Obsessive-compulsive disorder among patients entering substance abuse treatment. Prevalence and accuracy of diagnosis

Abstract

Patients (N = 217) admitted to two community-based substance abuse outpatient treatment programs participated in a structured clinical interview to determine the comorbidity of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Twenty-four patients (11.1%) met the diagnostic criteria for obsessive-compulsive disorder, which is significantly higher than the general population prevalence of this disorder. However, only eight of these patients were accurately diagnosed with this condition by their primary counselors. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed.