Obsessive-compulsive disorder in a dermatology outpatient clinic.
OBJECTIVE
The aims of present study were to (a) to determine the prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in dermatological patients, (b) to determine the possible relationship between dermatological lesions and OCD and (c) to determine the clinical and phenomenological features of the OCD subgroup.


METHODS
The sample consisted of 166 out of 250 consecutively presenting dermatological patients who agreed to participate in the study. The subjects were assessed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Turkish Version (SCID-I) and also completed the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS).


RESULTS
Of the whole sample, 41 (24.7%) met DSM-IV criteria for OCD. Only 14.6% of them had previously been diagnosed as OCD. The mean score of Y-BOCS in the OCD group was 17.05 +/- 9.75. The most common obsessions were contamination (61%) and pathologic doubt (53.7%), while washing (61%) and checking (51.2%) were the most frequent compulsions. Those suffering from diseases of sebaceous glands were the only group that showed a significant difference between the OCD and non-OCD group.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a high prevalence of OCD in dermatological patients, although the nature of the relationship between OCD and dermatology has not previously been ascertained. Genetic-based studies and future researches focused on individual anxiety, and sensitivity may provide information that better explains this relationship.
Demet
Mehmet Murat
MM
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Celal Bayar University, Manisa, Turkey.
Deveci
Artuner
A
Taskin
E Oryal
EO
Ermertcan
Aylin Turel
AT
Yurtsever
Fatma
F
Deniz
Filiz
F
Bayraktar
Dilek
D
Ozturkcan
Serap
S
D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D015995:Prevalence; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology