olfactory reference syndrome triggered by stressful life events and responsive to pharmacotherapy: a case series

Background: olfactory reference syndrome (ors) is a debilitating and underrecognized psychiatric condition characterized by a persistent, fixed false belief that one emits a foul body odor. this belief persists despite a lack of objective evidence and leads to significant distress, social withdrawal, and functional impairment. a scarcity of empirical research complicates the diagnosis and management of ors.cases presentation: we present a case series of four patients diagnosed with ors. at baseline, assessment with the yale–brown obsessive-compulsive scale (ybocs) and the brown assessment of beliefs scale (babs) revealed severe delusional beliefs and marked psychosocial dysfunction. following an eight-week course of pharmacological treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (ssris) and/or antipsychotic medications, all patients demonstrated notable clinical improvement. this was evidenced by significant reductions in ybocs and babs scores and corresponding enhancements in social functioning.discussion: this series underscores the importance of recognizing ors in clinical psychiatric practice. the positive treatment response observed suggests that a combination of ssris and antipsychotics can be an effective therapeutic strategy. these findings highlight the critical need for further controlled studies to establish evidence-based treatment guidelines for this often-underdiagnosed and debilitating condition.