Obsessive-compulsive disorder and trichotillomania: a phenomenological comparison
Christine Lochner1, Soraya Seedat1, Pieter L du Toit1, Daniel G Nel2, Dana JH Niehaus1, Robin Sandler1 and Dan J Stein1
1MRC Unit on Anxiety and Stress Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, University of Stellenbosch, Cape Town, South Africa
2Center for Statistical Consultation, Department of Statistics & Actuarial science, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Background
Similarities between obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and trichotillomania (TTM) have been widely recognized. Nevertheless, there is evidence of important differences between these two disorders. Some authors have conceptualized the disorders as lying on an OCD spectrum of conditions.
Methods
Two hundred and seventy eight OCD patients (n = 278: 148 male; 130 female) and 54 TTM patients (n = 54; 5 male; 49 female) of all ages were interviewed. Female patients were compared on select demographic and clinical variables, including comorbid axis I and II disorders, and temperament/character profiles.
Results
OCD patients reported significantly more lifetime disability, but fewer TTM patients reported response to treatment. OCD patients reported higher comorbidity, more harm avoidance and less novelty seeking, more maladaptive beliefs, and more sexual abuse. OCD and TTM symptoms were equally likely to worsen during menstruation, but OCD onset or worsening was more likely associated with pregnancy/puerperium.
Conclusions
These findings support previous work demonstrating significant differences between OCD and TTM. The classification of TTM as an impulse control disorder is also problematic, and TTM may have more in common with conditions characterized by stereotypical self-injurious symptoms, such as skin-picking. Differences between OCD and TTM may reflect differences in underlying psychobiology, and may necessitate contrasting treatment approaches.
BMC Psychiatry 2005, 5:2. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
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