Angermeyer, MC. Quality of life of relatives of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Compr Psychiatry. 2006;47(6):523–527.Google Scholar
25.Masellis, M, Rector, NA, Richter, MA. Quality of life in OCD: differential impact of obsessions, compulsions, and depression comorbidity. Can J Psychiatry. 2003;48(2):72–77.Google Scholar
26.Stengler-Wenzke, K, Kroll, M, Riedel-Heller, S, Matschinger, H, Angermeyer, MC. Quality of life in obsessive-compulsive disorder: the different impact of obsessions and compulsions. Psychopathol. 2007;40(5):282–289.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
27.Monti, M, Sambvani, N, Sacrini, F. Obsessive-compulsive disorders in dermatology. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. 1998;11(2):103–108.Google Scholar
28.Fineberg, NA, O’Doherty, C, Rajagopal, S, Reddy, K, Banks, A, Gale, TM. How common is obsessive-compulsive disorder in a dermatology outpatient clinic? J Clin Psychiatry. 2003;64(2):152–155.Google Scholar
29.Münchau, N, Hand, I, Schaible, R, Lotz, C, Weiss, A. Aufbau von Selbsthilfegruppen für Zwangskranke unter verhaltenstherapeutischer Expertenanleitung: Empirische Ergebnisse [Establishment of behavioural self-help groups for obsessive compulsive disorder by expert training: an experimental study]. Verhaltenstherapie. 1996;6:143–160Google Scholar
30.Moritz, S, Meier, B, Kloss, M, et al.Dimensional structure of the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). Psychiatry Res. 2002;109(2):193–199.Google Scholar
31.Pallanti, S, Hollander, E, Bienstock, C, et al.Treatment non-response in OCD: methodological issues and operational definitions. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2002;5(2):181–191.Google Scholar
32.Abramowitz, JS. Effectiveness of psychological and pharmacological treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder: a quantitative review. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1997;65(1):44–52.Google Scholar
33.Hafner, RJ, Gilchrist, P, Bowling, J, Kalucy, R. The treatment of obsessional neurosis in a family setting. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 1981;15(2):145–151.Google Scholar
34.Fisher, PL, Wells, A. How effective are cognitive and behavioral treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder? A clinical significance analysis. Behav Res Ther. 2005;43(12):1543–1558.Google Scholar
35.Moritz, S, Fricke, S, Jacobsen, D, et al.Positive schizotypal symptoms predict treatment outcome in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Behav Res Ther. 2004;42(2):217–227.Google Scholar
36.Moritz, S, Jelinek, L, Klinge, R, Naber, D. Fight fire with fireflies! Association splitting: A novel cognitive technique to reduce obsessive thoughts. Beh Cogn Psychother. 2007;35(5):631–635.Google Scholar
37.Diefenbach, GJ, Abramowitz, JS, Norberg, MM, Tolin, DF. Changes in quality of life following cognitive-behavioral therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Behav Res Ther. 2007;45(12):3060–3068.Google Scholar
38.Bystritsky, A, Saxena, S, Maidment, K, Vapnik, T, Tarlow, G, Rosen, R. Quality-of-life changes among patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder in a partial hospitalization program. Psychiatr Serv. 1999;50(3):412–414.Google Scholar
39.Tenney, NH, Denys, DA, van Megen, HJ, Glas, G, Westenberg, HG. Effect of a pharmacological intervention on quality of life in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Int Clin Psychopharmacol. 2003;18(1):29–33.Google ScholarPubMed
40.Cordiolia, AV, Heldt, E, Bochia, DB, et al.Cognitive-behavioral group therapy in obsessive-compulsive disorder: A randomized clinical trial. Psychother Psychosom. 2003;72(4):211–216.Google Scholar
41.Norberg, MM, Calamari, JE, Cohen, RJ, Riemann, BC. Quality of life in obsessive-compulsive disorder: an evaluation of impairment and a preliminary analysis of the ameliorating effects of treatment. Depress Anxiety. 2008;25(3):248–259.Google Scholar
42.Besiroglu, L, AS, CI, Askin, R. The predictors of health care seeking behavior in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Compr Psychiatry. 2004;45(2):99–108.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
43.Jones, SR, Fernyhough, C, de-Wit, L, Meins, E. A message in the medium? Assessing the reliability of psychopathology e-questionnaires. Pers Ind Diff. 2008;44(2):349–359.Google Scholar
44.Angst, J, Gamma, A, Endrass, J, et al.Obsessive-compulsive severity spectrum in the community: prevalence, comorbidity, and course. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2004;254(3):156–164.Google Scholar
45.Demal, U, Lenz, G, Mayrhofer, A, Zapotoczky, HG, Zitterl, W. Obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression. A retrospective study on course and interaction. Psychopathol. 1993;26(3-4):145–150.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
46.Sasson, Y, Zohar, J, Chopra, M, Lustig, M, Iancu, I, Hendler, T. Epidemiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder: a world view. J Clin Psychiatry. 1997;58 Suppl 12:7–10.Google Scholar
47.Apter, A, Horesh, N, Gothelf, D, et al.Depression and suicidal behavior in adolescent inpatients with obsessive compulsive disorder. J Affect Disord. 2003;75(2):181–189.Google Scholar
48.Moritz, S, Meier, B, Hand, I, Schick, M, Jahn, H. Dimensional structure of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Psychiatry Res. 2004;125(2):171–180.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
49.Perugi, G, Akiskal, HS, Pfanner, C, et al.The clinical impact of bipolar and unipolar affective comorbidity on obsessive-compulsive disorder. J Affect Disord. 1997;46(1):15–23.Google Scholar
50.Piacentini, J, Bergman, RL, Keller, M, McCracken, J. Functional impairment in children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2003;13 (Suppl 1):S61–69.Google Scholar