People with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may have an increased risk of death from both natural and unnatural causes than those without the disorder, finds a study. OCD is typically a long-term psychiatric disorder affecting about 2 per cent of the population. It is characterised by intrusive thoughts, urges or images that trigger high levels of anxiety and other distressing feelings -- known as obsessions -- that the person tries to neutralise by engaging in repetitive behaviours or rituals -- known as compulsions.

OCD is also associated with academic underachievement, poor work prospects, alcohol and substance use disorders, and an increased risk of death. The study, published in The BMJ, revealed that people with OCD had increased odds of natural causes of death, like respiratory system diseases (73 per cent), mental and behavioural disorders (58 per cent), diseases of the genitourinary system (55 per cent), endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (47 per cent), diseases of the circulatory system (33 per cent), nervous system (21 per cent), and digestive system (20 per cent).