Correlates of DSM-III personality disorder in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Forty-three patients with primary obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) completed the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire (PDQ), a self-rating scale designed to assess axis II personality disorders (PD) from DSM-III. Results showed that 53% of the patients received at least one PD diagnosis. The most frequent diagnoses were avoidant (30%), histrionic (26%), dependent (19%), and schizotypal (16%). Consideration of the personality traits irrespective of diagnostic category showed that in addition to avoidant and dependent personality characteristics, the sample had strong passive aggressive and compulsive tendencies and substantial histrionic, paranoid, and schizotypal traits. Patients exhibiting a greater number of personality traits were also significantly more symptomatic. However, anxiety, phobic, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms were not selected as unique predictors of any personality variables in the regression analyses. Rather, the most important correlate of PD in these patients consisted of dysphoric mood as assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and, to a lesser degree, younger age or shorter duration of illness. These findings do not support a specific link between OCD and PD in general and compulsive PD in particular.