Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
- Epidemiology
- Comorbidity
- OCD and Tic Disorder
- OCD and Depression
- OCD and Other Anxiety Disorders
- OCD and Phobia
- OCD and OCPD
- OCD and Schizophrenia
- Course and Prognosis
- Etiology
- Specific Clinical Response
- Serotonin Antagonists
- Pharmacological Challenges
- Dopamine
- Immune Factors
- Brain Imaging Studies
- Genetics
- Other Biological Data
- Behavioral Factors
- Psychosocial Factors
- Treatment of OCD
- Efficacy of Serotonergic vs Adrenergic Antidepressants
- Long Term Treatment of OCD
- Drug Dosage
- Psychological Approaches
- Treatment Resistant OCD
- Switching Medications
- Augmentation
- Risperidone
- Pindolol
- Other Options
- Intravenous Clomipramine
- Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors
- Last-line Therapies
OCD and Schizophrenia
About 10% to 25% of chronic schizophrenia patients may also present with OCD symptoms (range 5–45%) , and 15% may qualify for the diagnosis of OCD. As in OCD, the OCD symptoms in these patients will not necessarily surface unless specific questions are asked. Many patients with schizophrenia can distinguish the ego-dystonic OC symptoms, perceived as coming from within, from the ego-syntonic delusions perceived as intruding from the outside. Follow-up studies demonstrate diagnostic stability over time and it seems that the presence of OCD in schizophrenia predicts a poor prognosis. Several studies among patients with schizophrenia and OCD reported an improvement in OCD symptomatology after the addition of a specific antiobsessive medication (ibid).
Due to the different (poorer) prognosis of patients with schizo-obsessive symptoms, as well as preliminary data regarding their response to specific therapeutic intervention (i.e., the combination of antipsychotic and antiobsessive medications), and taking into account the high prevalence of this presentation, several researchers have suggested that a ‘‘schizo-obsessive’’ category may be considered.