[Comparative study of normal subjects and obsessive compulsive subjects on intrusive thoughts and memory]

Four surveys have shown that more than 80% of normal subjects have obsessive thoughts with content similar to those found in obsessive compulsive patients. "Abnormal" and "normal" intrusive thoughts do not differ in content but in duration, frequency and rejectability. Thirteen DSM III-R non-depressed obsessive compulsive patients with checking rituals were compared with 13 sex-, age-, and education matched control subjects. Our study compared the content of abnormal and normal obsessions. No between-group difference was found suggesting that a sub-group of obsessive compulsive patients with checking rituals did not change the general result. The memory processes were also compared. Several investigators have shown an impairment in visual spatial memory tasks but none in verbal tasks with obsessive compulsive patients. In three studies non clinical checkers were found to show some deficits in memory compared to non checkers. In our study we used the Wechsler memory scale. Clinical checkers appear to have difficulties recalling details of meaningfully linked verbal sequence and immediate visual reproduction.