DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2017.v05i10.062

Pages: 4122-4127

The presence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia was observed at the very beginning of the descriptions of the illness. Since the 19th century, cases with both psychotic and obsessive-compulsive symptom have been reported [1]. The relationship between OCD and schizophrenia has aroused curiosity among researchers, and has challenged the practicing clinicians. Earlier studies [2,3] reported a low prevalence rate and benign clinical course in schizophrenia patients with obsessive-compulsive symptoms, which have been challenged in recent years. To study the prevalence and clinical characteristics of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. This is a cross sectional study done on patients with schizophrenia, who attended outpatient department at Institute of Mental Health Hyderabad. In a period of ten months, consecutive out-patients who fulfilled the ICD-10 criteria for schizophrenia and also met the inclusion, and exclusion criteria mentioned in study were enrolled for the study. By the end, a total of 70 patients had been included in the study. Subject were later administered to clinical instruments like M.I.N.I, PANSS and Y-BOCS. Subjects were divided into two groups based the presence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms as Schizophrenia patients with and without obsessive compulsive symptoms. These two groups were compared to find out if there exists any statistically significant difference between them. Out of the 70 patients studied, 13[18.5%] patients were having obsessive compulsive symptoms. Mean age at onset of obsessive-compulsive symptoms: 17.54 ± 4.02 years. The most common type of obsessive symptom was obsession of contamination, which was found in 10 patients (76.92%). Other most frequent obsessions were aggressive (23%), need for symmetry (23%), and sexual (15.38%).The most commom compulsion in the study was cleaning/washing compulsion [92.3]. Among other common compulsions are ordering/rearranging, checking