A total of 62 participants (38 women and 24 men) were examined in this study. Of these, 31 patients fulfilled the criteria of OCD [ICD-10 F42.X: mean age 35.2 (SD = 10.7) years] and 31 subjects formed the healthy control group [mean age 39.1 (SD = 15.0) years]. A detailed description of the groups can be found in Table 1 .
Patients and healthy volunteers aged 18–67 years were included. Further inclusion criteria were a verbal IQ > 70, sufficient German language skills and the ability to give informed consent according to the Helsinki and ICH-GCP declarations. Exclusion criteria for the study were: severe somatic diseases; other mental diseases, such as reduced intelligence (ICD10 F70–F70.9), schizophrenia (ICD10 F20–F20.9) or organic brain disorders (ICD10 F06–F06.9, dependence on illegal drugs); acute suicidal tendencies or behaviour endangering others; and lack of informed consent to participate in the study.
Furthermore, psychopharmacotherapy was not an exclusion criterion for patients with OCD. In this respect, 96.8% of the patients (n = 30) received monotherapy, whereby antidepressants from the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor group [e.g. sertraline (n = 21), escitalopram, paroxetine, fluoxetine] but also clomipramine (a tricyclic antidepressant) were predominantly used. Moreover, seven of the patients received a combination treatment (mainly a sedating antipsychotic medication, e.g. promethazine or quetiapine). At the time of inclusion in the study, 12 patients were receiving psychotherapeutic treatment (validation therapy: n = 9; deep psychology: n = 3). Only five of the patients (16.1%) with OCD had not received psychotherapy at the time of study inclusion, either currently or in the past. A detailed anamnesis was taken from all OCD patients and healthy volunteers in a semi-structured interview (duration 45–60 min). The psychometric characteristics, including shame and guilty proneness, were gathered using various questionnaires.
The study was approved by the local Ethics Committee (No. 20–6883) of the Medical Faculty of Ruhr-University Bochum.
Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics
| Trait | OCD | HC | p-value* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 38,7 (11,9) | 39,6 (13,1) | n. s | |
| Female n, | 19 (61,3%) | 19 (61,3%) | n. s |
| Male n, | 12 (38,7%) | 12 (38,7%) | |
| Single, n | 17 (54,8%) | 12(38,7%) | |
| Married, n | 9 (29,0%) | 19 (61,3%) | p = 0.009 |
| Divorced, n | 5 (16,1%) | 0 | |
| Current Partnership | |||
| - No | 13 (41,9%) | 7 (22,6%) | n. s |
| - Yes | 18 (58,1%) | 24 (77,4%) | |
| High school, n | 25 (80,7%) | 24 (77,4) | |
| Junior high school, n | 3 (9,7%) | 5 (16,1%) | n. s |
| Low school., n | 3 (9,7%) | 2 (6,5%) | |
Current employment (Including be a student), n | 22 (71,0%) | 27 (87,1%) | n. s |
| No current Job, | 9 (29,0%) | 4 (12,9%) | |
| F42.0, n | 5 (16,1%) | / | |
| F42.2, n | 26 (83,9%) | ||
| mean (SD), years | 23,2 (9,1) | / | |
| mean (SD), years | 15,8 (10,8) | / | |
*x2-Test/ t-Test; n. s. non-significant, OCD Obsessive–compulsive disorder, HC Healthy controls
Patients and healthy volunteers aged 18–67 years were included. Further inclusion criteria were a verbal IQ > 70, sufficient German language skills and the ability to give informed consent according to the Helsinki and ICH-GCP declarations. Exclusion criteria for the study were: severe somatic diseases; other mental diseases, such as reduced intelligence (ICD10 F70–F70.9), schizophrenia (ICD10 F20–F20.9) or organic brain disorders (ICD10 F06–F06.9, dependence on illegal drugs); acute suicidal tendencies or behaviour endangering others; and lack of informed consent to participate in the study.
Furthermore, psychopharmacotherapy was not an exclusion criterion for patients with OCD. In this respect, 96.8% of the patients (n = 30) received monotherapy, whereby antidepressants from the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor group [e.g. sertraline (n = 21), escitalopram, paroxetine, fluoxetine] but also clomipramine (a tricyclic antidepressant) were predominantly used. Moreover, seven of the patients received a combination treatment (mainly a sedating antipsychotic medication, e.g. promethazine or quetiapine). At the time of inclusion in the study, 12 patients were receiving psychotherapeutic treatment (validation therapy: n = 9; deep psychology: n = 3). Only five of the patients (16.1%) with OCD had not received psychotherapy at the time of study inclusion, either currently or in the past. A detailed anamnesis was taken from all OCD patients and healthy volunteers in a semi-structured interview (duration 45–60 min). The psychometric characteristics, including shame and guilty proneness, were gathered using various questionnaires.
The study was approved by the local Ethics Committee (No. 20–6883) of the Medical Faculty of Ruhr-University Bochum.
Free full text: Click here
