["Anger" Seen in Obsessive-compulsive Disorder : A Study of 40 Subjects Who Underwent Inpatient Morita Therapy]

We conducted a study on "anger" seen in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Subjects were 40 men and women (age range: 20-58 years) admitted to the Jikei University Center for Morita Therapy who had been diagnosed with OCD (DSM-IV-TR) and undergone inpatient Morita therapy. The Japanese version of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) (DSM-IV Axis I and Axis II diagnoses), the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y- BOCS) (changes in OCD severity), the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI-2) using "anger" as the indicator, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) using "anxiety" as the indicator were used, and the data were subjected to statistical analysis. Improvements were seen in the Y-BOCS for all of the following : total score, obsessional idea, compulsive act, insight, and avoidance. These results indicate that inpatient Morita ther- apy improves OCD. In the STAI, improvements were seen for both state anxiety and trait anxiety. Improvement of trait anxiety may be considered an indicator of the cultivation of a hypochondriacal temperament. In the STAXI-2, improvements were seen for anger reaction and anger expression-in, which are both aspects of the obsessive-compulsive style (Salzman, L.). Improvements in these items therefore indicate that inpatient Morita therapy improves aspects of the obsessive-compulsive style. A correlation with the degree of OCD improvement was observed for the insight level. Poor insight was a factor associated with poor outcomes of inpatient Morita therapy. Furthermore, two cases were presented, and the actual condition of treatment for OCD and "anger" in inpatient Morita therapy was elucidated.