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The obsessive–compulsive spectrum in the perinatal period: a prospective pilot study

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Abstract

This study aims to describe the phenomenology of obsessive–compulsive symptoms (OCS) and disorders (OCD) in perinatal women and to explore the relationship of OCS/OCD to postpartum depression. A prospective longitudinal study of 44 women screened with the Obsessive–Compulsive Inventory—Revised (OCI-R) and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) between 30 and 37 weeks of pregnancy. Twenty-four women completed a diagnostic interview and the Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) before delivery and were contacted postpartum to repeat the EPDS and Y-BOCS. In the third trimester, 32% reported high levels of anxiety and/or depressive symptoms (EPDS ≥ 10 and/or OCI-R ≥ 15) and 29% of those who completed the diagnostic interview met criteria for OCD. At 1 month postpartum, 12.5% had new OCS (Y-BOCS ≥ 8) and 25% had new high levels of depressive symptoms (EPDS ≥ 10). OCS increased in intensity postpartum but did not change in character. OCD and OCS may be of greater prevalence during the perinatal period than previously recognized. The high rates provide new information and require replication in larger, more diverse populations. Research in the perinatal period must expand beyond the exploration of depression to include anxiety disorders and specifically OCD.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the women who participated in the study and acknowledge Holly I.M. Wadkins and Elizabeth Anson for their contributions in data collection and management.

Funding

Funding for this project was provided by a grant from the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation (Chaudron). Dr. Chaudron’s work on this study was also supported in part by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health Award K23 MH64476 (Chaudron).

Disclosures

No conflicts of interest for Dr. Chaudron or Dr. Nirodi.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester School of Medicine, 300 Crittenden Blvd, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA

    Linda H. Chaudron

  2. Department of Psychiatry, The Permanente Medical Group, Santa Clara, CA, 95014, USA

    Neha Nirodi

Authors
  1. Linda H. Chaudron
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  2. Neha Nirodi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Linda H. Chaudron.

Additional information

Dr. Nirodi contributed to this study during her residency at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry.

Preliminary data were presented at the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation Annual Meeting in Houston, TX, in July 2007.

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Chaudron, L.H., Nirodi, N. The obsessive–compulsive spectrum in the perinatal period: a prospective pilot study. Arch Womens Ment Health 13, 403–410 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-010-0154-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-010-0154-6

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