OC Symptoms Research Articles

‘Not just right’ experiences and incompleteness in body dysmorphic disorder

The current studies examined the role of ‘not just right’ experiences (NJREs) and incompleteness (INC) in body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). In Study 1, a clinical BDD sample endorsed more severe NJREs than healthy controls, when controlling co-occurring symptoms of depression and anxiety. In Study 2, INC predicted reactivity to an in vivo task designed to evoke BDD-related concerns in an unselected sample. Study 3 demonstrated a positive relationship between INC and BDD symptom severity in a community sample. Study 4 examined in vivo sensory NJRE tasks and INC in a sample high and low in BDD symptoms. The high symptom group reported greater INC and reactivity to a visual NJRE task than their low symptom counterparts, when controlling for co-occurring symptoms of depression, anxiety, and OC symptoms. No group differences were observed for tasks assessing auditory and tactile NJREs. These studies demonstrate a unique relationship between INC/NJREs and BDD.

Sensory over responsivity and obsessive compulsive symptoms: A cluster analysis

BackgroundSeveral studies have examined the sensory component in Obsesseive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and described an OCD subtype which has a unique profile, and that Sensory Phenomena (SP) is a significant component of this subtype. SP has some commonalities with Sensory Over Responsivity (SOR) and might be in part a characteristic of this subtype. Although there are some studies that have examined SOR and its relation to Obsessive Compulsive Symptoms (OCS), literature lacks sufficient data on this interplay. ObjectivesFirst to further examine the correlations between OCS and SOR, and to explore the correlations between SOR modalities (i.e. smell, touch, etc.) and OCS subscales (i.e. washing, ordering, etc.). Second, to investigate the cluster analysis of SOR and OCS dimensions in adults, that is, to classify the sample using the sensory scores to find whether a sensory OCD subtype can be specified. Our third goal was to explore the psychometric features of a new sensory questionnaire: the Sensory Perception Quotient (SPQ). MethodA sample of non clinical adults (n=350) was recruited via e-mail, social media and social networks. Participants completed questionnaires for measuring SOR, OCS, and anxiety. ResultsSOR and OCI-F scores were moderately significantly correlated (n=274), significant correlations between all SOR modalities and OCS subscales were found with no specific higher correlation between one modality to one OCS subscale. Cluster analysis revealed four distinct clusters: (1) No OC and SOR symptoms (NONE; n=100), (2) High OC and SOR symptoms (BOTH; n=28), (3) Moderate OC symptoms (OCS; n=63), (4) Moderate SOR symptoms (SOR; n=83). The BOTH cluster had significantly higher anxiety levels than the other clusters, and shared OC subscales scores with the OCS cluster. The BOTH cluster also reported higher SOR scores across tactile, vision, taste and olfactory modalities. The SPQ was found reliable and suitable to detect SOR, the sample SPQ scores was normally distributed (n=350). ConclusionsSOR is a dimensional feature that can influence the severity of OCS and may characterize a unique sensory OCD subtype.

Inter-individual variability in emotion regulation: Pathways to obsessive-compulsive symptoms

BackgroundIndividuals vary in their use of emotion regulation strategies and this variation has been associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Previous studies suggest that affect and cognitive rigidity mediate this association, but such mediation effects have not yet been tested in an integrated model of inter-individual variation of OC symptoms. MethodsWe used a total sample of 111 subjects (79 OCD patients and 32 controls) and a path-analytic approach to simultaneously explore the associations between two emotion regulation strategies (i.e. cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression), positive and negative affect, and cognitive rigidity with obsessive-compulsive symptoms as the outcome variable. ResultsResults showed that 49% of the variance of OC symptoms was explained by the best-fitting model (χ2=0.915, p=0.922, df=4). Cognitive reappraisal was associated with reduced presence/severity of OC symptoms, and this association was mediated by positive affect and decreased cognitive rigidity. In contrast, expressive suppression was associated with negative affect, increased cognitive rigidity and increased presence/severity of OC symptoms. ConclusionsA deep-rooted interconnection between emotion and cognition – indicated by both full and partial mediations – is a key mechanism underlying vulnerability to OC symptoms.

Violent obsessions are associated with suicidality in an OCD analog sample of college students

The picture of suicide in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is unclear because previous research did not uniformly control for depressive symptoms when examining the relationship between OCD and suicidality. Specific links between OC symptom dimensions and suicidality were also not adequately studied. As such, we investigated specific associations between OC symptom dimensions and suicidality, beyond the contribution of depressive symptoms, in an OCD analog sample of college students, a group traditionally at risk for suicide. One hundred and forty-six college students (103 females; 43 males) who exceeded the clinical cut-off for OC symptoms on the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory, Revised (OCI-R) were recruited. Participants completed an online questionnaire containing measures that assessed suicidality and OC and depressive symptom severity. Total OC symptom severity, unacceptable thoughts, and especially violent obsessions exhibited significant positive zero-order correlations with suicidality. However, analyses of part correlations indicated that only violent obsessions had a significant unique association with suicidality after controlling for depressive symptoms. Our findings support the hypothesis that violent obsessions have a specific role in suicidality beyond the influence of depressive symptoms in an OCD analog sample of college students. A strong clinical focus on suicide risk assessment and safety planning in college students reporting violent obsessions is therefore warranted. Future related research should employ longitudinal or prospective designs and control for other possible comorbid symptoms in larger and more representative samples of participants formally diagnosed with OCD in order to verify the generalizability of our findings to these groups.

Cross-Disorder Genetic Analysis of Tic Disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive, and Hoarding Symptoms.

Hoarding, obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), and Tourette’s disorder (TD) are psychiatric disorders that share symptom overlap, which might partly be the result of shared genetic variation. Population-based twin studies have found significant genetic correlations between hoarding and OCD symptoms, with genetic correlations varying between 0.1 and 0.45. For tic disorders, studies examining these correlations are lacking. Other lines of research, including clinical samples and GWAS or CNV data to explore genetic relationships between tic disorders and OCD, have only found very modest if any shared genetic variation. Our aim was to extend current knowledge on the genetic structure underlying hoarding, OC symptoms (OCS), and lifetime tic symptoms and, in a trivariate analysis, assess the degree of common and unique genetic factors contributing to the etiology of these disorders. Data have been gathered from participants in the Netherlands Twin Register comprising a total of 5293 individuals from a sample of adult monozygotic (n = 2460) and dizygotic (n = 2833) twin pairs (mean age 33.61 years). The data on Hoarding, OCS, and tic symptoms were simultaneously analyzed in Mplus. A liability threshold model was fitted to the twin data, analyzing heritability of phenotypes and of their comorbidity. Following the criteria for a probable clinical diagnosis in all phenotypes, 6.8% of participants had a diagnosis of probable hoarding disorder (HD), 6.3% of OCS, and 12.8% of any probable lifetime tic disorder. Genetic factors explained 50.4, 70.1, and 61.1% of the phenotypic covariance between hoarding-OCS, hoarding-tics, and OCS-tics, respectively. Substantial genetic correlations were observed between hoarding and OCS (0.41), hoarding and tics (0.35), and between OCS and tics (0.37). These results support the contribution of genetic factors in the development of these disorders and their comorbidity. Furthermore, tics were mostly influenced by specific environmental factors unshared with OCS and HD.

Six In Vivo Assessments of Compulsive Behavior: A Validation Study Using the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised.

Due to the complex and heterogeneous nature of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), movement toward multimodal assessment has become necessary to more precisely understand the nature of the disorder and interrelations between symptom clusters. Thus, the present study utilized large undergraduate samples (total N = 800) to test the validity of six in vivo assessments of OC symptoms (i.e., one ordering/arranging task, two contamination fear/washing tasks, and three checking tasks). Associations between task-specific variables and self-reported symptom scores (as measured by the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised [OCI-R]) were examined. The majority of the in vivo task variables (those presented in Studies 1-4) exhibited significant relationships with the corresponding OCI-R symptom subscale (i.e., ordering, washing, checking). However, many of the task variables demonstrated relationships with other OCI-R symptom subscales, as well. Some evidence for discriminant validity was found, as task variables were generally unrelated to past-week symptoms of depression or anxiety. While continued research is necessary to further establish the validity and utility of the tasks discussed in the current article, findings have implications for improving future empirical examination of OC symptoms.

SUBTYPING HOARDING DISORDER PATIENTS BASED ON THEORY of MIND - A COMPARATIVE STUDY WITH OCD and PDD PATIENTS

IntroductionTheory of Mind (ToM) is the ability to represent one's own or another person's mental state, and is impaired in various psychiatric illnesses, but most strikingly in patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) [1]. Within the scope of a transdiagnostic approach across disorders characterized by repetitive and ritualistic behaviour, the aim of the present study was to 1) compare patients with ASD, Hoarding Disorder (HD) and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), on ToM functioning, and 2) to study patient profiles across study groups based on ToM performance. MethodThe study was approved by the ethical review board of the UMC Utrecht. A total of 89 participants were recruited: 17 ASD-, 27 OCD-, 22 HD-patients and 23 controls. Clinical characteristics were assessed with respect to hoarding, obsessive-compulsive, autism, ADHD and inhibition/ approach symptoms. ToM functioning was assessed with the aid of the Faux pas test [2]. This story test measures: total ToM capacity, detection of Faux pas in the story, the skills to determine the content of a social situation, false belief (a misconception resulting from incorrect reasoning) and empathy. ResultsNo between-group differences were found between ASD,HD,OCD and controls when groups were compared on the Faux pas total or subscales. When study subjects were regrouped based on performance on the Faux pas (into a low, average and high performance group), results revealed that subjects with low performance on the Faux pas showed lower behavioral approach scores, higher ADHD total and inattention scores, and higher Autism communication and hoarding scores. Further, when grouped based on performance on the false belief subscale, as expected most (71%)of the ASD subjects were in the ‘low’ or ‘average’ performance domain, whereas most of the OCD patients (88%) and controls (95.6%) were in the ‘average’ or ‘good’ domain. Strikingly, HD patients showed a bimodal pattern; with 36.4% scoring in the "low" performance and 41% scoring in the "high" performance domain. HD patients with low false belief performance reported low behavioral approach scores, low OC symptom scores and high ADHD total and inattention scores, while HD patients with good false belief performance showed high OC symptom scores and low ADHD scores. ConclusionThese data indicate that ASD, HD and OCD show striking similarities with respect to symptom profiles and ToM when studying classical between-DSMIV group comparisons. However, when subjects are grouped based on ToM functioning, differences are brought to light, with ASD patients showing worst and OCD patients showing best false belief performance. Interestingly, in HD patients two subtypes emerge, with on the one hand an "ASD-ADHD-like" HD group characterized by low performance on false belief and low responsiveness to reward, and on the other hand an "OCD-like" group characterized by good performance on false belief, higher responsiveness to reward and high OC symptom scores. These findings have direct treatment implications for the HD group, but need replication in future studies.

Contextual determinants of intrusions and obsessions: The role of ego-dystonicity and the reality of obsessional thoughts

The current study aimed to investigate whether lack of evidence for the potential reality of the intrusion and ego-dystonicity are contextual determinants of unwanted intrusive thoughts and clinical obsessions. To this end, a total 248 non-clinical participants were asked to report an intrusion they had experienced as well as the context in which the intrusion arose. Utilizing this information, three independent clinicians rated these intrusions on ego-dystonicity and whether the intrusion had occurred with or without any evidence for its potential reality. Results showed that ego-dystonicity and lack of evidence for the intrusions were related, but distinct constructs. In particular, intrusions that occurred without evidence were significantly associated with higher levels of self-reported OC symptoms and related cognitive domains, whereas ego-dystonicity was not related to OC symptoms. Overall, the results are consistent with the notion that abnormal intrusions occur without evidence in the here-and-now, whereas normal intrusions do not. Intrusions that have no evidence to back them up, yet occur without any apparent cause, may be particularly likely to invite further negative cognitive processing, over-interpretation and control attempts. Implications for further research and treatment are discussed.

Course of illness in comorbid bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder patients.

Psychiatric comorbidity is extremely common. One of the most common and difficult to manage comorbid conditions is the co-occurrence of bipolar disorder (BD) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). We updated our recent systematic review searching the electronic databases MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO to investigate course of illness in BD-OCD patients. We identified a total of 13 relevant papers which found that the majority of comorbid OCD cases appeared to be related to mood episodes. OC symptoms in comorbid patients appeared more often during depressive episodes, and comorbid BD and OCD cycled together, with OC symptoms often remitting during manic/hypomanic episodes.

Comorbid Bipolar Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: An Old Debate Renewed.

To the Editor, Apparent comorbidity between bipolar disorder (BD) and anxiety disorders is a common condition in psychiatry with higher prevalence rates for generalised anxiety disorder, social phobia, panic disorder.1 Overlapping clinical criteria for many diagnoses, especially mood and anxiety disorders, produced by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) might lay behind these high prevalence rates.2 Using DSM, it is unclear whether concomitant diagnoses actually reflect the presence of distinct clinical entities or refer to multiple manifestations of a single clinical entity. With regard to anxiety disorders, one of the most difficult additional psychiatric diagnosis to manage in BD patients is obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).3,4 In our recent meta-analysis, the pooled prevalence of OCD in BD was 17.0%, which was comparable to the results reported by the pooled prevalence of BD in OCD (18.35%).5 In line with previous studies,6 OCD prevalence rate was higher among BD children and adolescents (24.2%, compared to 13.5% in adults). The co-occurrence of symptoms of BD and OCD was noted 150 years ago by Morel,7 but the topic is insufficiently studied and the relationship between BD and OCD remains unclear. In agreement with Kraepelin's thought a psychiatric diagnosis is best established by its longitudinal course of illness, the evidence so far supports the view that, especially among patients with a primary diagnosis of BD, the majority of comorbid OCD cases appeared to be related to mood episodes.8 OC symptoms in comorbid patients appeared more often-and sometimes exclusively-during depressive episodes, and comorbid BD and OCD cycled together, with OC symptoms often remitting during manic/hypomanic episodes. Therefore, only a substantial minority of comorbid BD-OCD may represent OCD independent of BD with OC symptoms that improve or worsen during mood episodes without being related to these. These findings are in line with Feinsteins definition of comorbidity, as any distinct additional entity that has existed or may occur during the clinical course of a patient who has the index disease under study.2 True OCD comorbid with BD would represent the random co-occurrence of two independent diseases, estimated by multiplication of prevalence rates, which are about 1% for each condition, and producing a very low expected true comorbidity of 0.1% in the general population. The treatment of BD-OCD patients remains a great challenge, since the gold standard for one disease (serotonin reuptake inhibitors for OCD) can worsen the other (antidepressants can cause mania and/or more mood episodes in BD). The clinical features of comorbid BD-OCD patients would explain why OCD and BD symptoms respond to adequate mood stabilizer treatment.3 Only in a minority of comorbid patients with persistent OCD, despite improvement in mood episodes, addition of low doses of antidepressants could be considered while strictly monitoring emerging symptoms of mania or mixed states. Benefit with antipsychotics was also seen, although a few reports also exist of exacerbation of OC symptoms with neuroleptic agents. Considering the growing interest over the last decades into shared pathophysiologies across psychiatric disorders, studies addressing neurobiological substrates are essential to illuminate pathogenetic mechanisms that underlie comorbid BD-OCD.

Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Korea.

ObjectiveCognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is regarded as one of the most effective intervention for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, many patients remain untreated or inadequately treated due to time or geographical constraints. The purpose of this study was to develop an internet-based CBT (ICBT) for OCD, and to examine its efficacy in the Korean clinical setting.MethodsThe ICBT program ('COT') was developed from the same OCD manual in the standard CBT intervention. Twenty-seven participants of the total 42 patients completed all training sessions of the ICBT and the remainder (n=15) were classified as non-completers. Self-report measures of OCD, depression, anxiety, and work/social functioning, in addition to a neurocognitive test battery, were administered by face-to-face before and after treatment.ResultsThe participants showed significant improvements in OCD and depressive symptoms, and in work/social functioning after ICBT completion. The presence of combined medication had no significant impact on treatment effect. The non-completers displayed more severe depressive and anxiety symptoms, and ICBT responders were younger and performed better in the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test.ConclusionICBT was found to be as effective for patients with moderate OC symptoms and little treatment experience. Considering the high accessibility and convenience of ICBT, it could be a helpful first treatment step for OCD patients when face-to-face treatment is unavailable. In the future a randomized controlled study will be necessary for verification and generalization of these results.

The Relative Contributions of Experiential Avoidance and Distress Tolerance to OC Symptoms

The Relative Contributions of Experiential Avoidance and Distress Tolerance to OC Symptoms

Dependent personality, separation anxiety disorder and other anxiety disorders in OCD.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether dependent personality and/or general personality dimensions might explain the strong relationships between separation anxiety disorder (Sep-AD) and three other anxiety disorders (agoraphobia, panic disorder and social anxiety disorder) in individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Using data from 509 adult participants collected during the OCD Collaborative Genetic Study, we used logistic regression models to evaluate the relationships between Sep-AD, dependent personality score, general personality dimensions and three additional anxiety disorders. The dependent personality score was strongly associated with Sep-AD and the other anxiety disorders in models adjusted for age at interview, age at onset of OC symptoms and worst ever OCD severity score. Several general personality dimensions, especially neuroticism, extraversion and conscientiousness, were also related to Sep-AD and the other anxiety disorders. Sep-AD was not independently related to these anxiety disorders, in multivariate models including general personality and dependent personality disorder scores. The results suggest that Sep-AD in childhood and these other anxiety disorders in adulthood are consequences of dependent personality disorder (for agoraphobia and panic disorder) or introversion (for social phobia). It is unknown whether these results would be similar in a non-OCD sample.

Comorbid obsessive–compulsive disorder with bipolar disorder: A distinct form?

We examined whether the patients with Bipolar Disorder (BD) and Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder (OCD) comorbidity may represent a distinct form of BD. The subjects diagnosed with BD (n=48), OCD (n=61), and BD with OCD (n=32) were compared in terms of several socio-demographic and clinical characteristics. Previous history of suicidal attempts was more likely to be higher in BD–OCD group compared to the other two groups. A more episodic course of OCD, higher rates of rapid cycling, and the seasonality were found in BD–OCD patients. The frequency of bipolar II and NOS subtypes was more prevalent in patients with BD–OCD than in OCD patients. The first diagnosed illness was BD in the majority of BD–OCD cases. It was found that first affective episode was major depression in half of BD–OCD patients. Age at onset of BD was found to be earlier in BD–OCD group compared to pure BD patients. Bipolarity may not have a specific effect on the phenomenology of OC symptoms. The episodic course of OCD, seasonality, rapid cycling, earlier onset of BD, and impulsivity in BD–OCD patients may be indicative for a distinct form of BD.

Relationships between cyberchondria and obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions

Researchers have recently begun to investigate a vicious cycle of escalating physical health concerns and online medical information seeking coined “cyberchondria”. Research has shown that cyberchondria is strongly associated with health anxiety (HA), but there is a dearth of work investigating the potential relationships between cyberchondria and other anxiety-related pathologies. One such condition is obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which could theoretically be related to cyberchondria given the physical health relevant focus of certain types of OC symptoms. The current study sought to investigate the potential relationship between cyberchondria OCD across OC symptom dimensions. Community participants (N=468) were recruited via online crowdsourcing to complete a battery of self-report questionnaires including cyberchondria and OC measures. Structural equation modeling revealed significant unique associations between both contamination/washing and responsibility for harm/checking symptoms, and cyberchondria, such that greater cyberchondria was associated with greater OC symptoms after controlling for HA and trait negative affect. These results suggest that similar to proposed models of cyberchondria and HA, cyberchondria could potentially play a role in the development/maintenance of two dimensions of OC symptoms, or vice versa. Future work will need to determine the causal nature of these relationships or whether they are simply co-occurring phenomena.

Exploring dimensionality in the contamination-relevant semantic network with simulated obsessions and association splitting

The semantic network approach to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) represents a new cognitive approach to understanding the condition. With a dimensional perspective on OC symptoms, we attempted to: (1) uncover a contamination-relevant semantic network in an unselected undergraduate sample; and (2) validate the purported mechanism of association splitting, a network-based intervention for OC symptoms. Contamination-relevant, negatively valenced, and neutral Deese/Roediger-McDermott (DRM) word lists were presented, accompanied by relational or item-specific semantic processing simulations of obsessions or association splitting, respectively. Good veridical recognition performance across list types was observed with simulated obsessions and association splitting. Substantial false recognition rates across critical lure types followed simulated obsessions; such rates were lower with simulated association splitting. Network-based accounts of the contamination-relevant findings supported the aforementioned research aims. Additionally, enhanced contamination-relevant veridical recognition confidence with simulated association splitting suggests a memory confidence pathway through which the technique might reduce contamination-related symptoms. Lastly, contamination-relevant recognition performance was not related to contamination-related symptom severity across conditions, signaling non-dimensionality in contamination-relevant semantic network intensification. Our findings indicate the need for rigorous research on the semantic network approach to OCD to refine its tenets. Association splitting should also be more extensively researched as a viable technique for treating OCD.

Obsessive-compulsive symptom severity in schizophrenia: a Janus Bifrons effect on functioning.

The impact of obsessive-compulsive symptoms on functioning in schizophrenia is still debated. This study investigated the relationship between OC symptoms and functioning along a severity gradient of obsessive-compulsive dimension. Sixty patients affected by schizophrenia completed the SCID-IV, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale and the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale. The relationship between functioning and obsessive-compulsive dimension was described by a reverse U-shaped curve; functioning was positively related to the presence of mild obsessive-compulsive symptoms and inversely related to moderate and severe symptoms, after controlling for the severity of positive, negative, disorganization and general psychopathological symptoms. The role of obsessive-compulsive symptoms on social functioning in schizophrenia occurs along a severity continuum with a gradual transition from a positive correlation (from absent to mild symptoms) to an inverse correlation (for symptoms ranging from moderate to severe) and independently from schizophrenia symptom dimensions.

Assessing Oral Cancer Awareness Among Rural Latino Migrant Workers.

Latino migrant farm workers suffer significant health disparities, including poor oral health. The purpose of this research was to assess Latino migrant farm workers' OC awareness, including knowledge and care-seeking behaviors. A 42-item survey was developed. Trained, bilingual researchers verbally administered the survey to migrant farm workers in Hillsborough County, Florida. Frequencies and descriptive statistics were generated to report baseline data. The sample consisted of 53.7% female respondents. The mean age for males and females respectively was 38.7 and 39.2. Most respondents had attended grade school; 6.7% never attended school. Perceptions of cancer susceptibility were present; knowledge of OC risk factors, signs and symptoms was low. Participants were unlikely to seek preventive care. The results contribute to the limited studies regarding Latino migrant farm workers and oral cancer risk factor awareness and knowledge. Findings highlight factors influencing motivation and care-seeking behaviors, as well as provide guidance for development of educational materials.

Partner-focused obsessions and self-esteem: An experimental investigation

BackgroundRelationship-related obsessive-compulsive phenomena (ROCD) are encountered frequently in the clinic, and involve severe consequences to personal and relational well-being. One common presentation of ROCD involves disabling preoccupation and doubts focusing on intimate partner's flaws (partner-focused obsessions). It was previously suggested that individuals perceiving their partner's failures or flaws as reflecting on their own self-worth may be more sensitive to intrusive thoughts pertaining to their partner's qualities and characteristics. In the current studies, we assessed the link between partner-focused OC symptoms and self-esteem contingent on partner-value. MethodsIn two studies we assessed the impact of experimentally induced partner-focused intrusions on self-esteem. In Study 1, we assessed individuals' self-esteem after one of three primes: (a) intrusion about one's partner comparing unfavorably with others of the same sex (i.e., alternative partners), (b) intrusion about one's partner comparing unfavorably to oneself, (c) and a neutral prime. In study 2, we tried to replicate Study 1 using a pre-post design and also examine whether favorable intrusions of one's partner would have an opposite effect on self-esteem than unfavorable intrusions. ResultsCompared with the other groups, participants who were primed with intrusions of their partner being unfavorably compared to others reported lower self-esteem, but only if they had high levels of partner-focused symptoms. Favorable intrusions of partner to others did not have a positive effect on self-esteem among individuals with high levels of partner-focused symptoms. ConclusionsPartner-value self-sensitivity may be one of the perpetuating mechanisms involved in partner-focused OC phenomena.

Prevalence and comorbidity of depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorders among Saudi secondary school girls, Taif Area, KSA.

Previous Saudi studies have shown the psychiatric comorbidity among adolescent girls. This article was done to assess the prevalence and comorbidity of psychiatric disorders among secondary school girls in Taif area. A cross-sectional multistage cluster-sampling methodology was carried out on 1024 secondary school female students. Psychometric evaluation of students was carried out using the Beck depression inventory, Castello and Comery Anxiety scale and Obsessive - compulsive disorder scale. Out of the 1024 participants, 42.9%, 54.9%, and 23.1% had significant depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive symptoms, respectively. In addition, 64.7% of them had symptoms of the three studied disorders. A highly significant positive correlation was found between depression score and both anxiety and OC symptoms scores and between anxiety score and OC symptoms score. There is a need for a national intervention program for promotion of adolescent mental health. The program should include screening of students using the psychometric scales.