Comorbidity and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Part II: Axis II comorbidity

Method: The present study examines the frequency of comorbid axis II diagno ses for patients with a concurrent obsessive-compulsive disorder. The sampl e consists of 616 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder, for which th e clinically found DSM-III-R diagnoses were defined. In addition, a special group of patients was examined, which did not completely fulfill the crite ria for an axis II diagnosis, but which could raise a substantial suspicion for the presence of a personality disorder. Results: The rates of comorbid ity found in this study confirm recent findings from the literature. For 8. 7% of the patients with an obsessive-compulsive disorder we find a concurre nt axis II diagnosis. Conclusions: Regarding treatment, comorbid personalit y disorders seem to cause more negative effects than most comorbid axis I d iagnoses. Beyond these findings it can be stated that even patients with un clear axis II diagnoses show worse therapy outcomes than patients who only suffer from an obsessive-compulsive disorder.