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Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is associated with reduced quality of life, and functional impairments.[APA, 2013, pg. 240] It is defined as:[APA, 2013, pg. 237]
- obsession; recurrent and persistent thoughts, urges, or images, that are experienced as unwanted or intrusive and that in most individuals cause anxiety or distress, which the individual attempts to suppress or neutralise with some other thought or action (e.g., a compulsion)
- compulsion; repetitive behaviour that the individual feels driven to perform in response to an obsession, and which is aimed at reducing anxiety or distress, but is not connected in a realistic way with what they are designed to neutralise, or are clearly excessive.
It is easy to see how the criteria for OCD, as described above, can overlap with those of schizophrenia.[APA, 2013, pg. 241] Indeed, some individuals with OCD have poor insight into their own condition, and the obsessions of OCD can be delusional in nature.[APA, 2013, pg. 241] Differential diagnosis is based on the full symptom set of the two conditions – individuals with schizophrenia also experience hallucinations and/or formal thought disorder.[APA, 2013, pg. 241]
References:
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Fifth Edition (DSM-5™). © American Psychiatric Association, 2013.
Buckley PF, Miller BJ, Lehrer DS, Castle DJ. Psychiatric comorbidities and schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull 2009; 35 (2): 383–402.
Devi S, Rao NP, Badamath S, et al. Prevalence and clinical correlates of obsessive-compulsive disorder in schizophrenia. Compr Psychiatry 2015; 56: 141–148.
Sevincok L, Akoglu A, Kokcu F. Suicidality in schizophrenic patients with and without obsessive-compulsive disorder. Schizophr Res 2007; 90 (1–3): 198–202.
Tonna M, Ottoni R, Paglia F, et al. Obsessive-compulsive symptoms in schizophrenia and in obsessive-compulsive disorder: differences and similarities. J Psychiatr Pract 2016; 22 (2): 111–116.