Lifetime-comorbidity of obsessive-compulsive disorder and subclinical obsessive-compulsive disorder in Northern Germany.
OBJECTIVE
Inspite of the worldwide relevance of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), there is a substantial lack of data on comorbidity in OCD and subclinical OCD in the general population.


METHODS
German versions of the DSM-IV adapted Composite International Diagnostic Interview were administered to a representative sample of 4075 persons aged 18-64 years, living in a northern German region.


RESULTS
In both genders, high rates of comorbid depressive disorders were found in OCD and subclinical OCD, whereas somatoform pain disorder was only associated with OCD. In female subjects, OCD was additionally associated with social and specific phobias, alcohol, nicotine and sedative dependence, PTSD and atypical eating disorder.


CONCLUSIONS
Due to low comorbidity rates, subclinical OCD seems to represent an independent syndrome not restricted to the presence of other axis-I diagnoses. Comorbidity patterns show a disposition to anxiety and to depressive disorders in OCD and subclinical OCD. A broad association with obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders could not be confirmed in our general population sample.
Grabe
H J
HJ
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität Greifswald im Klinikum der Hansestadt Stralsund, Germany. grabeh@mail.uni-greifswald.de
Meyer
C
C
Hapke
U
U
Rumpf
H J
HJ
Freyberger
H J
HJ
Dilling
H
H
John
U
U
D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015897:Comorbidity; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology