Symptoms Analysis of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Adolescents and Adults in a Teaching Hospital

Obsessive-compulsive disorder has a broadly diverse clinical expression that reflects heterogeneity. Several studies have identified consistent symptom dimensions of obsessive-compulsive disorder. The purpose of this study was to conduct an exploratory symptoms analysis of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in adolescents and adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the Department of Psychiatry, National Medical College. This study examined lifetime occurrence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms included in the 13 symptom categories of the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale. Symptoms analysis was performed on 60 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Eight categories of obsessions and six categories of compulsions from Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale were included in the analyses. SPSS software package (version 16) was used to analyze the data and shown in the table.

Of 60 adolescents and adults, female and male were in the ratio of 1.2:1. Contamination was the most common occurring obsession followed by aggressive obsession. The most common occurring compulsion was checking followed by washing. Only a minority of patients (13.33%) presented predominantly with obsessions however 18.33% patients presented predominantly with compulsions. Certain obsessions and compulsions co-occur to form a cluster.

In adolescents and adults, obsessive-compulsive disorder is a multidimensional disorder. Symptom dimensions are predominantly congruent with those described in similar studies of adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder.