Do patients suffering from obsessions alone differ from other obsessive-compulsives?

The aim of this study was to determine whether a group of 48 patients with obsessions and compulsions differed from a group of 26 patients with obsessions alone, on the basis of demographic variables, variables relating to obsessive-compulsive neurosis, psychological variables and treatment outcome. It was found that they differed significantly in the following areas: marital status, level of education, age at onset of complaints, psychoactive medication taken when admitted for treatment, severity of obsessive-compulsive complaints, depression and intelligence. No difference was found as far as treatment outcome was concerned. Patients suffering from obsessions alone, would appear to form a distinct sub-group within the group of obsessive-compulsive patients as a whole.