Sn. Ghaemi et al., IS THERE A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CLOZAPINE AND OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER - A RETROSPECTIVE CHART REVIEW, Comprehensive psychiatry, 36(4), 1995, pp. 267-270
The emergence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms during clozapine treatm
ent has been reported in recent case studies, yet the incidence and si
gnificance of this finding is still unclear pending reliable data from
a larger sample of patients. Hospital records of 142 randomly selecte
d inpatients started on clozapine treatment at McLean Hospital before
July 1, 1992, were reviewed retrospectively. Based on a limited retros
pective chart review, there were no definitive cases of patients who d
eveloped obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or whose OCD worsened as
a result of clozapine treatment. Although some fluctuation of OCD symp
toms may have occurred in two cases, it is unclear whether those sympt
oms were related to treatment with clozapine (or other psychotropic dr
ugs) or to undulations in the natural history of OCD, No definitive re
lationship between OCD symptoms and clozapine treatment could be estab
lished in this limited study. Further clarification of this matter awa
its outcome research using prospective methodologies.