Obsessive-compulsive disorder: conceptual and clinical aspects

Abstract

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic, prevalent, and disabling psychiatric disorder that affects people of all ages and may have been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to review conceptual and clinical aspects of OCD, including its history, diagnosis, symptom dimensions, etiology, assessment, prevention, and treatment. The history of OCD shows the transition from religious to medical conceptions. The main symptoms of OCD involve the presence of obsessive thoughts and compulsive acts, which can manifest themselves in four dimensions: ‘contamination and cleanliness’, ‘order and symmetry’, ‘doubt and verification’, and ‘disgusting thoughts and mental rituals’. This heterogeneity in the manifestation of OCD can make it difficult to understand its causes and to compare treatment responses. OCD management involves symptom assessment; prevention through psychoeducation and reducing family accommodation; pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatment. First-line treatments involves the administration of serotonin reuptake inhibitor drugs and/or cognitive-behavioral therapy, with exposure and ritual avoidance techniques, and cognitive reappraisal.