What Are the Mortality Risks for People with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?

What you need to know

• People with OCD had an 82% higher risk of all-cause mortality compared to matched individuals without OCD
• Risks were elevated for both natural causes (31% higher) and unnatural causes (3.3 times higher) of death
• Major contributors included non-communicable diseases and external causes like suicide and accidents
• The results highlight the need for better prevention and early intervention strategies for people with OCD

Increased mortality risk in OCD

This large nationwide study followed over 60,000 people with OCD in Sweden for an average of 8 years. Compared to matched individuals without OCD from the general population, those with OCD had:

• 82% higher risk of death from any cause
• 31% higher risk of death from natural causes
• 3.3 times higher risk of death from unnatural causes

Specific causes of death

People with OCD had significantly higher risks of death from several specific causes:

• Respiratory diseases (69% higher)
• Mental and behavioral disorders (63% higher)
• Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (54% higher)
• Genitourinary system diseases (52% higher)
• Circulatory system diseases (36% higher)
• Nervous system diseases (20% higher)
• Digestive system diseases (20% higher)

Many of these are non-communicable diseases related to modifiable risk factors.

For unnatural causes, risks were elevated for:

• Suicide (nearly 5 times higher risk)
• Accidents (92% higher risk)

Interestingly, risk of death from cancer was 13% lower in the OCD group.

Implications for care

These findings emphasize the need for improved prevention and early intervention for people with OCD. Key areas to focus on include:

• Reducing risk factors for non-communicable diseases (e.g. tobacco use, alcohol misuse, poor diet, physical inactivity)
• Better surveillance and early detection of health issues
• Improved access to mental health treatment
• Suicide prevention strategies
• Accident prevention
• Better integration of mental and physical healthcare

Study strengths and limitations

Strengths:

• Very large sample size (over 60,000 people with OCD)
• Long follow-up period (average 8 years)
• Ability to examine specific causes of death
• Adjustment for psychiatric comorbidities and familial factors

Limitations:

• Only included OCD diagnoses from specialist care
• May represent more severe cases of OCD
• Limited data on lifestyle factors
• Findings may not generalize to all settings

Conclusions

This study provides strong evidence that people with OCD face significantly higher mortality risks from both natural and unnatural causes compared to the general population. The results highlight the need for holistic care approaches that address both the mental and physical health needs of individuals with OCD. Improved prevention, surveillance, and early intervention strategies could help reduce premature mortality in this population.