Obsessive-compulsive disorder classification

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Abhishek Reddy

Overview

Obsessive compulsive disorder is classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) as an anxiety disorder.

Classification

Obsessive-compulsive disorder: subclassification based on co-morbidity.

The three-class solution is characterized by:

(1) An OCD simplex class, in which major depressive disorder (MDD) is the most frequent additional disorder;

(2) An OCD co-morbid tic-related class, in which tics are prominent and affective syndromes are considerably rarer; and

(3) An OCD co-morbid affective-related class in which panic disorder and affective syndromes are highly represented.

The OCD co-morbid tic-related class is predominantly male and characterized by high conscientiousness. The OCD co-morbid affective-related class is predominantly female, has a young age at onset, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) features, high scores on the 'taboo' factor of OCD symptoms, and low conscientiousness.

References

Obsessive-compulsive disorder: subclassification based on co-morbidity.