Treatment seeking for obsessive-compulsive disorder: Role of obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms and comorbid psychiatric diagnoses☆☆☆★
Abstract
Previous research has indicated that individuals afflicted with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have a very low rate of seeking help from mental health professionals. From standardized psychiatric interviews of 7,214 residents of Edmonton, Canada, we identified 172 subjects with a lifetime diagnosis of OCD; 63 (36.6%) had consulted a doctor about their symptoms. Total number of OCD symptoms (odds ratio [OR] = 2.23) and severe obsessions of violence and other unpleasant thoughts (OR = 2.52) were significantly associated with treatment seeking in multivariate analysis. The absence of association between compulsions and treatment seeking was corroborated by a very low prevalence of treatment seeking (17.3%) in individuals suffering from compulsions only. Our findings suggest that there is a need to teach the public about compulsions, and such a strategy may enhance future public health education programs. Copyright 2003, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.
Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Community Studies, Sir Mortimer B. Davis-Jewish General Hospital, Montreal; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
☆ Supported by the National Health Research and Development Program, Alberta Mental Health Research Fund, and Alberta Health. Preparation of this paper was also supported by an Investigator Award (Fonds de la Recherche en Santé du Québec) to G.G.F.
☆☆ Address reprint requests to Guillaume Galbaud du Fort, M.D, Ph.D, Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Community Studies,, The Sir Mortimer B. Davis-Jewish General Hospital, 3755 Côte Ste-Catherine, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3T 1E2.
ABSTRACT