OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER

Clinical features of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) were found to be similar in various cultures. However, there was no report about phenomenology of this disorder from Moslem or Arab cultures. This study is a review of 45 cases who presented at a psychiatric clinic at a general university hospital in Saudi Arabia. The findings were found to be similar to those reported in Western studies with regard to age of onset, level of functioning, type of onset, course, and co-morbidity. Religious obsessions and compulsions were found to be the most common clinical features. Findings are explained in cultural terms.