EXPLORING SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC AND CLINICAL CORRELATES OF OLDER ADULTS WITH OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER: A REPORT FROM THE INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE OF OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDERS (ICOCS)

Abstract

. Introduction Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic and disabling condition, often showing an early onset (1). OCD has been extensively studied in adults, adolescents, and children, but a critial gap remains in the clinical characterization of older patients (2). The present study was aimed to assess prevalence of geriatric OCD (G-OCD ≥ 65 years) and associated sociodemographic and clinical correlates of geriatric OCD in a large international sample of OCD patients. Methods Data of 416 outpatients recruited by different OCD Clinics worldwide, participating in the International College of Obsessive-compulsive Spectrum Disorders (ICOCS) network (3), were assessed and first categorized into 2 groups, age Results Patients with G-OCD represented a significant minority of the overall sample (n=24, 6% of the total sample vs age When the whole sample was divided on the basis of the median age (age Conclusions The present international multicenter study revealed a significantly lower rate of patients with age ≥ 65 years compared to patients younger than 65 years. Patients with G-OCD showed a significantly higher age at onset and rate of adult onset compared to non-geriatric patients. Moreover, in G-OCD patients CBT was less frequently utilized. Subgroups divided on the basis of the median age of the sample showed that the age ≥ 42 years group had a significantly later onset of illness and higher rate of adult onset and female gender.