Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders: a critical review of the new diagnostic class

Abstract

The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders includes a new class of obsessive-compulsive and related disorders (OCRDs) that includes obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and a handful of other putatively related conditions. Although this new category promises to raise awareness of underrecognized and understudied problems, its empirical validity and practical utility are questionable. This article reviews the phenomenology of OCD and then presents a critical analysis of the arguments underlying the new OCRD class. This analysis leads to a rejection of the OCRD classification on both scientific and logical grounds. The article closes with a discussion of the treatment implications of the OCRDs approach.

Keywords: body dysmorphic disorder; excoriation; hair pulling; hoarding; obsessive-compulsive and related disorders; obsessive-compulsive disorder; trichotillomania.