Reduced short-term obsessive-compulsive symptoms in schizophrenic patients treated with risperidone: a single-blind prospective study.

Background: Risperidone is a widely used agent as first-line treatment in schizophrenia with a favorable side-effect profile. However, a number of case reports have suggested an increase in obsessive-compulsive symptoms in patients treated with risperidone.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of risperidone on obsessive-compulsive symptoms in the treatment of schizophrenia.

Method: Forty patients with DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia were included in the study. The Yale-Brown obsessive compulsive scale was administered before, at the end of first and second months of treatment. Paired-samples t-test was used to compare the three assessments.

Results: There was not an increase, but a significant decrease, in YBOCS scores over time during risperidone treatment (p<0.05).

Conclusion: In the present study risperidone caused a significant decrease in obsessive-compulsive symptoms in the treatment of schizophrenia.