Personality disorders and normal personality dimensions in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Abstract

BackgroundLittle is known about personality disorders and normal personality dimensions in relatives of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).AimsTo determine whether specific personality characteristics are part of a familial spectrum of OCD.MethodClinicians evaluated personality disorders in 72 OCD case and 72 control probands and 198 case and 207 control first-degree relatives. The self-completed Revised NEO Personality Inventory was used for assessment of normal personality dimensions. The prevalence of personality disorders and scores on normal personality dimensions were compared between case and control probands and between case and control relatives.ResultsCase probands and case relatives had a high prevalence of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) and high neuroticism scores. Neuroticism was associated with OCPD in case but not control relatives.ConclusionsNeuroticism and OCPD may share a common familial aetiology with OCD.

Comorbidity of personality disorders in anxiety disorders: A meta-analysis of 30 years of research

“…The only noticeable exception to this pattern was the comorbidity between OCD AD and OCD PD which increased from .20 to .22, while OCD AD-avoidant PD dropped down from .17 to .14. Hence, the contention of a particular link between OCD AD and OCD PD made by others (Alnaes and Torgersen, 1988;Samuels et al, 2000;Skodol et al, 1995) was largely confirmed by the current study.…”

“…This may stand in contrast to several researchers claiming a particularly strong comorbid relation between OCD AD and OCD PD (Alnaes and Torgersen, 1988;Diaferia et al, 1997;Samuels et al, 2000). Nevertheless, the present estimate came close to the proportion reported by Mancebo et al (2005) in their review of all OCD AD-OCD PD studies between 1991 and 2004 (not higher than .25).…”

“…The degree of any PD has varied from 66% (Stein et al, 1993) to as low as 4% (Joffe et al, 1988), with the OCD PD as the most frequent comorbid condition (Alnaes and Torgersen, 1988;Samuels et al, 2000;Skodol et al, 1995). Obviously, a comorbid OCD PD may introduce a "double burden" in terms of intensified needs for order and perfection when performing OCD related checking or rituals in order to reduce anxiety.…”

Obsessive-compulsive disorder phenotypes: implications for genetic studies

“…6,9,10 Additional studies also suggest (see below) that obsessivecompulsive personality disorder (OCPD), currently conceived as a personality disorder, is also potentially a condition within the OCD spectrum. 11 Patterns of transmission within families are consistent with genetic transmission, although segregation analyses of OCD family data 7,[12][13][14] have yielded divergent results. Some studies are consistent with a simple Mendelian mode of transmission, while others suggest a more complex pattern of transmission that may be due to multifactorial components that are likely present in the expression of OCD.…”

“…Alternatively, these three phenotypes could represent distinct genetic entities, one being a direct expression of the genetic vulnerability and the other emerging secondarily. 11 It is important to note that the results from molecular genetic studies suggest that there may be some genes that are associated with some of these quantitative traits. The low-activity allele of the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) has been reported to be associated with neuroticism and harm avoidance in normal volunteers.…”