What is it about?
There has been an abundance of studies that have employed quantitative methods to research obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and its neurobiology and neurochemistry. However, there appears to be a paucity of research investigating how OCD is experienced by those living with the diagnosis, particularly young people. A qualitative cross-sectional semistructured interview design was used to address this lack of research. Ten young people, aged 14–17 years old, with a diagnosis of OCD were recruited from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in the United Kingdom. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.
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Why is it important?
To our knowledge, this is the first qualitative analysis of young people's experiences of OCD, and therefore adds to the expanding literature seeking to understand health conditions from the point of view of those living with them.
Perspectives
This study identifies themes in the lives of young people with OCD. It tends to suggest that OCD is another problem that is triggered by traumatic events, which suggests that we should investigate vulnerability factors for different mental health problems at a still earlier stage.
Dr Timothy Ivor Williams
University of Reading
In my perspective, this is an important contribution to the field of child and adolescent mental health as it fills the gap in literature exploring young people's experiences of OCD. The paper allows young people's voices to be heard in regards to the development of OCD how professionals can help them get treatment for it. This is particularly important in times of different pressures and opportunities in services, such as CAMHS, that support these young people.
Dr Carly Keyes
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The battle of living with obsessive compulsive disorder: a qualitative study of young people's experiences, Child and Adolescent Mental Health, April 2017, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1111/camh.12216.
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