Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Epidemiology and phenomenology of obsessive-compulsive disorder in non-referred young adolescents

A Polish perspective

  • ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION
  • Published:
European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency and phenomenology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and subclinical OCD in a non-referred population of young Polish adolescents.

Method

A twostage ascertainment procedure (school screening and diagnostic evaluation) was used to identify affected individuals. In the first stage, 3100 pupils were asked to complete the Polish version of the 20-item Leyton Obsessional Inventory-Child Version (LOI-CV). In the diagnostic stage, the presence of obsessions and compulsions was assessed with the author’s structured interview questionnaire based on DSM-IV and ICD-10 diagnostic criteria for OCD; the Polish version of the Children’s Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS) was used to rate the symptom severity.

Results

A frequency of 0.38 % was found for OCD and 2.7 % for subclinical OCD. There was no significant difference in the phenomenology, demographic characteristic or sociofamilial variables comparing the diagnosed OCD and subclinical OCD subjects.

Conclusions

The identified OCD cases had characteristics similar to those of previously described clinical and nonreferred samples.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Berman L (1942) Obsessive compulsive neurosis in children. J Nerv Ment Dis 95:26–39

    Google Scholar 

  2. Hollingsworth CE, Tangnay PE, Groomsman L, Pabst P (1980) Long-term outcome of obsessive-compulsive disorder in childhood. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 19:134–144

    Google Scholar 

  3. Judd L (1965) Obsessive compulsive neurosis in children. Arch Gen Psychiatry 12:136–143

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Flament MF, Whitaker A, Rapoport JL, Davies M, Zeremba-Berg C, Kalikow K, Sceery W, Shaffer D (1988) Obsessive compulsive disorder in adolescence. An epidemiological study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 27:764–771

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Thomsen PH (1993) Obsessive-compulsive disorder in children and adolescents. Self-reported obsessive symptoms and traits in Danish pupils. Acta Psych Scand 88:212–217

    Google Scholar 

  6. Zohar AH, Ratzoni G, Pauls DL, Apter A, Bleich A, Kron S, Rappaport M, Weizman A, Cohen DJ (1992) An epidemiological study of obsessive-compulsive disorder and related disorders in Israeli adolescents. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 31:1057–1061

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Apter A, Fallon TJ, King RA, Ratzoni G, Zohar A, Binder M, Weizman A, Leckman J, Pauls D, Kron S, Cohen D (1996) Obsessive-compulsive characteristics: From symptoms to syndrome. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatr 35:907–912

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Valleni-Basile L, Garrison C, Jackson K, Waller J, McKeown R, Addy C, Cuffe S (1994) Frequency of obsessive-compulsive disorder in a community sample of young adolescents. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 33:782–791

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Douglass HM, Moffitt TE, Dar R, McGee R, Silva P (1995) Obsessive-compulsive disorder in a birth cohort of 18-year-olds: prevalance and predictors. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 34:1424–1431

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Rapoport JL (1986) Childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder. J Child Psych Psychiatry 27:289–296

    Google Scholar 

  11. Rettew DC, Swedo SE, Leonard HL, Lenane MC, Rapoport JL (1992) Obsessions and compulsions across time in 79 children and adolescents with obsessive compulsive disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 31:1050–1056

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Riddle MA, Scahill L,King R, Hardin M, Towbin K, Ort S, Leckman J, Cohen D (1990) Obsessive-compulsive disorder in children and adolescents: Phenomenology and family history. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 5:766–772

    Google Scholar 

  13. Swedo SE, Rapoport JL, Leonard H, Lenane M, Cheslow D (1989) Obsessivecompulsive disorder in children and adolescents. Clinical phenomenology of 70 consecutive cases. Arch Gen Psychiatry 46:335–341

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Khanna S, Srinath S (1988) Childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder. Psychopathology 21:254–258

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Honjo S, Hirano C, Murase S, Kaneko T, Sugiyama T, Ohtaka K, Ayoama T, Takei T, Inoko K, Wakabayashi S (1989) Obsessive-compulsive symptoms in childhood and adolescence. Acta Psych Scand 80:83–91

    Google Scholar 

  16. Thomsen PH (1991) Obsessive compulsive symptoms in children and adolescents. A phenomenological analysis of 61 Danish cases. Psychopathology 24:12–18

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Berg CJ, Rapoport JL, Flament MF (1986) The Leyton Obsessional Inventory—Child Version. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 141:363–369

    Google Scholar 

  18. Bryńska A, Wolańczyk T (2000) Metody oceny zaburzenia obsesyjnego u dzieci i młodzieży—część I. Polska wersja kwestionariusza The Leyton Obsessional Inventory—Child Version. In: Namysłowska I (ed) Zaburzenia psychiczne dzieci i młodzieży. Kraków, Biblioteka Psychiatrii Polskiej, pp 65–72

  19. American Psychiatric Association (1995) Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4th ed, rev. Washington, DC: Am Psychiatr Assn

  20. World Health Organisation (1993) The ICD-10 Classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders. Diagnostic Criteria for Research. WHO, Geneva

  21. Goodman WK, Price LH, Rasmussen SA, Mazure C, Fleischmann R, Hill C, Heininger G, Charney D (1989) The Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, I: development, use and reliability. Arch Gen Psychiatry 46:1006–1011

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Goodman WK, Price LH, Rasmussen SA, Mazure C, Delgado P, Heininger G, Charney D (1989) The Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, II: validity. Arch Gen Psychiatry 46:1012–1016

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Bryńska A, Wolańczyk T (2000) Metody oceny zaburzenia obsesyjnego u dzieci i młodzieży—część II. Polska wersja skali The Children’s Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale. In: Namysłowska I (ed) Zaburzenia psychiczne dzieci i młodzieży. Kraków, Biblioteka Psychiatrii Polskiej, pp 73–80

  24. Berg CJ, Whitaker A, Davies M, Flament M, Rapoport J (1988) The Survey Form of the Leyton Obsessional Inventory: Norms from an epidemiological study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 27:759–763

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Allsop M, Verdun C (1990) Adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder: a case note review of consecutive patients referred to a provincial regional adolescent psychiatry unit. J Adolesc 13:157–169

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Hanna GL (1995) Demographic and clinical features of obsessive-compulsive disorder in children and adolescents. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 34:19–27

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Thomsen PH, Mikkelsen HU (1991) Children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder: the demographic and diagnostic characteristics of 61 Danish patients. Acta Psych Scand 83:262–266

    Google Scholar 

  28. Toro J, Cervera M, Qsefo E, Salamero M (1992) Obsessive-compulsive disorder in childhood and adolescence: A clinical study. J Child Psych Psychiatry 33:1025–1037

    Google Scholar 

  29. Flament MF, Rapoport JL, Berg CJ, Scery W, Kilts C, Mellstrom B, Linnoila M (1985) Clomipramine treatment of childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder: a double blind controlled study. Arch Gen Psychiatry 42:977–983

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Last CG, Strauss CC (1989) Obsessive-compulsive disorder in childhood. J Anxiety Disord 3:295–302

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. McKeon P, Murray R (1987) Familial aspects of obsessive-compulsive neurosis. Br J Psychiatry 151:528–534

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Snowdon S (1979) Family size and birth order in obsessional neurotics. Acta Psych Scand 60:121–128

    Google Scholar 

  33. Rasmussen SA, Eisen JL (1990) Epidemiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder. J Clin Psychiatry 53(Suppl):10–14

    Google Scholar 

  34. Tsuang MT (1966) Birth order and maternal age of psychiatric inpatients. Br J Psychiatry 112:1131–1141

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Coryell W (1981) Obsessive-compulsive disorder and primary unipolar depression: comparison of background, family history, course and mortality. J Nerv Ment Dis 169:220–224

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Rasmussen SA, Tsuang MT (1986) Clinical characteristics and family history in DSM-III obsessive-compulsive disorder. Am J Psychiatr 143:317–322

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Akthar S, Wig NN, Varma VK (1975) A phenomenologic analysis of symptoms in obsessive-compulsive neurosis. Br J Psychiatry 127:342–348

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Lo W (1967) A follow-up study of obsessional neurotic in Hong Kong Chinese. Br J Psychiatry 113:823–832

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Rachman SJ, Hodgson RJ (1980) Obsessions and compulsions. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall

  40. Leonard HL, Goldberger EL, Rapoport JL, Cheslow DL, Swedo SE (1990) Childhood rituals. Normal development or obsessive-compulsive symptoms? J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 29:17–23

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Berg CJ, Rapoport JL, Whitaker A, Davies M (1989) Childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder: A two-years prospective follow-up study of a community sample. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 28:528–533

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Leonard HL, Swedo SE, Lenane MC, Rettew DC, Hamburger SD, Bartko JJ, Rapoport JL (1993) A two to seven year follow-up study of 54 obsessive compulsive children and adolescents. Arch Gen Psychiatry 50:429–439

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Thomsen PH (1995) Obsessive-compulsive disorder in children and adolescents. A 6–22 year follow-up study of social outcome. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 4:112–122

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Valleni-Basile L, Garrison C, Waller J, Addy C, Mc Keown R, Jackson K, Cuffe S (1996) Incidence of obsessive-compulsive disorder in a community sample of young adolescents. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 35:898–906

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Child Psychiatry, Medical University of Warsaw, Marszałkowska 24, 00-576, Warsaw, Poland

    Anita Bryńska & Tomasz Wolańczyk

Authors
  1. Anita Bryńska
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tomasz Wolańczyk
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bryńska, A., Wolańczyk, T. Epidemiology and phenomenology of obsessive-compulsive disorder in non-referred young adolescents. Europ.Child & Adolescent Psych 14, 319–327 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-005-0478-3

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-005-0478-3

Key words

Search

Navigation