OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER

3258 randomly selected adult household residents of Edmonton were inte rviewed by trained lay interviewers using the Diagnostic Interview Sch edule (DIS). One of the diagnostic categories studied was obsessive-co mpulsive disorder (OCD). The lifetime and six month prevalence rates o f OCD were 2.9% and 1.6% respectively. The morbidity risk, was equal i n males and females at 5.4%. The peak age of risk of onset for both se xes was from the ages of 10 to 19 and, closely followed by the decade 20-29. Obsessions were found to be more frequently experienced than co mpulsions. Having a lifetime diagnosis of OCD is associated with an in creased likelihood of developing depression, alcohol abuse, drug abuse , phobic disorders, and antisocial personality disorder. The significa nce of these findings is discussed for clinical practice.