Obsessive-compulsive or addiction? Categorical diagnostic analysis of excoriation disorder compared to obsessive-compulsive disorder and gambling disorder.

Excoriation disorder (ED) is currently classified in the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders' Obsessive-compulsive and Related Disorders section (OCRD). However, there remain debates regarding whether ED is related to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or whether it is better conceptualized as a behavioral addiction. The present research compared the diagnostic overlap and psychiatric comorbidities of 121 individuals seeking treatment for ED (n = 40), OCD (n = 41) and gambling disorder (GD) (n = 40).