Which statement describes substance/medication-induced obsessive-compulsive and related disorder?

• A. Symptoms occur while taking or during withdrawal from specific prescribed or illegal drugs.
• B. Symptoms are unrelated to drug use.
• C. They occur only in childhood.
• D. They persist even after drug cessation with no improvement.

Answer: (B)

Substance/medication-induced obsessive-compulsive and related disorder is defined by obsessions or compulsions that appear in close temporal relation to drug exposure or withdrawal. The hallmark is that the symptoms emerge during taking a substance or during withdrawal (or soon after exposure to a medication) and cause distress or impairment. This temporal link to a drug state distinguishes it from primary OCD, where symptoms are not tied to substance use.

That’s why describing symptoms as occurring while using or during withdrawal from specific drugs is the best fit. If symptoms were unrelated to drug use, they would point to a non-substance-related OCD. Claiming it only happens in childhood ignores that substance-induced presentations can occur at any age. Saying symptoms persist after stopping the drug with no improvement would not typically define substance/medication-induced OCD, since there should be at least some relationship to the substance exposure, and clinicians would reassess or consider another diagnosis if the pattern doesn’t fit.