Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Bipolar Disorder Comorbidity: A Comparative Study

Mohammadrasoul  Khalkhali; Safarali Vaghari; Roghaye Zare; Seyed Mousa Kafi Masouleh

doi:10.18502/ijps.v17i2.8902

Mohammadrasoul Khalkhali Department of Psychiatry, Kavosh Cognitive Behavior Sciences and Addiction Research Center, School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
Safarali Vaghari Department of Psychiatry, Kavosh Cognitive Behavior Sciences and Addiction Research Center, School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
Roghaye Zare Neuroscience Research Center, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
Seyed Mousa Kafi Masouleh Department of Psychology, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijps.v17i2.8902

Keywords: Bipolar Disorder; Comorbidity; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Abstract

Objective: One of the difficult comorbidity of Obsessive-Compulsive disorder (OCD) to manage is bipolar disorder (BD). Results of previous studies on OCD-BD comorbidity may have been affected by different clinical definitions of OCD-BD, small or different sample sizes, different thresholds for including BD patients and different accuracies in OCD diagnosing. We tried to reduce limitations of previous studies and hypothesized that the OCD-BD group is a unique category and can be associated with greater levels of severity, episodic course of illness, more hostility and suicidal behaviors and different dimensions of OC symptoms.

Method: We compared 44 OCD-BD patients with 94 OCD patients who had completed at least a 24-month follow-up period. Clinical interviews and rating scales, and obtaining information from clinical charts were used to assess the patients. Life chartings of OCD and BD course were made for each patient and were categorized into four groups based on the clinical course of OCD.

Results: OCD-BD was characterized by a more continuous course, higher dysfunction, suicide and hostility scores. OC aggressive symptoms, having first-degree relatives with OCD and comorbidity of any anxiety disorders were associated with a reduction in odds of belonging to the OCD-BD group.

Conclusion: OCD-BD can be considered a unique category with greater morbidity and a more episodic course of OCD. Further research is recommended for exploring potential biological, social and psychological factors along with OCD-BD comorbidity.