%0 Journal Article
%T Pregnancy-induced obsessive compulsive disorder: a case report
%A Harish Kalra
%A Rajul Tandon
%A Jitendra Trivedi
%A Aleksandar Janca
%J Annals of General Psychiatry
%D 2005
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1744-859x-4-12
%X Pregnancy and the postpartum period are known to influence the onset and course of various psychiatric disorders such as mood disorders, psychotic disorders, and anxiety disorders. [1-3] There is considerable evidence that suggests the role of stressful events, including pregnancy and childbirth, in precipitating or exacerbating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). [4] Various studies have evaluated the role of pregnancy in OCD and have reported onset and exacerbation of OCD in a significant percentage of their study groups. [5-7]Postpartum OCD has been described as having onset within the first three weeks of delivery. [8,9] Here we report a patient whose OCD had its onset during pregnancy and remitted following delivery. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing onset of OCD during pregnancy with spontaneous complete recovery following delivery.A 30-year old primigravida woman presented to the outpatient department in the fourth month of gestation. She had no past history of psychiatric illness. Her chief complaints were contamination obsessions and washing compulsions in the preceding one month. Preoccupied with thoughts of contamination, she had started spending the majority of time washing herself or cleaning various household items. She described these thoughts as being her own and recognised them to be "irrational", but she could not resist them. She was distressed and unable to maintain her employment. Washing compulsions relieved her anxiety. However, she could not offer an explanation as to what she feared about contamination. No depressive or psychotic symptoms were elicited. Biochemical investigations, including metabolic and thyroid function studies, were in the normal range. She was diagnosed with OCD according to ICD-10 criteria [10].Pharmacotherapy, offered at the first consultation, was refused by the patient because of her (non-obsessional) concerns about teratogenic effects of drugs. Behavioural therapy in the form of thoug
%U http://www.annals-general-psychiatry.com/content/4/1/12