Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Medical School Curriculum and Textbook Review.

Résumé

OBJECTIVES: We conducted a curriculum review of Canadian undergraduate medical programs to identify why aggressive obsessions (among those with obsessive-compulsive disorder [OCD]) are so often misidentified by primary care physicians and professional students.METHODS: This study involved standardized interviews with representatives from Canadian medical schools regarding the content, time, and teaching styles used to deliver curricula related to OCD. Further, we utilized a set of standardized criteria to assess the OCD content of recommended textbooks from these schools.RESULTS: Canadian medical curricula failed to provide a comprehensive picture of OCD. One-third of medical programs did not provide an example of aggressive obsessions to students, with textbook case examples centered heavily (70%) on contamination or symmetry. Only 25% of programs (and 60% of textbooks) discussed the composition of the Unacceptable Thought Domain to include aggressive, sexual, and religious obsessions. Finally, over half of medical programs failed to indicate that aggressive obsessions are ego-dystonic and do not lead people to harm themselves or others.CONCLUSION: A series of recommendations are provided for medical schools intended to improve the comprehensiveness of OCD-related training.