Obsessive-Compulsive Related Disorders

Abstract

The obsessive-compulsive and related disorders (OCRDs) category in DSM-5 is comprised not only of OCD but also of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), hoarding disorder, trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder) (TTM), and skin picking (excoriation) disorder (SPD). A review of the literature on the phenomenology, psychobiology, pharmacotherapy, and psychotherapy of these OCRDs was undertaken with a specific focus on gender. OCRDs (e.g. BDD) may have a roughly equal gender ratio, may be more common in females (e.g. HPD) or may be more common in males (e.g. hoarding disorder). Comorbidity in OCRDs may also differ across gender; e.g. in SPD, females present with increased depressive symptomatology compared to males. The literature on treatment differences by gender in the OCRDs is, however, sparse. Thus, a range of questions arise for future research and for clinical practice.