The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Little is known about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The main aim of this study was to investigate how the pandemic has affected OCD patients and the relationship between the clinical features and the fear and obsession with COVID-19. METHODS: A total of 30 consecutive patients with OCD and 30 age-and sex-matched healthy controls were included in this cross-sectional study. Based on retrospective information provided by the patients, we evaluated changes in the severity of their OCD during the pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period. We compared patients with OCD and healthy subjects using scores obtained from various scales. RESULTS: We found that symptom severity worsened in 60% of OCD patients during the pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period, remained unchanged in 30%, and improved in 10%. The levels of obsession with COVID-19 were found to be higher in OCD patients than in healthy control subjects. The levels of fear of and obsession with COVID-19 both correlated with the anxiety levels of patients with OCD and healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the levels of COVID-19 related fear and obsession are not linked to the severity of OCD, but to anxiety levels. Key pointsObsessive-compulsive symptom severity worsened in 60% of OCD patients in the pandemic.COVID-19 obsession levels were higher in OCD patients than healthy controls.COVID-19 fear levels did not differ between the OCD and healthy control groups.COVID-19 obsession levels were correlated with anxiety severity in OCD and healthy control groups.

Predictors of discontinuation and hospitalization during long-acting injectable antipsychotic treatment in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder.

The aim of this study was to evaluate discontinuation and hospitalization rates in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder who were treated with long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics. We recorded clinical data about the period before the LAI treatment, when LAI treatment was initiated, and during the LAI treatment. Variables related to early (<8 weeks) and other LAI discontinuations and hospitalization were analyzed. Out of 452 patients, 14.4% of them discontinued their LAI treatment before 8 weeks, another 24.8% of the patients stopped their LAI by themselves later. Early discontinuers were younger, had shorter duration of illness, and less educated. Sixty-two (27.2%) of the patients were hospitalized under LAI treatment and 40% of the hospitalizations occurred in initial 6 months. Rate of hospitalization was 36.1% in the group who discontinued LAI after 8 weeks. In logistic regression analysis, younger age, history of combined antipsychotic treatment, number of hospitalizations before LAI, use of LAI for less than 6 months and alcohol abuse under LAI treatment were found related to hospitalization. Our findings suggested that discontinuation and hospitalization are still common among the patients who were treated with LAI antipsychotics.