Inanspruchnahme von professioneller Hilfe durch Patienten mit Zwangserkrankungen

BACKGROUND: Several studies have investigated the pathway to psychiatric care. There are no results available for OCD. METHODS: Therefore, 23 patients with OCD were recruited among individuals seeking treatment at our university hospital outpatient clinic for anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders. All patients underwent a semistructured interview aimed at investigating their individual pathways to psychiatric care, to their experiences in the health system and to the first appearances of the psychiatric disorder. RESULTS: Those affected often trivialize and normalize the first symptoms of OCD. Also, in many cases, family members of OCD-patients do not understand the first symptoms of OCD. Contrary to patients with depression and anxiety disorder, OCD-patients often choose psychiatrists as their first professional contact. DISCUSSION: The first symptoms of the disorder must be diagnosed at an early stage in order to provide the patients with the acknowledged therapy for OCD.