Anatolian Clinic Journal of Medical Science / Anadolu Kliniği Tıp Bilimleri Dergisi

81-87

Authors: Ahmet Kokurcan

Aim: There is a high prevalence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) comorbidity in patients with schizophrenia. Previous studies investigating the OCS/OCD comorbidity in schizophrenia have obtained conflicting results. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between OCS/OCD comorbidity, and sociodemographic variables and clinical symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. Materials and Methods: Two-hundred and eighty patients with schizophrenia who were admitted to the Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic of Dışkapı Training and Research Hospital were included into the study. Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Positive and Negative Symptoms Rating Scale (SAPS-SANS), Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS) and Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsion Scale (YBOCS) were applied to all individuals. Sociodemographic variables and clinical characteristics of patients without OCD, and manifesting subthreshold OCS were compared seperately with characteristics of those with OCD comorbidity. Descriptive tests and Pearson correlation analysis were used for statistical analysis. Results: OCD comorbidity was associated with higher SANS, SAPS, and BPRS scores in this study (p <0.05). Additionally, IGD scores were lower and CDRS scores were higher in the patients with OCD compared to those without OCD (p <0.05). Severity of the negative and depressive symptoms in patients with subthreshold OCS did not show a significant difference from those with OCD comorbidity (p> 0.05). Conclusion: The patients with comorbid OCD presented different clinical features and more severe psychotic symptoms compared to those without OCD. In addition, OCD comorbidity was associated with lower functionality, and more severe depressive symptoms in this study. However, there was no significant difference between those with OCS, and OCD in severity of negative and depressive symptoms. Prospective studies are needed to assess the impact of OCS and OCD on clinical features of schizophrenia.