Investigation of Symptom Severity, Self-Esteem, & Suicidality in Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Abstract

Yomna Alaa, Mostafa O Shahin, Dina Y Afifi and Doaa R. Ayoub*

Introduction: Suicide is becoming increasingly a worldwide pressing health concern. Recent emerging studies established that anxiety disorders carry a high suicidal risk independent of possible comorbid depression. On the other hand, suicidal ideations were reported in countless types of research amongst patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Furthermore, low Self-esteem is a known risk factor for numerous negative outcomes; it has been associated with higher levels of anxiety, depression, & suicidality. This study aimed to assess the severity of symptoms in anxiety disorders & OCD and to investigate their relationship with self-esteem and suicidality.

Methods: Forty patients with anxiety disorders and, OCD and 40 matched controls were assessed by Beck’s scale for suicidal ideations (BSSI) to determine the intensity of suicidal ideation, & Rosenberg's self-esteem scale (RSES). The severity of anxiety was assessed by Hamilton anxiety rating scale in the anxiety subgroup &Yale- Brown obsessive-compulsive scale was applied to the OCD subgroup to rate the severity of OCD symptoms.

Results: The mean scores of the BSSI were highest among the OCD subgroup, followed by the anxiety disorders subgroup, and lowest among the control group with a statistically significant difference (p=0.001). RSES mean scores were lowest in the anxiety subgroup followed by the OCD subgroup and highest in the control group, the difference between the mean scores of the studied groups was statistically significant (p=0.005). RSES mean scores were negatively correlated with BSSI mean scores, and the results were statistically significant (r =-0.7, p=0.001) i.e., the lower the self-esteem, the higher the suicidality.

Conclusions: Our research replicated findings from earlier studies that proposed the existence of an association between low self-esteem and anxiety disorders. Suicidality was highest among the OCD patients, followed by the anxiety disorders patients, and lowest among the healthy control. Self-esteem was low in the anxiety disorders patients even more than the OCD patients. Low self-esteem has been identified as one of the most crucial risk factors for suicidal ideations which entails further analysis & investigation.