Obsessive-compulsive disorder in a birth cohort of 18-year-olds: prevalence and predictors.
OBJECTIVE
To report descriptive epidemiological information on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in an unselected birth cohort of 930 males and females, aged 18 years.


METHODS
An epidermiological study of the prevalence of self-reported OCD at age 18, and a longitudinal analysis of the prospective predictors of OCD.


RESULTS
Using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule, the authors found a 1-year prevalence rate of 4%, with a male-female ratio of 0.7:1. The majority of OCD cases met criteria for a comorbid disorder, most commonly depression (62%), social phobia (38%), and substance dependence (alcohol 24%, marijuana 19%).


CONCLUSIONS
Data collected on the sample from birth to age 18 years indicated that many childhood risk factors theorized in the literature did not predict OCD in this sample. However, a history of depression and substance use were prospective risk factors for OCD.
Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit, University of Otago Medical School, Dunedin, New Zealand.
H M
HM
Douglass
T E
TE
Moffitt
R
R
Dar
R
R
McGee
P
P
Silva
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications