OCD in People living with Chronic illness: Prevalence, Risk & Key Differences

Key things to know What the evidence shows
How common is it? Not established across all illnesses
Is it more common among people living with chronic illness? Disease-specific
Are people living with chronic illness at higher risk? #N/A
How much higher is the risk? Disease-specific
How often can it be missed? High when compulsions resemble legitimate disease-management behaviours
Does it show up differently among people living with chronic illness? Context dependent
How might it look different? Checking, contamination or reassurance behaviours may become intertwined with treatment routines
What commonly occurs alongside it? Depression; anxiety
What can it be confused with? Appropriate medical vigilance; illness anxiety disorder; OCPD
Common screening tool OCI-R
Separate screening tool for people living with chronic illness None universal
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