Duration of Untreated Illness in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and its Associated Factors

The period before effective treatment is administered, is known as the duration of untreated illness (DUI). It has been found to relate to prognoses and sensitivity to treatment. The DUI is yet to be fully investigated in relation to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

The present study examined a sample of 89 patients who presented with OCD over a span of two years and who were treated at a clinic in Khartoum, the capital city of Sudan. We examined the mean DUI before the patients received an effective psychiatric intervention. We also gauged different sociodemographic and clinical presentations associated with DUI.

The sample comprised 55 male (61.8%) and 34 female patients (38.2%). Around 75% were single (N = 67); 34 participants (38.2%) were students; 28 (31.5%) were employed; and 27 (30.3%) were unemployed. The mean age of the participants was 27.12 years (SD ± 8.72) and the mean age at the first onset of the disorder was 21.72 years (SD ± 7.51). The mean of DUI was 5.41 years (SD ± 5.53). There was no significant difference in DUI in respect of age or gender. It was significantly longer in unemployed patients (7.59 years ± 5.93) than in employed (6.37 years ± 6.64) or students (2.88 years ± 2.59); p = 0.002. Married OCD patients had a longer DUI than single patients.

The present study highlighted a considerable delay before OCD patients received effective treatment. Although many intractable cultural and socioeconomic factors were tested, the strongest associations were found to be unemployment and marital status.