Expressed Emotions in Patients with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A Case Control Study

BACKGROUND: Expressed emotion (EE) is the attitude that the relatives show towards the illness and the person. EE is identified as a direct factor in the relapse of patients with psychological disorders. Literature on EE in anxiety disorders is limited. Role of EE in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) may help in better understanding of the role of social factors in OCD. AIM: To compare EE in patients with OCD and compare with controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sample included 30 cases and 30 age and sex matched controls. The patients were diagnosed as having OCD using International Classification of Diseases-10 Diagnostic Criteria for Research (ICD-10 DCR) criteria. Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) was used to assess severity of OCD among patients. General health questionnaire (GHQ) was used to rule out any psychiatric disorder among control population. EE was assessed in cases and controls using Family Emotional Involvement and Criticism Scale (FEICS). Chi-square test and t-test were used to assess the difference between two groups. RESULTS: OCD patients in comparison controls had significantly increased total FEICS score (P = 0.001). There was an increase in both subscales of perceived criticism (PC) with P = 0.001 and emotional involvement (EI) with P = 0.001 in patients with OCD than controls. CONCLUSION: EE are significantly increased in patients with OCD. EE should be assessed regularly in patients with OCD.