Clinical characteristics of probands with obsessive-compulsive disorder from simplex and multiplex families.

Genetic and non-genetic factors contribute to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), with strong evidence of familial clustering. Genomic studies in psychiatry have used the concepts of families that are "simplex" (one affected) versus "multiplex" (multiple affected). Our study compares demographic and clinical data from OCD probands in simplex and multiplex families to uncover potential differences. We analyzed 994 OCD probands (501 multiplex, 493 simplex) from the Brazilian Research Consortium on Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders (C-TOC). Clinicians administered the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-IV) to diagnose, Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) to assess severity, and Dimensional Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DY-BOCS) to assess symptom dimensionality. Demographics, clinical history, and family data were collected. Compared to simplex probands, multiplex probands had earlier onset, higher sexual/religious and hoarding dimensions severity, increased comorbidity with other obsessive-compulsive-related disorders (OCRD), and higher family history of psychiatric disorders. These comparisons provide the first insights into demographic and clinical differences between Latin American simplex and multiplex families with OCD. Distinct clinical patterns may suggest diverse genetic and environmental influences. Further research is needed to clarify these differences, which have implications for symptom monitoring and management.
Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest Dr. Shavitt reports receiving research funding to her institution from the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and the Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP). Dr. Storch reports receiving research funding to his institution from the Ream Foundation, International OCD Foundation, and NIH. He was a consultant for Brainsway and Biohaven Pharmaceuticals (past 12 months). He owns stock less than $5000 in NView (for distribution of the Y-BOCS and CY-BOCS). He receives book royalties from Elsevier, Wiley, Oxford, American Psychological Association, Guildford, Springer, Routledge, and Jessica Kingsley. Dr. Fernandez reports receiving research funding to his institution from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and from the New Venture Fund.
(Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)