Table 2

Clinical and demographic characteristics of patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder with and without sensory phenomena

Group, mean ± SD or no. (%)
CharacteristicOCD with SP, n = 71OCD without SP, n = 35Statisticp value
Age, yr32.11 ± 8.4535.14 ± 10.84t104 = −1.560.12
Age at onset of OCS, yr*16.79 ± 9.8517.43 ± 6.49t103 = −0.350.73
Illness duration, yr*15.26 ± 8.8917.71 ± 12.61t103 = −1,160.25
Y-BOCS
 Obsessions12.99 ± 3.3813.03 ± 2.85t104 = −0.060.95
 Compulsions13.62 ± 3.0213.11 ± 2.89t104 = 0.820.41
 Total score26.61 ± 5.9926.17 ± 5.64t104 = 0.360.72
Global DY-BOCS score22.44 ± 4.4922.21 ± 3.85t102 = 0.250.81
DY-BOCS severity scores
 Aggression6.31 ± 5.407.15 ± 4.76t102 = −0.770.45
 Sexual/religious3.18 ± 5.214.73 ± 5.31t102 = −1.400.17
 Symmetry8.65 ± 5.064.21 ± 5.03t102 = 4.17< 0.001
 Contamination6.17 ± 5.886.70 ± 5.52t102 = −0.440.67
 Hoarding3.34 ± 4.232.06 ± 3.72t102 = 1.490.14
 Miscellaneous7.11 ± 5.787.12 ± 5.31t102 = −0.010.85
Total severity of SP8.35 ± 3.46
Female sex36 (50.7)20 (57.1)χ21 = 0.390.53
Years of educationχ22 = 1.090.58
 9–1342 (59.1)21 (60.0)
 14–1823 (32.4)13 (37.1)
 19–246 (8.5)1 (2.9)
Right-handed65 (91.5)34 (97.1)χ22 = 5.140.08
Lifetime history of tics10 (14.1)8 (22.9)χ21 = 1.280.28
Lifetime history of depression31 (43.7)10 (28.6)χ21 = 2.250.15
Lifetime history of anxiety disorders28 (39.4)11 (31.4)χ21 = 0.650.52
Treatment-naive29 (40.8)11 (31.4)χ21 = 0.890.39
Subtypes of SP (lifetime)
 Physical sensations40 (56.3)
 “Just right” perceptions60 (84.5)
 Feeling of incompleteness31 (43.7)
 Energy release17 (23.9)
 “Urge-only” phenomena21 (29.6)
  • DY-BOCS = Dimensional Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale; OCD = obsessive–compulsive disorder; OCS = obsessive–compulsive symptoms; SD = standard deviation; SP = sensory phenomena; USP-SPS = University of São Paulo Sensory Phenomena Scale; Y-BOCS, Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale.

  • * One missing value.

  • Two missing values.

  • See Table 1 footnote for a description of each symptom dimensions profile.