Is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder A Risk Factor For Schizophrenia?

A new research study suggests people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are at a higher risk for developing schizophrenia. According to the International OCD Foundation, about 2-3 million adults in the United States are currently living with OCD.  Approximately 3.5 million people in America have schizophrenia according to statistical information from the Schizophrenia and Related Disorders Alliance of America. Both diseases are very common, but how many individuals have issues with comorbidity is currently unknown.

What is obsessive-compulsive disorder?

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a condition involving the brain and behavior patterns. People with OCD will go through severe anxiety and many other emotions.  

The obsessive part of OCD involves thought, impulses and images that happen over and over again.  The compulsive part of OCD involves repetitive behaviors a person does to make their obsession go away.

What is schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a severe and often disabling disorder of the brain that has affected many people.  People with schizophrenia often hear voices that only they can hear.  Sometimes a schizophrenic may believe people are reading their mind, plotting to hurt them or controlling their thoughts.  People with schizophrenia can often become catatonic and sit for hours without moving or saying anything. Treatment can help control the symptoms of the disorder, but there is no cure for it.

Is there a genetic link between OCD and schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia and OCD are equally diagnosed among men and women, with both disorders showing up at about the time adolescence ends.  Many people who are diagnosed with OCD and schizophrenia have reported their OCD showed up first.  Each condition is thought to be due to a serotonin malfunction, but a genetic link between schizophrenia and OCD has not yet been established. 

What is the difference between delusions and obsession?

It can be very hard to explore the relationship between schizophrenia and OCD, because the symptoms of these two conditions can overlap.  Delusions are a common part of schizophrenia.  With delusions, a person will have false thoughts or beliefs which they believe to be true in spite of strong evidence to the contrary.  

It can be very hard for people with OCD to see their obsessions are not in fact reality.  Research is ongoing to determine how to best differentiate between obsessions and delusions.

See Also: What is OCD?

How is OCD treated?

It can be very difficult to treat OCD, because some people spend years hiding their symptoms out of fear. The first line of treating OCD and related disorders is to remove the stigma and then to provide appropriate therapies and in some cases medications.  With proper treatment and therapeutic care, people with OCD can learn to manage the symptoms of their condition and have a better quality of life.

How Is Schizophrenia Treated?

Because the precise causes of schizophrenia are not known, treating the disorder involves eliminating or controlling the symptoms.  Treatment of the disorder involves the use of antipsychotic medications because it helps to control the hallucinations and psychosis.  It is very important for a schizophrenic to take any medication as prescribed and to avoid trying to self-medicate, because it can be very dangerous to discontinue antipsychotic medications unless under the supervision of a medical doctor.

How often does OCD present with schizophrenia?

The comorbidity rates of OCD and schizophrenia have been a challenge for clinicians and medical researchers, particularly in the last decade.  Recently, interest in the area has grown because of the recognition of the higher than average rates of comorbidity between OCD and schizophrenia.

The comorbidity rate for OCD among the schizophrenic population is substantially higher and requires further research to understand why.

What were the results of the recent OCD/schizophrenia study?

In a recent Danish study, researchers led by Sandra Meier of Aarhus University tracked the information and data of 3 million people born between 1955 and 2006.  All the people participating in the study were tracked from 1995 through 2012.  Of the more than 16,000 of the participants who developed schizophrenia, about 3% also had a prior diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The data from the study suggests that a previous diagnosis of OCD is associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia later.  Researchers also discovered that children of parents diagnosed with OCD faced a stronger risk of developing schizophrenia.  

While the study seems to confirm there is a small increased risk of people suffering from combined OCD and schizophrenia, it does not explain exactly why.  If medical researchers can find overlapping genetic or biological markers between the two conditions, it could lead to better treatment for both disorders.

What do other experts think of the study?

Dr. Aaron Pinkhasov, chairman of the department of behavioral health at Winthrop University in Mineola, N.Y. points out that there may have misdiagnosis associated in patients, before they developed more specific symptoms associated with schizophrenia. He stated the study only considered patients who have come into contact with a mental hospital, while a majority of people with OCD seek treatment from general practitioners on an outpatient basis.  Because of various different factors it can make it difficult to apply the findings of the OCD/schizophrenia study to all patients with OCD.

See Also: Schizophrenia development

Prognosis:

Obsessive-compulsive disorder in people with schizophrenia has been described in medical literature for quite a long time, but little studies have been done on the phenomena.  In the past, OCD was believed to be rare in people with schizophrenia but increasing evidence exists to show these two conditions could be comorbid.  In order to definitively discover the links and commonalities between OCD and schizophrenia, further research studies are needed.