Over the past two years,  Dr Sonal Anand, psychiatrist with Wockhardt Hospital, Mira Road, has received calls from patients with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). What’s surprising though, is that most of the SOSes have been from previously recovered patients. “Although they were doing just fine, the Coronavirus outbreak led to a relapse. For many living with OCD-related fear of germs and other contaminants, the pandemic has exacerbated their panic and is leading to excessive precautions,” says Dr Anand.

The International OCD Foundation defines the condition as a mental health disorder that occurs when a person gets caught in a cycle of obsessions and compulsions. While obsessions refer  to the intrusive thoughts that trigger distressing feelings, compulsions are behaviours an individual engages in, to get rid of the distress. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, OCD is caused principally by excessive activity in the amygdala, a walnut-sized structure at the base of the brain that processes fear, danger and the fight-or-flight response. New research shows that OCD symptoms have grown more severe for many people during the pandemic, and new diagnoses have increased. “In the new cases that I have seen, the symptoms are rather extreme. Due to excessive handwashing, patients have developed rashes. The symptoms, however, vary depending on the individuals. They can fall in the mild, moderate or extreme category,” she says. Dr Anand pegs the increase in cases since 2020 to 30 per cent.