An empirical investigation of incompleteness in a large clinical sample of obsessive compulsive disorder.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a disorder with heterogeneous clinical presentations. To advance our understanding of this heterogeneity we investigated the prevalence and clinical features associated with incompleteness (INC), a putative underlying core feature of OCD. We predicted INC would be prominent in individuals with OCD and associated with greater severity and impairment. We examined the impact of INC in 307 adults with primary OCD. Participants with clinically significant INC (22.8% of the sample) had significantly greater OCD severity, greater rates of comorbidity, poorer ratings of functioning, lower quality of life, and higher rates of unemployment and disability. Participants with clinically significant INC were also more likely to be diagnosed with OCPD and to endorse symmetry/exactness obsessions and ordering/arranging compulsions than those who reported low INC. Our findings provide evidence that INC is associated with greater severity, comorbidity, and impairment, highlighting the need for improved assessment and treatment of INC in OCD.
Baruch College - The City University of New York, New York, NY, United States; Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, United States. Electronic address: nicholas.sibrava@baruch.cuny.edu.
Nicholas J
NJ
Sibrava
Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, United States; Butler Hospital, Providence, RI, United States.
Christina L
CL
Boisseau
Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, United States.
Jane L
JL
Eisen
Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, United States; Butler Hospital, Providence, RI, United States.
Maria C
MC
Mancebo
Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, United States.
Steven A
SA
Rasmussen
D000328:Adult; D003192:Compulsive Behavior / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009770:Obsessive Behavior / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D063189:Symptom Assessment
Core features; Harm avoidance; Incompleteness; Not just right experiences; Obsessive compulsive disorder