Relationship between obsessive–compulsive symptoms and smoking habits amongst schizophrenic patients

The rate of smoking is especially high among patients with schizophrenia (SCH) and schizoaffective disorder (SCHAFF). Patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) smoke less than the general population. OCD symptoms are more frequent among patients with SCH or SCHAFF than in the general population, but it is still unclear whether schizophrenia patients with OC symptoms suffer from SCH and comorbid OCD, or whether they represent a unique subgroup of SCH with presenting OC symptoms. In our study we hypothetised that the current smoking rate of schizophrenia patients with OC symptoms is lower than in schizophrenia patients without OC symptoms. We assessed OC symptoms with the Yale–Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), general state with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and smoking habits with a questionnaire among 66 patients with SCH or SCHAFF. We formed two groups by dividing patients according to their Y-BOCS score. Group I consisted of patients with Y-BOCS scores under 16, while group II consisted of patients with Y-BOCS scores above 16, and we compared the current smoking rates of the two groups. We found that the rates did not differ significantly, so we came to the conclusion that OC symptoms are not in a tight relationship with smoking habits among patients with SCH/SCHAFF.