Hospital admissions for obsessive-compulsive disorder in NSW, 1997 to 2010

To assess the characteristics of admissions to NSW hospitals with a diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Assessment of administrative data from all NSW hospital admissions from 1997 to 2010.

The average admission rate for a primary diagnosis of OCD was 1.5 per 100,000 population. This rate increased over the period assessed. OCD was much more common as a secondary diagnosis (6.1 per 100,000 population), often occurring with affective disorders in adults and other anxiety disorders in children. Adults admitted with OCD had an average length of stay of 24 days.

Although hospital admissions of patients with OCD are uncommon, the high rates of comorbidity and increasing rates of admission alert us to the significance of screening patients for OCD and being able to offer outpatient treatment.