OBSESSIONS AND COMPULSIONS AS A DISTINCT CLUSTER OF SYMPTOMS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA - A NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY

Using neurocognitive testing, the present study assessed whether obses sions and compulsions could represent a distinct cluster of symptoms i n schizophrenia. We formulated our hypothesis based on data from nonsc hizophrenic patients, expecting to find that schizophrenic patients wi th obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms would experience more difficulti es in the same cognitive areas as nonschizophrenic patients with obses sive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Patients had separate psychiatric and cognitive evaluations. The OC and non-OC schizophrenic subjects did no t differ significantly on the positive and negative symptom scores. Ho wever, compared with non-OC schizophrenic patients, those with OC symp toms performed worse on cognitive areas thought to be impaired (i.e., visual-spatial skills, delayed nonverbal memory, and cognitive shiftin g abilities). In addition, the severity of OC scores correlated with p oor performance in these areas of cognition. Our results support our h ypothesis, specifically that OC symptoms may constitute a distinct clu ster separate from psychosis in schizophrenia and raise the possibilit y of a distinct subtype of schizophrenia. The theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.