Uncomplicated and complicated obsessive-compulsive disorder: an exploratory study from India.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is frequently associated with comorbid Axis I disorders. Little data are available from the Indian subcontinent. Recent studies have raised the possibility of different characteristics of Indian patients with OCD. Furthermore, very few studies have compared OCD with comorbid Axis I disorders with pure OCD. This cross-sectional exploratory study was carried out with the objective of studying Axis I comorbidity in OCD in an Indian setting. It also aimed to compare OCD with comorbid Axis I disorder vs pure OCD on multiple parameters. Fifty-four patients with OCD (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition) were included in the present study. Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition-I was used to assess Axis I comorbidity. The patients were evaluated on different standardized scales measuring obsessive-compulsive, anxiety, and depressive symptomatology. Axis I comorbidity was seen in 64.8% of the sample. The most common comorbid disorders were depression (38.88%), panic disorder (7.40%), and phobias (7.40%). No significant differences were observed on sociodemographic variables, but on psychopathological scales, the OCD complicated with Axis I disorders subgroup scored higher except in the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale compulsion subscale. Frequency and pattern of Axis I comorbidity in OCD in an Indian setting are not different from the rest of the world. Long-term prospective multicenter epidemiological studies are required to understand the development and influence of comorbidity in OCD.