Aim: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a chronic and severely disabling mental disorder with fluctuating course and characterized by persistent and unwanted thoughts and ritualistic behaviors. The aim of this study was to determine early maladaptive schemas in patients with obsessive compulsive disorder and to investigate related demographic and clinical factors.
Method: The study was carried out with 51 OCD patients and 51 healthy voluntary participants between 01.06.2017-01.06.2018 in Kocaeli University Faculty of Medicine Psychiatry Department. Participants were assessed with Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Symptom Scale and Check List, Young Schema Questionnaire- Short Form 3, Young-Rygh Avoidance Inventory, Young Compensation Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety.
Results: In OCD patients, enmeshment/undeveloped self, abandonment, failure, pessimism, vulnerability to harm or illness, emotional deprivation, social isolation/alienation, defectiveness/shame, approval seeking, insufficient self-control/self-discipline, self-sacrifice, punitiviness schema scores were found significantly higher than control group. Psychosomatic symptoms and distraction through activity schema avoidance scores and statu seeking, control and intolerance to criticism schema overcompensation scores in OCD patients were found significantly higher than control group. When depression and anxiety scores were corrected in OCD patients; failure, insufficient self-control/self discipline, self-sacrificing schemas and all schema domains were found predicting the severity of disease. In addition, it was found that vulnerability to harm or illness schema score and distraction through activity schema avoidance score predicted a decrease in the severity of disease.
Conclusion: The identification of schemas in OCD may be helpful in terms of the etiopathogenesis and treatment of the disease. In addition, studies on determination and reduction of schemas in OCD patients may be useful for early treatment of the disease.
Key words: Obsessive compulsive disorder, early maladaptive schemas, schema therapy
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