was similar for males and females.
Regarding the nature of symptoms, Garrison et. al (1995) observed that females reported more symptoms of compulsions, and males reported more obsessions. About 55 percent of all subjects with OCD reported having both obsessions and compulsions.
The most common compulsions were: arranging (56 percent), counting (41 percent), collecting (38 percent), and washing (17 percent). Review of sample subjects also revealed that major depressive disorder (45 percent), separation anxiety (34 percent), and dysthymia (29 percent) were frequently comorbid with OCD.
Some children with OCD are not really identified as having the condition until they attend school. The subject of symptom identification in the school setting has been discussed by Adams, Waas, March and Smith (1994) who report that, commonly, the obsessions experienced by children revolve around fear of contamination; fear of harm, illness, or death; sex; and numbers, and are often associated with corresponding compulsions (washing rituals, checking, repeating, and symmetry). The authors state that school psychologists may be able to identify students at risk of OCD through assessments, use of modified checklists and rating scales, child interviews, and direct observation.
Both the nature of symptoms and the family functioning of OCD children and adolescents were examined in a study conducted by Thomsen (1993). Subjects in the study were 20 child and adolescent patients (aged 8 18 years) with OCD who were compared with 20 age- and sex-matched psychiatric patients.
All subjects completed the Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale and the Leyton Obsessional Inventory-Children's Version. Interviews were conducted with the children's families. The test results indicated a limited capacity for social interaction in a subgroup of the OCD subjects. Depression and suicidal thoughts were commonly encountered.
Also,...