Handwashing and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder During COVID-19 Concerning Increased Negative Mental Health

Abstract

COVID-19 has been identified as a virus spread to the respiratory system by minute airborne particles. This method of dispersion is in contrast to its originally anticipated large particle fomite transmission. Although COVID-19 dissemination has been found to be airborne, a continuous health directive to limit contagion during the pandemic was to improve handwashing. Persistent handwashing may aggravate obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), diminishing mental health. With a modest value to handwashing in controlling the spread of COVID-19, determining if the handwashing directive increased the incidence of OCD, promoting negative mental health, is pertinent. A limited review of the parameter “handwashing, mental health, COVID-19, OCD” searched six relevant databases. The result was that negative mental health related to increased handwashing was evident both for those already diagnosed with OCD and regarding new cases of OCD throughout the duration of the pandemic. The exception was for those very few OCD patients demonstrating resilience or on stable medication. The conclusion is that health officials are advised to update details of their health directives as information becomes available during a pandemic. Concerning COVID-19, the directive to concentrate on handwashing should have been modified once it was known that spread of the virus by fomite transmission was improbable, as doing so would have reduced the incidence of OCD and improved mental health of those experiencing OCD. Regarding improved mental health, further OCD research is indicated regarding both resilience and stable medication under pandemic conditions when increased hand-washing is advised.