Expressed Emotion & Family Burden in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Coping with a family member with OCD is entirely different from coping with a family member with any physical illness; because OCD significantly interferes with the person’s normal routine, occupational functioning, usual social activities and interpersonal relationships. These interferences that emerge from symptoms of OCD, also infringes with other family members daily life and ultimately it poses burden on family life. Family burden (FB) due to psychiatric illness has many dimensions. Previous studies have shown the positive association of OCD and (FB). Impact of illness in general and burden in particular reflects in various ways. Expressed Emotion (EE) is one of those important reflections. Initially (EE) was proved to linked with schizophrenia only, but later on studies have given the evidence of positive association of (EE) and OCD. Substantiating the available literature, the present study has shown the significant level of (EE), (FB) and their interrelationship among the families of patients with OCD.