Quality of life in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Although no consensus exists on how to conceptualize or measure health-related quality of life, available studies suggest that obsessive-compulsive disorder substantially and adversely affects the health-related quality of life of sufferers and their families. Patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder demonstrate high rates of impaired social relationships, diminished occupational attainment, unemployment, receipt of disability income, and troubled family and marital relationships. Future studies, methodologically refined, should focus on understanding relationships between characteristics of the disorder and quality of life, the degree to which treatments can reverse adverse effects, and the costs and benefits of improvement in health-related quality of life domains as viewed from the perspective of the patient, family, health plans, and society.