Patient Perceptions of OCD Care in General Psychiatric Inpatient Units

A significant proportion of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are admitted to inpatient hospital facilities. This most often occurs within general psychiatric units, given the scarcity of options specialized to OCD. This study surveyed 69 adults with self-reported OCD who had experienced 1 or more inpatient hospitalizations, with the goal of exploring perceptions of OCD-related care in general inpatient settings. Overall, participants reported negative views of their providers' attention to OCD-specific needs. Nearly half indicated that none of their providers appeared proficient in or confident working with OCD. Participants were also dissatisfied with the OCD treatment they received. At the same time, more positive perceptions of providers' ability to treat OCD were associated with a greater likelihood of perceived OCD symptom reduction during hospitalization. These findings are among the first to empirically highlight potential limitations in the standard of care for OCD in general psychiatric units. We discuss avenues for future research, including the need to develop and evaluate provider approaches that balance reducing accommodation of compulsions with supportive responding, which may lay the groundwork for evidence-based practices to better prepare providers to work with patients who have OCD in inpatient settings.