Obsessive-compulsive disorder: psychosocial consequences and quality of life. A review

The considerable restrictions and psychosocial consequences associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are often multiform and expansive. The subjective distress perceived by individuals with OCD is influenced by multidimensional and interindividually varying factors beyond symptom severity. Therefore, besides symptom scales, generic (general) and illness-specific measures of quality of life (QoL) represent important markers of well-being. The repeatedly described serious consequences of OCD in social, functional, and emotional fields, which often persist even after treatment, refer to the necessity to increasingly address these aspects in treatment planning. Interventions would be desirable which directly involve the patient's social environment and more specifically target those problems which are associated with the present symptom dimension (e.g., contamination/washing).