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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Medical School Curriculum and Textbook Review.
Chelsea A Lahey1, Emily J Fawcett1, Noah Pevie1
1Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada.
Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development
|March 29, 2024
Summary
Canadian medical schools often misidentify aggressive obsessions in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Curricula lack comprehensive training on OCD, leading to diagnostic errors by physicians and students.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Psychiatry
- Psychology
Background:
- Aggressive obsessions in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are frequently misidentified by healthcare professionals.
- Undergraduate medical education may contribute to this diagnostic challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review Canadian undergraduate medical curricula for content related to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
- To identify reasons for the misidentification of aggressive obsessions in OCD by primary care physicians and medical students.
Main Methods:
- Standardized interviews were conducted with representatives from Canadian medical schools concerning OCD curriculum content, duration, and teaching methods.
- Recommended textbooks were evaluated using standardized criteria to assess their coverage of OCD.
Main Results:
- Canadian medical curricula provide an incomplete overview of OCD, with many programs omitting examples of aggressive obsessions.
- Textbook case examples predominantly focus on contamination or symmetry obsessions, neglecting aggressive, sexual, and religious themes.
- Over half of medical programs fail to educate students that aggressive obsessions are ego-dystonic and do not indicate harm to self or others.
Conclusions:
- Canadian medical curricula require enhancement to improve the training on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
- Specific recommendations are provided to medical schools to ensure more comprehensive OCD education, addressing the nuances of aggressive obsessions.
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