Case Study On OCD: Sri Lakshmi College of Nursing
Case Study On OCD: Sri Lakshmi College of Nursing
Case Study On OCD: Sri Lakshmi College of Nursing
INTRODUCTION
Identification data
Name: Mr Suman Bera Age: 18 years
Sex: Male Marital status: Single
Religion: Hindu Education: 10+2
Occupation: Student Date of admission: 6th December 2008
Mode of Direct IPNO: 1059208
admission:
Ward: Male open ward Diagnosis: OCD
Informant: Self and father Reliability: Reliable and
adequate
Chief complaints
Increased obsession
Increased compulsion
Anxiety
Decreased concentration since 4 months
Decreased sleep
Decreased appetite
count. To avoid any obsessions of dirtiness he will not take breakfast, and defecate
only twice in a week. He would miss classes on the compulsion of washing hands.
Course of illness: continuous
Past history of illness:
Medical: Nothing relevant is mentioned
Surgical history: Patient has no relevant surgical history.
Psychiatric history: first episode of OCD started in the year 2003. He refused the
parents who tried to stop the action. And this affected his academic performance.
On January 2006 he was agina brought to NIMHANS for obsessive behavior.
Negative history
No significant negative history has been mentioned
Family history
45 36years
years arthritis
male
18 Years OCD
female
patient
disease other than pshychiatric
expired member
Case study on OCD
Psychiatric department
Personal history
Birth and early development
Full term normal delivery at hospital and Cried soon after birth antenatal and
postnatal period uneventful. There were No infections elicited
Childhood:
Developmental milestones where normal. No neurotic traits of bed wetting or
thumb sucking . No nail biting
Schooling:
Joined school at 04 years. Had many friends. Studying in an engineering college .
Had good IPR with teachers and classmates.
Sexual history:
He never had any sexual exposure. But retains adequate knowledge of sex.
Pre-morbid personality:
Intra personal relationship:
The client has good relationship with his family members and enjoys an even
closer relationship with his mother.
General temperament:
He is a calm and cool person, and cools down quickly when he is angry. Mr Suman
is very sociable, and cares a lot for his parents.
Intellectual activities:
He is a brilliant student scored 86 in his PUC, at the same time he is an artist.
Case study on OCD
Psychiatric department
Habits:
There are no bad habits reported and love sleeping.
Physical examination:
General appearance:
Nourishment: well nourished
Body built: athletic
Health: healthy
Activity: normal activity
Posture
Body curves: normal
Gait: normal
Height and weight:
Skin condition
Colour: wheatish
Texture: dry
Temperature: warm
Lesions: none
Head and face:
Scalp: clean
Face: no deformities seen
Eyes: pupils equally reacting, wears spectacles
Ear: normal and bilateral
Nose: no structural deformity
Mouth: no dentures hygiene is maintained
Case study on OCD
Psychiatric department
Abdomen: normal bowel sounds, normal appetite, bowel and bladder movements
normal
Extremities: all joints have normal range of motion, power and tone adequate, no
scars and wounds seen
Genitals: no significant infections
CNS: conscious oriented with normal speech
Mental status examination
General appearance and behavior:
Attitude-cooperative rapport established and sustained
Grooming- well groomed
Facial expression- eye to eye contact maintained, expression appropriate to
situation
Posture- relaxed
Gait carriage- body erect normal
Body built- athletic
Psychomotor activities:
Compulsions present repetitive actions of cleaning hands and bathing
Speech:
Case study on OCD
Psychiatric department
Tone: normal
Tempo: normal
Volume: normal
Spontaneity: spontaneous
Productivity: normal
Reaction time: normal
Coherent: coherent
Relevance: relevant
Mood and affect:
Subjective: “I am fine”
Objective: Euthymic
Range: broad
Labiality: not labile
Congruence: congruent
Appropriateness: appropriate
Perception:
Hallucination: not present
Illusion: not present
Thinking:
Stream: no flight of ideas and circumstantialities
Content: obsession present regarding dirt
Form: no formal thought disorder
Cognitive functions:
Attention and concentration:
Case study on OCD
Psychiatric department
Proverb: patient himself told: “success is hard earned” which means to succeed in
life one has to work very hard.
Inference: abstraction present at the concrete level
Judgment:
Personal: what will you do after getting discharged?
I’ll continue my studies and then get a good job.
Inference:- personal judgment intact
Social: social judgment intact as he maintains good communication and is well
mannered
Test: what will you do if your catches fire.
Patient: I will try to extinguish it using water.
Insight:
Case study on OCD
Psychiatric department
Formulation
Mr. Suman Bera, aged 18, unmarried, years from a Hindu religion, who is pursuing
an engineering course was admitted to the male open ward on 6 th December 2008
with chief complaints of
Increased obsession
Increased compulsion
Anxiety
Decreased concentration since 4 months
Decreased sleep
Decreased appetite
There is no significant family history of any psychiatric ailments and had a very
acceptable personality prior to the disease. On MSE of the patient, it was revealed
that Mr Suman had compulsive behavior of washing hands several times and
taking bath for hours which originated from his obsessive thoughts of un-
cleanliness and dirty hands. The patient retains insight. The client is diagnosed as
OCD.
Case study on OCD
Psychiatric department
Investigation:
Investigation Result Normal Remark
value
Glucose 110mg/dl 90-140mg/ Normal
dl
Urea 15 mg/dl 10-40 mg/dl Normal
Treatment:
Drug: Tab Clomipramine
Route & dose:
Adult:Oral starts with 25mg and gradually increases over 4 weeks to a dosage of
75-300mg / day in divided doses.
Available forms: capsules of 25,50,75mg
Case study on OCD
Psychiatric department
Physical examination:
Weight, skin color, lesions orientation, affect, reflexes, vision and hearing, Pulse
and blood pressure, perfusion bowel sounds, urine output, liver functions, sexual
functions, frequency of menses, scrotal and breast examination, urine analysis
CBC and ECG.
Implementation:
Limit depressed a potentially suicidal patients’ access to drug
Administer in divided doses with meals to reduce GI side effects while
increasing dosage to therapeutic levels.
Give maintenance dose at hs to decrease day time sedation.
Reduce dose if minor side effects develop, discontinue drug if serious side
effects occur
Arrange for CBC if patient develops fever, sore throat and other sign of
infection.
Instructions to the client:
Instruct the client to take this drug as prescribed and not to stop taking abruptly or
without consulting health care provider. Avoid alcohol, sleep inducing drugs, OTC
drugs. Avoid prolong exposure to sun or sunlamps; use sunscreen or protective
garments if exposure to sun is unavoidable. Inform that the following side effects
may occur: headache, dizziness, drowsiness, weakness, blurred vision, nausea,
vomiting, anorexia, dry mouth, nightmares, inability to concentrate altered sexual
function. Also instruct the client to report excessive sedation dry mouth and if
there is difficulty in urinating.
Case study on OCD
Psychiatric department
Experts believe OCD is related to levels of a normal chemical in the brain called
serotonin. When the proper flow of serotonin is blocked, the brain's "alarm system"
overreacts. Danger messages are mistakenly triggered. Instead of the brain filtering
out these unnecessary thoughts, the brain dwells on them—and the person
repeatedly experiences unrealistic fears and doubts.
Diagnostic criteria
Obsessions
Compulsions
Case study on OCD
Psychiatric department
1. Repetitive behaviors or mental acts that the person feels driven to perform in
response to an obsession, or according to rules that must be applied rigidly.
2. The behaviors or mental acts are aimed at preventing or reducing distress or
preventing some dreaded event or situation; however, these behaviors or
mental acts are not actually connected to the issue, or they are excessive.
In addition to these criteria, at some point during the course of the disorder, the
individual must realize that his/her obsessions or compulsions are unreasonable or
excessive. Moreover, the obsessions or compulsions must be time-consuming
(taking up more than one hour per day), cause distress, or cause impairment in
social, occupational, or school functioning. OCD often causes feelings similar to
those of depression.
According to ICD 10
F42 Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Diagnostic Guidelines
Includes:
* anankastic neurosis
* obsessional neurosis
* obsessive-compulsive neurosis
Differential Diagnosis
Differentiating between obsessive-compulsive disorder and a depressive disorder
may be difficult because these two types of symptoms so frequently occur together.
In an acute episode of disorder, precedence should be given to the symptoms that
developed first; when both types are present but neither predominates, it is usually
best to regard the depression as primary.
In chronic disorders the symptoms that most frequently persist in the absence of
the other should be given priority.
Occasional panic attacks or mild phobic symptoms are no bar to the diagnosis.
However, obsessional symptoms developing in the presence of schizophrenia,
Case study on OCD
Psychiatric department
Epidemiology
There is a lifetime prevalence rate of OCD for both sexes is 2.5 percent.
Education also appears to be a factor. The lifetime prevalence of OCD is lower for
those who have graduated high school than for those who have not (1.9 percent
versus 3.4 percent). However, in the case of college education, lifetime prevalence
is higher for those who graduate with a degree (3.1 percent) than it is for those who
have only some college background (2.4 percent). As far as age is concerned, the
onset of OCD usually ranges from the late teenage years until the mid-20s in both
sexes, but the age of onset tends to be slightly younger in males than in
females.Violence is very rare among OCD sufferers, but the disorder is often
debilitating to their quality of life. Also, the psychological self-awareness of the
irrationality of the disorder can be painful. For people with severe OCD, it may
take several hours a day to carry out the compulsive acts. To avoid perceived
obsession triggers, they also often avoid certain situations or places altogether. It
has been alleged that sufferers are generally of above-average intelligence, as the
very nature of the disorder necessitates complicated thinking patterns
Causes
Psychological
Biological
However, it is suggested that in those with OCD, the caudate nucleus does not
function properly, and therefore does not prevent this initial signal from recurring.
This causes the thalamus to become hyperactive and creates a virtually never-
ending loop of worry signals being sent back and forth between the OFC and the
thalamus. The OFC responds by increasing anxiety and engaging in compulsive
behaviors in an attempt to relieve this apprehension. This overactivity of the OFC
is shown to be attenuated in patients who have successfully responded to SSRI
medication. The increased stimulation of the serotonin receptors 5-HT2A and 5-
HT2C in the OFC is believed to cause this inhibition. [5]
Some OCD sufferers exhibit what is known as overvalued ideas. In such cases, the
person with OCD will truly be uncertain whether the fears that cause them to
perform their compulsions are irrational or not. After some discussion, it is
possible to convince the individual that their fears may be unfounded. It may be
more difficult to do ERP therapy on such patients, because they may be, at least
initially, unwilling to cooperate. For this reason OCD has often been likened to a
disease of pathological doubt, in which the sufferer, while not usually delusional, is
often unable to realize fully what sorts of dreaded events are reasonably possible
and which are not. There are severe cases when the sufferer has an unshakeable
belief within the context of OCD which is difficult to differentiate from psychosis.
Differential diagnosis
People with OCD may be diagnosed with other conditions, such as generalized
anxiety disorder, anorexia nervosa, social anxiety disorder, bulimia nervosa,
Tourette syndrome, Asperger syndrome, compulsive skin picking, body
dysmorphic disorder, trichotillomania, and (as already mentioned) obsessive-
Case study on OCD
Psychiatric department
Management
Behavioral therapy
The specific technique used in BT/CBT is called exposure and ritual prevention
(also known as "exposure and response prevention") or ERP; this involves
gradually learning to tolerate the anxiety associated with not performing the ritual
behavior. At first, for example, someone might touch something only very mildly
"contaminated" (such as a tissue that has been touched by another tissue that has
been touched by the end of a toothpick that has touched a book that came from a
"contaminated" location, such as a school.) That is the "exposure". The "ritual
prevention" is not washing. Another example might be leaving the house and
Case study on OCD
Psychiatric department
checking the lock only once (exposure) without going back and checking again
(ritual prevention). The person fairly quickly habituates to the anxiety-producing
situation and discovers that their anxiety level has dropped considerably; they can
then progress to touching something more "contaminated" or not checking the lock
at all—again, without performing the ritual behavior of washing or checking.
Medication
Benzodiazepines are also used in treatment. It's not uncommon to administer this
class of drugs during the "latency period" for SSRIs or as synergistic adjunct long-
term. Although widely prescribed, benzodiazepines have not been demonstrated as
an effective treatment for OCD and can be addictive.
Certain vitamin and mineral supplements may aid in such disorders and provide
the nutrients necessary for proper mental functioning.
Recent research has found increasing evidence that opioids may significantly
reduce OCD symptoms, though the use of them is not sanctioned for treatment and
considered an "off-label" use, factors being physical dependence and long term
drug tolerance. Anecdotal reports suggest that some OCD sufferers have
successfully self-medicated with opioids such as tramadol (Ultram) and
hydrocodone (Vicodin, Lortab), though the off-label use of such painkillers is not
widely accepted, research on this has been limited. Tramadol is an atypical opioid
that may be a viable option as it has a low potential for abuse and addiction, mild
side effects, and shows signs of rapid efficacy in OCD. Tramadol not only provides
the anti-OCD effects of an opiate, but also inhibits the re-uptake of serotonin (in
addition to norepinephrine). This may provide additional benefits, but should not
be taken in combination with antidepressant medication unless under careful
medical supervision due to potential serotonin syndrome.
Case study on OCD
Psychiatric department
Comparative study
Compulsions to the
obsessions Present( hand washing repeatedly
and bathing for long hours
Behaviour therapy(exposure
Treatment and reaction therapy) Done
Analytic drugs
Given
Antidepressants
Given
Mood stabilizers
Not prescribed
Psychotherapy
Supportive psychotherapy given
Psychosurgery
Not done
Transcranial magnetic
stimulation Not done
Normal good premorbid
Prognosis:good personality Present
Mild symptoms including
predominance of phobic Absent
symptoms
Short duration of symptoms
Absent
Obsesssional premorbid
Bad prognosis personality Absent
Early age of onset
Absent
A clinical picture showing
severe symptoms Present
Case study on OCD
Psychiatric department
NURSING MANAGEMENT
Assessment
The nurses collects a detailed history and conducts a through physical and mental
status examination to reveal the following problems the client faces:
Washing hands excessively
Taking very long showers
Complains of weight gain due to the effects of medication
Being overly concerned about contamination and germs
Fear of behaving improperly, such as making sexual advances, saying the
wrong thing, swearing
Late for college, frequent absences
Nursing diagnosis
Based on the above problems the diagnosis is set according to the priorities
1. Orientation
2. During the orientation phase the individual has a felt need seeks professional
assistance. The nurse help the patient recognize and understand his problem
and determine his need for help.
3. Identification phase
The nurse idenmtifies with those who can help him. The nurse explores the
feelings of the patient to aid in coping with the undergoing illness as an
experience the reorients feelingsand strengths positive forces satisfaction.
4. Exploitation
During this phase the patient makes more demands than they did when they
were seriously ill. They make many minor requests, or may use other
attention getting techniques, depending on their individual needs. the nurse
use communication tools such as clarifying ,listening, accepting, teaching,
and interpreting to offer services to the patient. The patient then takes
advantage of the services offered based on his/her needs of interest. In this
phase, the nurse aids the patient to use the services to help solve the problem
5. Resolution
The patients needs have already been met by collaborative efforts between
the patient and the nurse. The patient and the nurse now need to terminate
the relationship and dissolve the links between them.
Nurses roles
Role of a stranger
Role of a resource person
Role of a teacher
Leadership C
Surrogate role
Counseling role D
Case study on OCD
Psychiatric department
Energy transformation
Case study on OCD
Psychiatric department
Case study on OCD
Psychiatric department
calories .
health and
sense of well
being. Giving
signs of
reinforcement
will will
validate and
build his
confidence.
harm others, such as making consistent first and then progressed therefore verbalizes
especially sexual behavior with to give responsibilities. increased his that he s of
girls. I am advances, increased self Honest praise was given acceptance of worth and
afraid to talk” saying the worth and to the client for his company Any he
Objective: wrong thing prepare plans accomplishment. Helped task completed understands
patient tends and swearing. for the future. the client enumerate his provides and his strengths
to talk own personal strengths. opportunities that he is a
negatively to Help him recollect for positive good
himself and happiness and success he reinforcement listener and
others. He gets enjoyed in the past. and good good in
himself feedback to painting.
reserved most him and
of the time increases his
don’t initiate self regard and
or tries to improves his
sustain a self concept.
conversation Clients do not
with anybody. benefit from
flattering but
honest remarks
can change the
perspective.
Enumerating
self worth
counteracts
negative self
view and
increase self
Case study on OCD
Psychiatric department
worth.
Recollection of
success and
happiness
gives him
confidence and
more self
worth
ASSESSMEN NURSING PLANNING NURSING RATIOANLE EVALUAT
T DIAGNOSIS INTERVENTIONS ION
AND ITS
IMPLIMENTATION
Subjective: Ineffective Short term: The patient was asked to Exposure The client is
“I am not able coping related reduce the practice exposure response ready to
to concentrate to academic frequency of his response prevention and prevention will face his
on my studies responsibility compulsions as far as possible. The result in college days
and I am late as evidenced Long term: client was asked to plan reduced and plans to
to college by delay in will be able to methods for him to plan compulsions. attend
because of my reaching reach his his day like setting an Involving the college as
problem and I college and expectation in alarm clock or reminder client in soon as he
miss classes frequent his role as a in his mobile that remind planning will is
frequently.” absences. student him to do his help improve discharged.
Objective: the responsibility on time. his self concept Family
father of the He was asked to seek and members
client also help from his family confidence. have
verbalizes that members to remind him Involving his volunteered
he misses to leave for college family to help in
early. members also the process
Case study on OCD
Psychiatric department
will facilitate
class the back up
family support
systems.
Subjective: I Knowledge Short term: the Taught the client about The client may The client
don’t know deficit client will the occurrence of the have little or verbalizes
why this OCD regarding participate in disease, its prevalence no knowledge knowledge
happened to medication learning etiology treatment and about the about his
me. and treatment activities about out come of OCD. Its disease process illness,
Objective: the regimen. the disease signs and symptoms and and need for importance
client did not treatment and when to seek help. The recognizing of
respond to any safe use of client is informed about and seeking medication
of the medication and the importance of help in the and ways to
questions so will be able medication and the need future. It is cope with
asked to him to cope up with to continue the necessary for stress in a
regarding his illness medications as long as the client to healthy way
disease. Long term: prescribed. Helped him understand the
demonstrate to set a realistic goal for importance of
complete plans about his future. drug
compliance compliance for
with drugs and prevention of
will be able to relapse.
return to pre- Planning for
morbid the future gives
functioning of a sense of
living wrathfulness..
Case study on OCD
Psychiatric department
Case study on OCD
Psychiatric department
Health education
Regarding illness and medications
Explained regarding the nature of illness, also the fact that this is a long term
disorder and that maintenance treatment therefore will require one or more
medication may have be taken for long time.
Educated him regarding the medication, proper dose and time of
administration.
Explained regarding the expected side-effects and toxic effects of the
prescribed medications as well as where to go in care of severe side effects.
Enlisted the signs and symptoms of relapse that may came, also explained
the role of family members and others in preventing relapse.
Advised not to take any pother medication with out the advise not to stop
drug abruptly with out psychiatric advise
Personal hygiene
Educated the client the importance of bathing daily, brushing teeth daily,
grooming, weaning clean clothes, combing hair, cutting nails.
Nutrition
Educated regarding importance of balanced diet. Regarding maintenance of
adequate weight. Educated the intake of 3-4 liters of water per day. Educated
the importance of fibers in diet. Physical activities which interest him.
Regular weighing.
Coping with illness
Educated the patient and family members regarding how to cope up with
illness
Advised them to avoid situations which causes anxiety to client and provide
calm and peaceful environment.
Encouraged client to take responsibilities.
Educated family members to encourage and appreciate even small tasks.
Explained the importance of follow up. Advised to abstain from alcohol and
smoking.
Case study on OCD
Psychiatric department
Process recording
Case study on OCD
Psychiatric department
Mr Suman Yes I do , so that I can get better. And join my Retains the position
Bera classes as soon as possible
Nurse I did not see you for the exercise today Retains the position
morning. Where you were?
Mr Suman I prefer to be alone. I don’t want my hands to Retains the position
Bera get dirty. It is already dirty that’s what I feel.
And I don’t want to make others dirty too.
Nurse Why do you think you have this problem? Retains the position
Mr Suman No its getting served Gets up and moves and Disinterested and wants
Bera looks at the door. to go to get the food.
Nurse Can I speak to you some time later Gets up and moves away
from the bed
Mr Suman Yes anytime I am always here Goes to the door to get
Bera his food.
Case study on OCD
Psychiatric department
Case study on OCD
Psychiatric department
Summary
Mr. Suman Bera, aged 18, unmarried, years from a Hindu religion, who is pursuing
an engineering course was admitted to the male open ward on 6 th December 2008
with chief complaints of Increased obsession, Increased compulsion, Anxiety,
Decreased concentration, Decreased sleep, Decreased appetiteThere is no
significant family history of any psychiatric ailments and had a very acceptable
personality prior to the disease. On MSE of the patient, it was revealed that Mr
Suman had compulsive behavior of washing hands several times and taking bath
for hours which originated from his obsessive thoughts of un-cleanliness and dirty
hands. The patient retains insight. The client is diagnosed as OCD. The nurse
assessed the client and planned for care using the interpersonal approach of
Hildegard E Peplau. The client showed marked improvement during the stay in
the hospital and got discharged from the hospital on 10 th December 2008. The
nurse had educated regarding the follow up care and the need for medication. The
rapport was resolved successfully.
Conclusion
References
1. Quick Reference to the Diagnostic Criteria from DSM-IV-TR. Arlington,
VA: American Psychiatric Association, 2000.
2. The ICD-10 classification of mental and behavioural disorders. World
health organisation geneva
3. Antony, M. M.; F. Downie & R. P. Swinson. "Diagnostic Issues and
Epidemiology in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder". in Obsessive-
Case study on OCD
Psychiatric department