Associations of Comorbid Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms with Psychotic and Affective Symptoms and General Functioning

Abstract

Since the earliest descriptions of schizophrenia, it has been noted that both obsessions and compulsions occur at rates that far exceed what is found in the general population. This has raised the issues about the extent to which these symptoms are related to or independent of other forms of disturbance in schizophrenia including positive and negative symptoms and general psychosocial impairment. In this chapter we review research on the relationship of obsessions and compulsions with positive, negative, and depressive symptoms as well as functional status. As illustrated over multiple studies, the linkage of obsessions and compulsions with symptoms in schizophrenia remains unclear. While persons with schizophrenia who have obsessions and compulsions tend to have more severe depressive symptoms and overall poorer functional capacities, no consistent pattern of association with positive and negative symptoms has emerged. Different explanations for the inconsistencies in the literature are discussed including the possibility that these are a reflection of variations in measurement as well as the possibility that different subgroups of patients with schizophrenia and obsessions and compulsions exist.