Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive (OC) spectrum disorders may conceivably affect up to 10% of the U.S. population (Hollander & Wong, 1995b). Our newly emerging knowledge raises many questions about research directions. In this report I have provided the definition of OCD and as well elucidate the OCD spectrum. Furthermore I have focused on the symptom profile and phenomenology of OCD.
Definitions of the OCD Spectrum
OC spectrum disorders share many features with OCD (Hollander, 1993a, 1993b; Hollander & Wong, 1995b). These include overlap in:
1. Symptom profile: characterized by intrusive obsessive thoughts or repetitive behaviors.
2. Associated features: demographics, family history, comorbidity, clinical course.
3. Neurobiology: assessed by pharmacological challenge studies, imaging, immune factors.
4. Response to selective antiobsessional behavioral therapies and pharmacotherapies.
5. Etiology: genetics, environmental factors.
It is important to note, however, that often these spectrum disorders coexist in the same patient, thereby making accurate diagnoses even more important. Many of these patients with comorbid spectrum disorders are often labeled as treatment-resistant when they do not respond to conventional treatments that are targeted to a narrow diagnostic category. Therefore, knowledge of a broader spectrum of diagnostic entities that are often associated and interrelated would lead to more tailored treatments, and hopefully improved response rates.
Symptom Profile and Phenomenology
OCD is characterized by either obsessions (recurrent and persistent ideas, thoughts, or images) or compulsions (repetitive behaviors performed according to certain rules or in stereotyped fashion (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). In addition, these obsessions or compulsions cause marked distress or significantly interfere with the patient's function. Symptomatically, both compulsivity and impulsivity have in common the inability to inhibit or delay repetitive behaviors. The difference between the two lies in the driving foci. In compulsivity, it is the need to decrease the discomfort associated with rituals, and in impulsivity, it is the need for the maximization of pleasure...................
