Depression and Suicidal Ideation in Patients with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Higher percentages of suicidal ideation and attempt have been reported in relation to OCD patients. Consistent findings as to the role of depression and suicidal ideation have not been reported and thus these phenomena need more research. The aim of the current study was to study the relationship of suicidal ideation, depression with the severity of obsessions and compulsions. 30 patients diagnosed with OCD were checked for the severity of obsessions and compulsions using Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), the severity of depression using Hamilton Scale for Depression (HAM-D) and presence of suicidal ideation using Beck’s scale for suicidal ideation (BSIS). Frequency of scores on HAM-D and BSIS were calculated in relation to the severity of scores obtained on Y-BOCS. Pearson product moment correlation was done to assess the relationship between depression and OCD as well as suicidal ideation and OCD. The severity of depression and suicidal ideation varied in accordance with the severity of OCD scores. There was a significant positive correlation between scores on HAM-D and Y-BOCS as well as a significant positive correlation between scores on BSIS and Y-BOCS.