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Psychiatry
Obsessive-compulsive disorder triggered by news reports of contaminated food
  1. Ruziana Masiran1,2 and
  2. Farah Adiba Maliha Abdul Latib1,2
  1. 1 Department of Psychiatry, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
  2. 2 Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
  1. Correspondence to Dr Ruziana Masiran; ruziana_m{at}upm.edu.my

Abstract

We present a case of a woman in her early 30s who developed severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms following exposure to news reports about instant noodles allegedly contaminated with a carcinogenic substance. The news triggered an overwhelming fear of ingesting harmful food associated with persistent and intrusive thoughts about contamination in this patient. As a result, she adopted extreme food avoidance behaviours and restricted her oral intake for 2 weeks, causing significant weight loss and anxiety. Following a visit to her psychiatrist and a prescription for a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, her eating behaviours improved, and she could take her food without overwhelming fear. This case shows how OCD may mimic eating disorders and highlights how food-related obsessions can have a severe impact on health.

  • Psychiatry
  • Anxiety disorders (including OCD and PTSD)
  • Eating disorders

https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2024-259974

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors The following authors were responsible for drafting of the text, sourcing and editing of clinical images, investigation results, drawing original diagrams and algorithms, and critical revision for important intellectual content: FAMAL, RM. RM acted as guarantor.The following authors gave final approval of the manuscript: RM, FAMAL. In preparing this manuscript, we utilised Grammarly (Pro) as an AI-based tool to check for grammar and spelling errors. The primary input consisted of the original text drafted by the authors. Grammarly’s output was reviewed by the authors to ensure accuracy and appropriateness of suggested corrections, which were manually accepted or rejected based on relevance.

    • Funding This research does not receive a specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.