Evaluation of Relationship between Obsessive-compulsive Disorder and Dissociative Experiences.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to evaluate the relationship between obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms and dissociative experiences and the effect of childhood traumatic experiences on this relationship in OCD patients. METHODS: Fifty consecutive OCD patients and 50 healthy controls are enrolled for this study. Sociodemographic and Clinical Data Form, Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES), Padua Inventory (PI) and Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) are applied to participants. RESULTS: Average DES total score in the patient group is 20.58 and in the control group it is 4.87. In the patient group, when we evaluate the relation strengths of DES total and subscale scores with PI total score, we found out that amnesia subscale has r=0.361 (p<0.01), absorption subscale has r=0.611 (p<0.01), depersonalization/derealization subscale has r=0.574 (p<0.01), and DES total score has r=0.55 (p<0.01) relation strengths with PI total score. In patient group both DES total score and CTQ total score have influence on PI total score independently from each other. In addition to this, the level of the influence of DES total scores on PI total scores is, R²=0.399 (p<0.01) and the level of the influence of CTQ total scores on PI total scores is R²=0.343 (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Dissociative experiences are seen more frequently in OCD patients than healthy controls. Among dissociative experiences, absorption has stronger relation with OCD symptoms. The relation between OCD and dissociation is independent from and stronger than the relation between childhood traumatic experiences and OCD.

Sexual dysfunction in obsessive compulsive disorder and panic disorder.

BACKGROUND: Clinical research has provided conflicting evidence regarding sexual dysfunction in patients with OCD and PD. This study was undertaken to assess and compare certain parameters of sexual functioning in OCD and PD patients. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study population consisted of 80 patients between 20 and 60 years of age with a diagnosis of OCD or PD who were followed and treated at the anxiety outpatient unit of Bakirkoy Research and Training Hospital for Psychiatric and Neurological Disorders between 2005 and 2006. The total study population comprised of 40 patients with OCD, 40 patients with PD, and 40 healthy volunteers as the control group. Of the two questionnaires used for study purposes, the first provided information on demographic data and certain parameters of sexual functioning, while the second was the validated Turkish translation of the Golombok-Rust Sexual Satisfaction Inventory with transliteral equivalence. RESULTS: Male subjects with OCD had a lower age of first masturbation and first nocturnal ejaculation. Infrequency problem among female and male patients with OCD occurred in 63.6% and 57.1%, respectively. Corresponding figures for PD patients were 36% and 38%. Thus, infrequency problem was more frequent among OCD patients. Sexual avoidance was found in 60.6% of female OCD patients and in 64% of female PD patients. Anorgasmia was detected in 24.2% of the female subjects with OCD. CONCLUSION: Sexual dysfunction unrelated to pharmacotherapy has been found to occur in OCD and PD. Assessment of sexual functioning in these individuals before treatment may help prevent deterioration of sexual function that may occur upon introduction of psychotropic medications.

The problems in sexual functions of vitiligo and chronic urticaria patients.

Skin has an erogenic function, and skin lesions can have negative impact on sexual life and relationships with others. We compared fifty vitiligo patients and fifty chronic urticaria patients with fifty healthy controls to assess sexual functions; we used Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX; Mcgahuey, Gelenberg, Laukes, Moreno; & Delgado, 2000). Among females, sexual drive scores of the vitiligo and chronic urticaria groups were significantly lower than those of controls. Vitiligo and chronic urticaria groups experienced significantly more difficulties in sexual arousal and higher failure in attaining and maintaining the lubrication-swelling response of sexual excitement until the completion of sexual act than did controls. Females in the vitiligo and chronic urticaria patient groups had more difficulties in reaching orgasm than did healthy controls. Furthermore, satisfaction from orgasm of the patient groups was significantly less than controls. The total scores of the ASEX in female patient groups were significantly higher than those among controls. Satisfaction from orgasm in male patient group was less than controls. In males, other subitems of ASEX between the patient groups and controls were not significant. This study demonstrated that chronic skin diseases such as vitiligo and chronic urticaria have negative impacts on sexual life.