Introduction antidepressants [3].The antidepressant effects of clomipramine
IntroductionObsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a chronic and long-lasting disorder in which aperson has uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts (obsessions) andbehaviours (compulsions) that he or she feels the urge to repeat overand over1.Pharmacotherapeutic andpsychotherapeutic measures are the twomost widely used approaches2.Clomipramine was the first agent found to have efficacy in OCD .The drug has the pharmacological properties of thetricyclic group of antidepressants 3.The antidepressant effectsof clomipramine are believed to be due to reuptake inhibition of serotonin and norepinephrine while serotonin reuptake inhibition onlyis believed to be accountable for the efficacy of clomipramine in the treatmentof OCD4. SSRIs are the first line drugs in treating OCD.
The adverse effect of SSRIsare less, so improved compliance is observed. Available SSRIs includefluoxetine (Prozac), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil), citalopram(Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro), and sertraline (Zoloft)5.Despite the provenefficacy of SSRIs and clomipramine in OCD, many patients show no or just partial symptom improvement to a medication.
The combination of the antipsychotics risperidone, haloperidol, olanzapine, orquetiapine with an SSRI was found to be to be more effective than SSRI therapyin such cases and is suggested by the WFSBP World Federation of Societies of BiologicalPsychiatryguidelines6.Prescribing a suitablemedication for a particular patient is done on the basis of many factorsincluding patient’s demographic characteristics, illness history, side effectsof the medication, co morbidities. So, a study of prescription patternscan help in identifying prevalent practices of the use of medications.7.The concept of QOL is often considered a missingmeasurement in healthcare. Inquiry into QOL proved to be useful because manystudies showed correlations between QOL and distress that often leads toworsening of symptoms such as those of OCD.
Hence, the aim of the present study was to assess QOL in patients suffering from OCD8.Today, in an age where healthcare is scrutinized, not only for the quality of that which we provide but alsothe satisfaction of those who receive it. So, it is necessary to find out weaknesses in systems to aid improvementthrough the patient’s eyes9
