Gender differences in social and interpersonal features and personality disorders among Japanese patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder

This study sought to elucidate the differential effect of gender on clinica l features in 40 males and 54 females who met both DSM-III-R and DSM-IV cri teria for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Males had a lower rate of ma rriage, and a higher rate of major impairment in social or occupational fun ctioning, whereas females were significantly more likely to involve others in their OCD symptoms, such as reassurance-seeking. Although no significant differences were detected in the distribution of OCD symptoms, cluster A p ersonality disorders (PDs), especially schizotypal PD, were more frequently diagnosed in males, and borderline and dependent PDs tended to be more pre valent in females. Thus, gender differences in OCD subjects were prominentl y observed in social or interpersonal features, which might be consistent w ith the differential PD pathology between males and females. Copyright (C) 2000 by W.B. Saunders Company.