Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) with schizotypy vs. schizophrenia with OCD: diagnostic dilemmas and therapeutic implications

Although schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are distinct diagnostic entities, there are substantial areas of overlap between the two disorders in clinical characteristics, affected brain areas and pharmacotherapy. Though OCD patients apparently do not have increased risk for developing schizophrenia, schizotypal personality disorder has consistently been found in OCD patients. Compelling evidence also points to an increased rate of OCD in schizophrenia patients. Accurate diagnosis of both disorders in their “pure” and overlapping forms is necessary in order to evaluate etiological mechanisms underlying schizophrenia and OCD, and to provide adequate treatment and prognosis. In this review, we address some aspects of the current status of research pertinent to the OCD-schizophrenia interface and suggest further steps towards the clinical and etiological identification of homogeneous subgroups on the putative OCD-schizophrenia axis.