Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Following Head Trauma:

Head injury has rarely been reported in association with the onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In this report a patient who exhibited obsessive-compulsive disorder after a closed head trauma is presented.

The patient was a 18 years old man who was admitted to the hospital due to seizure and loss of consciousness following falling down from the horse back. After five days of admission in ICU ward and improving the level of consciousness, he began to experience the slowing rate of processing data, decreased concentration, difficulty in solving problems, amnesia, bizarre behaviors, aggression and obsession with laughing as its compulsion. He was referred to a psychiatric hospital with the diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder and amnesia. After twelve days, he was discharged from the hospital with the approximate amelioration of the symptoms and signs of obsessive compulsive disorder and improvement in his memory.

Despite the rare incidence of obsessive compulsive disorder following head trauma, it must be considered in patients with psychiatric complaints after such trauma.