Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dzt6s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T07:42:08.356Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Gender-Divergent Aetiological Factors in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Homa F. Noshirvani ,
Yiannis Kasvikis ,
Isaac M. Marks ,
Fivos Tsakiris  and
William O. Monteiro
Homa F. Noshirvani*
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, London
Yiannis Kasvikis
Affiliation:
Centre of Psychological Hygiene, 58 Notana Street, Athens, TK 10683, Ex-Research Worker, Institute of Psychiatry, London
Isaac M. Marks
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, London
Fivos Tsakiris
Affiliation:
Dromokaito Hospital, Athens, Greece
William O. Monteiro
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, London
*
∗Maudsley Hospital, 99 Denmark Hill, London SE5
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Among 307 adults with OCD, early onset (age 5–15 years) was more common in men and later onset (age 26–35 years) in women. Early onset was associated with more checking, and late onset with more washing. More women than men had a history of treated depression; 12% of the women but none of the men had a history of anorexia. More women than men were married. Gender-divergent features may reflect differential aetiological factors. Our sample resembled others in the literature in its slight overall female preponderance, low rate of marriage and low fertility, onset mainly before age 35 years, chronicity, and common present and past depression.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 158 , Issue 2 , February 1991 , pp. 260 - 263
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1991 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adams, P. (1973) Obsessive Children: A Sociopsychiatric Study. New York: Brunner Mazel.Google Scholar
Akhtar, S. Wig, N. N. Varma, V. K. et al (1975) A phenomenological analysis of symptoms in obsessive-compulsive neurosis. British Journal of Psychiatry, 127, 342–348.Google Scholar
American Psychiatric Association (1980) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. (3rd edn). Washington, DC: APA.Google Scholar
Apter, A. & Tyano, S. (1988) Obsessive–compulsive disorders in adolescence. Journal of Adolescence, 11, 183–194.Google Scholar
Berman, L. (1947) Obsessive-compulsive neurosis in children. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 95, 26–39.Google Scholar
Bolton, D. Collins, S. & Steinberg, D. (1983) The treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder in adolescence. A report of fifteen cases. British Journal of Psychiatry, 142, 456–464.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Comings, D. E. & Coming, B. G. (1986) Evidence for an x-linked modifier gene affecting the expression of Tourette syndrome and its relevance to the increased frequency of speech, cognitive, and behavioural disorders in males. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 83, 2551–2555.Google Scholar
Coryell, W. (1981) Obsessive–compulsive disorder and primary unipolar depression: comparison of background, family history, course and mortality. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 169, 220–224.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Delisi, L. E. Dauphinais, I. D. & Hauser, P. (1989) Gender differences in the brain: are they relevant to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia? Comprehensive Psychiatry, 30, 197–208.Google Scholar
de Silva, P. Rachman, S. & Seligman, M. (1977) Prepared phobias and obsessions: therapeutic outcome. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 15, 554–577.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Despert, J. L. (1955) Differential diagnosis between obsessive-compulsive neurosis and schizophrenia in children. In Psychopathology of Childhood (eds Hoch, P. & Zubin, J.). New York: Grune & Stratton.Google Scholar
Dowson, J. H. (1977) The phenomenology of severe obsessive-compulsive neurosis. British Journal of Psychiatry, 131, 75–78.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Flor-Henry, P. (1985) Schizophrenia: sex differences. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 30, 319–322.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Geschwind, N. & Behan, P. (1982) Left-handedness: association with immune disease and developmental learning disorder. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 79, 5097–5100.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gittleson, N. L. (1966) The fate of obsessions in depressive psychosis. British Journal of Psychiatry, 112, 705–708.Google Scholar
Hollingworth, C. E. Tanguay, P. E. Grossman, L. et al (1980) Long-term outcome of obsessive-compulsive disorder in childhood. American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 19, 134–144.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ingram, I. M. (1961) Obsessional illness in mental hospital patients. Journal of Mental Science, 107, 382–402.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Insel, T. R. (1984) Obsessive–compulsive disorder, the clinical picture. In New Findings in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (ed. Insel, T. R.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.Google Scholar
Judo, L. (1965) Obsessive–compulsive neurosis in children. Archives of General Psychiatry, 12, 136–143.Google Scholar
Karno, M. Golding, J. M. Sorenson, S. B. et al (1988) The epidemiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder in five US communities. Archives of General Psychiatry, 45, 1094–1099.Google Scholar
Kasvikis, J. G. Tsakiris, F. Marks, I. M. et al (1986) Women with obsessive-compulsive disorder frequently report a past history of anorexia nervosa. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 5, 1069–1075.3.0.CO;2-U>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kringlen, E. (1965) Obsessional neurotics, a long-term follow up. British Journal of Psychiatry, 111, 709–722.Google Scholar
Lo, W. (1967) A follow-up study of obsessional neurotics in Hong Kong Chinese. British Journal of Psychiatry, 113, 823–832.Google Scholar
Lorangen, A. W. (1984) Sex differences in age at onset of schizophrenia. Archives of General Psychiatry, 41, 157–161.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marks, I. M. (1987) Fears, Phobias and Rituals. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Nee, L. E. Caine, E. D. Polinsky, R. J. et al (1980) Gilles de la Tourette syndrome: clinical and family study of 50 cases. Annals of Neurology, 7, 41–49.Google Scholar
Pauls, D. L. Towbin, K. E. Leckman, J. F. et al (1986) Gilles de la Tourette syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder: evidence supporting a genetic relationship. Archives of General Psychiatry, 43, 1180–1182.Google Scholar
Pollit, J. (1957) Natural history of obsessional states: a study of 150 cases. British Medical Journal, i, 194–198.Google Scholar
Rachman, S. J. & Hodgson, R. J. (1980) Obsessions and Compulsions. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.Google Scholar
Rasmussen, S. A. & Tsuang, M. T. (1986) Clinical characteristics and family history in DSM–III obsessive–compulsive disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 143, 317–322.Google ScholarPubMed
Robins, L. N. Helzen, J. E. Weissman, M. et al (1984) Lifetime prevalence of specific psychiatric disorders in three sites. Archives of General Psychiatry, 41, 949–958.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Skoog, G. (1965) Onset of anancastic conditions. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica (suppl. 184), pp. 10–14.Google Scholar
Spitzer, R. L. Endicott, J. & Robin, E. (1978) Research Diagnostic Criteria, rationale and reliability. Archives of General Psychiatry, 35, 773–782.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Steketee, G. Grayson, J. B. & Foa, E. B. (1987) A comparison of characteristics of obsessive-compulsive disorder and other anxiety disorders. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 1, 325–335.Google Scholar
Stern, R. S. & Cobb, J. (1978) Phenomenology of obsessive-compulsive neurosis. British Journal of Psychiatry, 132, 233–239.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Strauss, E. (1948) On Obsessions. New York: Coolidge Foundation.Google Scholar
Swedo, S. E. & Rapoport, J. L. (1989) Phenomenology and differential diagnosis. In Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Children and Adolescents (ed. Rapoport, J. L.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.Google Scholar
Taylor, D. C. & Ounsted, C. (1972) Gender Differences: Their Ontogeny and Significance. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.Google Scholar
Vaughan, M. (1976) The relationship between obsessional personality, obsessions in depression and symptoms of depression. British Journal of Psychiatry, 129, 36–39.Google Scholar
Videbech, T. R. (1975) A study of genetic factors, childhood bereavement, and premorbid personality traits with anancastic endogenous depression. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 52, 178–222.Google Scholar
Weissman, M. M. & Klerman, G. L. (1977) Sex differences and the epidemiology of depression. Archives of General Psychiatry, 34, 98–112.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Welner, A. Reich, T. & Robins, E. (1976) Obsessive-compulsive neurosis record, follow-up and family studies 1. Inpatient record study. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 17, 527–539.Google Scholar
World Health Organization (1975) Ninth Revision of the International Classification of Disease (ICD–9). Geneva: WHO.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.