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Idiosyncratic Severity Profiles of Obsessive Compulsive Dysfunction: A Detailed Self Report Assessment of a Multifaceted Syndrome

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Abstract

In this paper we present an assessment method designed to detect specific individual severity profiles of obsessive–compulsive areas of dysfunction. This method is based on the Obsessive Compulsive Symptoms Rating Scale (OCSRS; Wilhelm and Steketee 2006), a comprehensive self-report instrument that measures the severity of a wide variety of symptom categories associated with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). A total of 127 patients diagnosed with OCD completed the OCSRS and other measures of OCD, anxiety, and depression. Statistical analyses confirmed the convergent and discriminant validity of the OCSRS symptom categories, and indicated that each of these symptom clusters contains internally-consistent symptoms that can be meaningfully measured by a single severity score. Additional analyses demonstrated the clinical utility of this fine-grained severity assessment of OCD. The findings indicate that the severity profile of the OCSRS provides unique information that may be useful for a variety of research and clinical purposes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mount Scopus, Jerusalem, 91905, Israel

    Iftah Yovel

  2. Bard College, Annandale-On-Hudson, NY, 12504, USA

    Beth S. Gershuny

  3. Boston University, 264 Bay State Rd., Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Gail Steketee

  4. Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 185 Cambridge Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    Ulrike Buhlmann, Jeanne M. Fama & Sabine Wilhelm

  5. Wing Memorial Hospital, 40 Wright Street, Palmer, MA, 01069, USA

    Janice Mitchell

Authors
  1. Iftah Yovel
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  2. Beth S. Gershuny
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  3. Gail Steketee
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  4. Ulrike Buhlmann
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  5. Jeanne M. Fama
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  6. Janice Mitchell
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  7. Sabine Wilhelm
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Iftah Yovel.

Additional information

This study was partly supported by a grant from the Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation awarded to Dr. Wilhelm.

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Yovel, I., Gershuny, B.S., Steketee, G. et al. Idiosyncratic Severity Profiles of Obsessive Compulsive Dysfunction: A Detailed Self Report Assessment of a Multifaceted Syndrome. Cogn Ther Res 36, 694–713 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-011-9427-2

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