Obsessive-compulsive disorder: diagnosis and treatment in the primary care setting

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a common anxiety disorder found in 1 to 2 percent of the population. Obsessions are recurrent and persistent thoughts that cause marked anxiety or distress. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts done to prevent or reduce anxiety. Patients might underreport symptoms or complain of coexisting depression or anxiety instead. The primary care physician is often the first to encounter this disorder in patients.

The authors cared for and observed a patient with obsessive-compulsive disorder at a family practice office and used her case to illustrate a literature review gathered by means of a MEDLINE search.

A combination of patient education, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and behavioral techniques allow the family physician to maximize patient recovery and play a major role in the diagnosis and treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder.