Body Image and Somatic Complaints in Patients with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Abstract

Purpose: We aimed to investigate body image and somatisation levels in individuals diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Materials and Methods: A total of 84 patients diagnosed with OCD who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included in the study. Participants were assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM (SCID-5), Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), Body Image Scale (BIS), and Bradford Somatic Inventory (BSI-44). Results: The most common obsession among participants was contamination, followed by other obsessions and aggression, respectively. The most prevalent compulsion was checking, followed by cleaning and repetitive ritualistic behaviors. Participants had a mean Y-BOCS score of 21.7 ± 7.7, a mean BIS score of 137.6 ± 26.3, and a mean BSI-44 score of 25.8 ± 17.8. Female participants had significantly lower BIS scores compared to males, while no significant differences were found between genders on other scales. Participants with ordering and arranging compulsions showed higher body image concerns. Somatization was found to be higher among individuals with hoarding, symmetry, somatic, and repetitive ritualistic compulsions. Conclusion: Body image and somatisation level of patients with OCD vary according to both sociodemographic characteristics and types of obsessions and compulsions. Our findings make an important contribution to the very limited literature on this issue.

Keywords

• body image
• compulsion
• disorder
• obsession
• somatisation