[Frequency of obsessive compulsive symptoms and disorder in patients with schizophrenia: importence for prognosis]. / Fréquence des symptômes et du trouble obsessionnel compulsif chez les personnes atteintes de schizophrénie et leur importance pour le pronostic.

OBJECTIVE: The objective is to study the comorbidity rate of obsessive compulsive disorder and obsessive compulsive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia and their relation with the course of this illness. DESIGN: 73 out-patients from Istanbul Medical Faculty Department of Psychiatry and 4th Unit of Bakirköy Mental Hospital who met the DSM III-R criteria for schizophrenia were recruited for this study. Other inclusion criteria were being out of acute exacerbation phase of schizophrenia. Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Symptom Screening Inventory were applied to patients. RESULTS: Comorbidity rate of obsessive-compulsive disorder in patients with schizophrenia was 9.6%, and also obsessive compulsive symptoms were detected 31% of patients. Aggressive obsessions were seen most frequently. These symptoms were also reported more frequently in the patients whose Global Assessment of Functionality score was higher than 45 points. Suicide attempts in psychiatric history were significantly higher for patients with obsessive-compulsive symptoms. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that obsessive-compulsive symptoms are seen more frequently than previously reported, and have no major effect upon the course of schizophrenia.

Comparison of clinical characteristics in trichotillomania and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Fifteen patients with trichotillomania (TM) and 25 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) were studied. All patients were evaluated using the structured clinical interview for DSM-III-R (SCID-P). TM and OCD patients were compared with respect to demographic variables and the scores obtained from the various scales. The TM group had a greater percentage of women and showed an earlier age at onset. There was no significant difference for depression and anxiety assessed with the STAI, HRSA, and HRSD between the groups. Compared to OCD patients, TM patients had significantly lower scores on the Y-BOCS. The two groups were similar on the measures of resistance to and control of the hair pulling/compulsive symptoms. We found significantly higher incidence of anxiety and depressive disorders, and Axis II personality disorders for OCD patients. These findings are discussed in the view of results from earlier reports.

Clinical features and co-morbidity of social phobics in Turkey.

The aim of this study is to investigate the clinical features and frequency and importance of related co-morbid disorders of social phobia in a clinical sample. Eighty-seven patients meeting DSM-III-R diagnostic criteria for social phobia were studied. All patients were assessed by using a semi-structured socio-demographic form, the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R, Manual for the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R Personality Disorders, Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety. Sixty-eight (78.2%) of the group were male, 19 (21.8%) were female. The ages varied between 16-58 years, with a mean of 26.2 years (SD = 8.5). Fifty-one point seven percent of the subjects were assessed as having a co-morbid axis I disorder, of which 12.6% consisted of panic disorder and 10.3% agoraphobia. An additional axis II disorder had been found in 67.8% of the subjects, and 54.0% of them had been diagnosed as having avoidant personality disorder. The frequency of co-morbid disorders in our social phobic sample is lower than most of the studies in the literature. The interface between social phobia and avoidant personality disorder needs to be studied and discussed further.

Prolactin response to TRH in patients with panic disorder.

The effects of TRH administration (400 microg, i.v.) on the release of prolactin were examined in 15 patients who met DSM-III-R criteria for panic disorder and 15 normal control subjects. Four hundred micrograms TRH was given via IV route. Blood samples were taken before TRH administration (baseline values) and at 15, 30 and 60 min. The results demonstrate that prolactin responses to TRH did not differ between panic disorder patients and normal control subjects. When only women were evaluated, the findings indicate that women with PD tend to show excessive prolactin responses to TRH. The findings are discussed in view of findings from earlier reports.

Thyrotropin stimulating hormone response to thyrotropin releasing hormone in patients with panic disorder.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to assess thyrotropin stimulating hormone (TSH) response to thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) in patients with panic disorder (PD). METHOD: The effects of TRH administration on the release of TSH were examined in 15 patients who met DSM-III-R criteria for PD and compared their test results with those of 15 normal control subjects. Blood samples were taken before TRH administration (baseline values) and at 15, 30 and 60 min. RESULTS: delta max TSH values were lower in the panic disorder patients than in the control subjects. Using the criterion of delta max TSH < or = 7 mlU/l, nine of the 15 panic disorder patients and four of the 15 control subjects had a blunted TSH response to TRH. CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm the findings from earlier reports that patients with PD show blunted TSH response to TRH which is similar to that seen in depressed patients.