Abstract

Given the prevalence rates of obsessive compulsive disorder and the bipolar affective disorders in the general population, one would expect the co-occurrence of these syndromes to be rare. Yet, findings have revealed extremely high rates of comorbidity in obsessive compulsive disorder with both depressive disorders (50%) and bipolar disorder (10%) and shown that obsessive compulsive disorder is the most common anxiety disorder in patients with bipolar disorder. This situation makes it difficult to recognize the changing clinical disease and prognosis while response to treatment can also be adversely affected. Clarifying the phenomenological features of obsessive compulsive disorder-bipolar affective disorder comorbidity has important etiological and treatment implications. In this article, we discuss the pathophysiological importance of the improvement of obsessive compulsive symptoms during hypomanic episodes in a bipolar disorder patient, who had comorbid obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Key words: Bipolar Affective Disorders; Obsessive Compulsive Disorders; Comorbidity