Obsessive-compulsive disorder in patients with first-episode schizophrenia.

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to determine the rate of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in patients with first-episode schizophrenia. Fifty patients consecutively hospitalized with first-episode psychosis who met DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia spectrum disorders were assessed for OCD. The instruments used were the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, Schedule for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS), Schedule for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), and Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale. Seven (14%) of the 50 schizophrenic patients met DSM-IV criteria for OCD and scored significantly lower than schizophrenic patients without OCD on the formal thought disorder subscale of the SAPS and the flattened affect subscale of the SANS. OCD is relatively frequent in patients with first-episode schizophrenia and may have a "protective" effect on some schizophrenic symptoms, at least in the early stages of the disease.