Acute onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder in males following childbirth

Research on postpartum onset obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has focuse d exclusively on females. However, the authors present four cases of males with OCD onset that coincide with a spouse's pregnancy or delivery. The rap id onset and content of obsessions and compulsions are remarkably similar t o those reported in previous studies of postpartum OCD in females. Each pat ient also responded to cognitive-behavioral therapy using exposure procedur es. The implications of these cases for etiological models of postpartum OC D and future research directions are discussed.