Obsessive-compulsive disorder in general hospital outpatients: prevalence, correlates, and comorbidity in Lanzhou, China.

Introduction: The prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), risk factors, and comorbidity rates of Chinese outpatients in Lanzhou general hospitals are unknown.

Method: The prevalence rate of OCD was estimated in a representative sample of outpatients in three classes of general hospitals in Lanzhou, China. The rate of OCD within the sample, which was composed of 1,576 individuals aged 16 years or older, was assessed using the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview Version 3.0.

Results: The weighted prevalence of OCD were 4.31% (lifetime), 2.86% (12-month), and 1.97% (30-day). Multivariate logistic regression identified the following independent predictors of having lifetime OCD: having a higher level of education, being unemployed, an internal medicine outpatient, a female, 16-35 years old, divorced/widowed/separated, and having a low family income. OCD had a significant comorbid association with neuroses, based on the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems-10th Revision.

Discussion: These findings show a lower prevalence rate of OCD in Lanzhou general hospitals than that reported for some specialized outpatient clinics in Western countries. Further investigations are required to explore the relationships between OCD and the risk factors identified in the current study. Resolving methodological problems may lead to more accurate prevalence estimates in future epidemiological studies. Our findings suggest that there is an urgent need to improve the ability of clinicians to detect OCD in outpatients.