• DOI:10.1192/BJP.186.6.525
• Corpus ID: 22384153

Obsessions and compulsions in Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism.

@article{Russell2005ObsessionsAC,
  title={Obsessions and compulsions in Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism.},
  author={Ailsa J Russell and David Mataix-Cols and Martin Anson and Declan G. M. Murphy},
  journal={The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science},
  year={2005},
  volume={186},
  pages={
          525-8
        }
}

• A. Russell, D. Mataix-Cols, +1 author D. Murphy
• Published 1 June 2005
• Psychology, Medicine
• The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science

BACKGROUND
Obsessive-compulsive behaviours are common and disabling in autistic-spectrum disorders (ASD) but little is known about how they compare with those experienced by people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

AIM
To make such a comparison.

METHOD
A group of adults with high-functioning ASD (n=40) were administered the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale and Symptom Checklist and their symptoms compared with a gender-matched group of adults with a primary diagnosis of OCD (n=45). OCD symptoms were carefully distinguished from stereotypic behaviours and interests usually displayed by those with ASD.

RESULTS
The two groups had similar frequencies of obsessive-compulsive symptoms, with only somatic obsessions and repeating rituals being more common in the OCD group. The OCD group had higher obsessive-compulsive symptom severity ratings but up to 50% of the ASD group reported at least moderate levels of interference from their symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS
Obsessions and compulsions are both common in adults with high-functioning ASD and are associated with significant levels of distress.