Health concerns in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder

In the present study, individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who also had excessive health concerns (n = 56) were compared with OCD indi viduals without such concerns (n = 343) regarding their OCD symptom severit y, types of obsessions and compulsions, insight into the in irrationality o f their obsessions, and prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder. While t he presence of health concerns did nor affect the severity of OCD symptoms. the groups differed with respect to the types of symptoms displayed: those with health concerns had more somatic and harm obsessions, and checking co mpulsions: whereas those without such concerns had more contamination obses sions and washing compulsions. The insight of both groups ranged from poor to excellent, yet the number of individuals with poor insight was greater a mong those with health concerns than those without. Generalized anxiety dis order was also more prevalent among OCD individuals with excessive health c oncerns. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.