Affecting OCD: on the relation between affective and obsessive-compulsive symptoms during the course of obsessive-compulsive disorder

The obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is very heterogeneous. A common characteristic is the presence of obsessions leading to anxiety or other forms of affective distress, and compulsions, which are performed to diminish the anxiety or distress. However, there is growing evidence for the role of habit forming in OCD. That questions the role of affective symptoms in OCD, such as anxiety or disgust. However affective symptoms, in particular depressive symptoms and anxiety, also occur during the course of OCD. How do affective symptoms and obsessive-compulsive symptoms relate to each other during the longterm course of OCD? These questions were investigated during provoked obessive-compulsive symptoms as well as during the six-years-course of OCD. The conclusion is that affective symptoms have an important role regarding the experience and the course of the obsessive-compulsive symptoms and that affective and obsessive-compulsive symptoms affect each other during the longterm course of OCD.