Several studies have shown a relation between childhood traumas and the severity of anxiety, depression, psychosis and bipolar disorder. Furthermore, OCD symptoms may proceed several years after the epidemic. It is known that trauma may be a trigger of OCD symptoms or may contribute to a worsening of symptoms in people already suffering from OCD. Thus, over a few weeks, children and adolescents were demanded to stay at home, the parents were asked to maintain school work for their children supervised by the teachers on virtual media, most families experienced a feeling of isolation not being able to interact with other people, and children and adolescents were recommended not to meet with more than one friend at a time. Furthermore, gatherings of more than 100, later 10 persons were prohibited. On March 11th, the Danish government initiated a shutdown of Denmark demanding all public employees with non-essential tasks to work from home, and all schools and day-care centers were closed. Thereafter, both Danish and international media gave daily rapports on the COVID-19 situation, the State Health Organization in Denmark created a special home-page as to ensure full and updated information, and the Danish government gave frequent talks about the situation. The first case of COVID-19 in Denmark was detected on February 27th, 2020, and the first patient died on March 11th. The virus spread extensively and fast over borders resulting in a global crisis. ĬOVID-19 pandemic became a global reality in late winter 2019/spring 2020. In children and adolescents, OCD often has a major impact on their everyday life. Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a frequent and distressing psychiatric disorder characterized by unwanted thoughts, images or urges, and repetitive behaviors or mental acts which occur in response to an experienced anxiety or unpleasant feelings. Oral and written information was given to parents and patients and written consent from patients over 15 years and parents were received. The study is approved by the Danish Data Protection Agency (1–16–02-147-20) registered 1st of April 2020. The study points towards an influence of the OCD phenotype, baseline insight suggesting a continued vulnerability, and a family history of psychiatric disorders. The effect was examined in two separate populations strengthening the findings. To our knowledge, this is one of the first studies examining the effect of COVID-19 in children/adolescents with OCD. The worsening was most pronounced in children with early age of onset and a family history of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Poor baseline insight showed a trend to predict a symptom worsening. For both groups, OCD aggressive symptoms predicted a significant worsening. The aggravation of OCD correlated with the worsening of anxiety, depressive symptoms, and the extent of avoidance behavior. In both groups, but most pronounced in the survey group, participants experienced a worsening of their OCD, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. For the clinical group, data from patient files was available. Most of these children/adolescents were diagnosed years ago, and their primary treatment was completed. The other group was a survey group identified through the Danish OCD Association. All the children/adolescents had a current close contact to a therapist or doctor. One group was a clinical group newly diagnosed at a specialized OCD clinic. MethodsĪ questionnaire was distributed to two separate groups of children/adolescents. The present study aimed to examine how children/adolescents with OCD react towards COVID-19 crisis. Little is known about children/adolescents with OCD. COVID-19 pandemic has coursed a global crisis and has been associated with onset of psychiatric disorders in adults. Traumas may trigger or aggravate OCD symptoms. Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a distressing psychiatric disorder.
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