19 pandemic and obsessive compulsive disorder. How does the COVID-19 pandemic influence symptoms in obsessive compulsive disorder patients?

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant psychological impact on the mental state of both healthy and psychiatric patients. The authors involved 34 obsessive-compulsive patients in their study. The patient group included both patients with and without symptoms of contamination, patients with and without COVID-19 infection, and patients with and without continuous, available therapy. Changes in general condition as a result of the pandemic that had existed for nearly two years, adherence to health standards, and changes in compulsive symptoms were assessed. The results show that the non-specific stress effect of the pandemic significantly less affected those patients who are under care compared to those who did not receive therapy. However, the characteristics of the symptomatic picture and the fact of COVID infection did not significantly affect the general condition of the patients, their adherence to the health regulations, and the change in compulsive symptoms. The main finding of the study is that psychiatric, psychotherapeutic patient follow-up is the most important factor in the prevention of deterioration, and neither the symptomatic dimension (symptomatic subgroup) nor COVID infection played a significant role. The results support that in such an acute and persistent stress situation as a pandemic, the continuous availability of professional help and the appropriate therapeutic relationship is one of the most important protective factors in relapse prevention.