1 research outputs found
Perceived stress in obsessive-compulsive disorder is related with obsessive but not cmpulsive symptoms
Obsessiveācompulsive disorder (OCD) is achronic psychiatric disorder characterized by recurrent intrusive thoughts and/or repetitive compulsory behaviors. This psychiatric disorder is known to be stress responsive, as symptoms increase during periods of stress but also because stressful events may precede the onset of OCD. However, only a few and inconsistent reports have been published about the stress perception and the stress-response in these patients. Herein, we have characterized the correlations of OCD symptoms with basal serum cortisol levels and scores in a stress perceived questionnaire (PSS-10). The present data reveals that cortisol levels and the stress scores in the PSS-10 were significantly higher in OCD patients that in controls. Moreover, stress levels self-reported by patients using the PSS-10 correlated positively with OCD severity in the YaleāBrown ObsessiveāCompulsive Scale (YāBOCS). Interestingly, PSS-10 scores correlated with the obsessive component, but not with the compulsive component, of YāBOCS. These results confirm that stress is relevant in the context of OCD, particularly for the obsessive symptomatology.Pedro Morgado is supported by a fellowship āSFRH/SINTD/60129/2009ā funded by FCT ā Foundation for Science and Technology. Supported by FEDER funds through Operational program for competitive factors ā COMPETE and by national funds through FCT āFoundation for Science and Technology to project āPTDC/SAU-NSC/111814/2009.