J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc.  2004 Jan;43(1):46-53.

Symptom Dimensions of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Their Relation to Comorbid Personality Pathology

• Ha TH
• Youn T
• Rho KS
• Kim MS
• Kwon JS

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
A great deal of attention has been paid to comorbid personality disorders in obsessive-compulsive disorder not only from the theoretical perspectives but also from the clinical aspects related to the prediction of the treatment response. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relations of the symptoms dimensions in OCD to the comorbid personality pathology.
METHODS
One-hundred thirty subjects with OCD completed Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) and Personality Disorder Questionnaire-4+ (PDQ-4+). Factor scores of symptom dimensions yielded from a factor analysis of 13 categories in YBOCS symptom checklist were inspected how to be related with the presence of any personality disorder and the PDQ scores for cluster A, B, and C personality pathology.
RESULTS
The PDQ total score was significantly correlated with aggressive/sexual/religious obsessions, hoarding, and symmetry/ordering dimensions. The hoarding and repeating/counting dimensions were correlated with cluter A pathology, the symmetry/ordering dimension was with cluster B pathology, while the obsessions dimension was globally related to personality disorders of all the clusters.
CONCLUSION
These findings add the evidence of the heterogeneity of OCD. The presence of pure obsessions, hoarding, and symmetry/ordering dimensions may need a close screening for comorbid personality disorders and individualized therapeutic strategies.

Keyword

Obsessive-compulsive disorder; Personality disorders; Symptom dimensions

MeSH Terms

Checklist
Mass Screening
Obsessive Behavior
Obsessive Hoarding
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder*
Pathology*
Personality Disorders
Population Characteristics