Objective: The objective of this study was to compare patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) with and without misophonia in terms of sociodemographic data, clinical features, and executive functions.
Method: This study included 39 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and misophonia, as well as 38 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder without misophonia. A sociodemographic data form, the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale Symptom Checklist, a structured interview form for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) Disorders, and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale were administered to all patients. The executive functions of the patients were evaluated using the Digit Span Test, the Stroop Test, the Trail Making Test, the Verbal Fluency Test, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and the Tower of London test.
Results: The obsessive-compulsive disorder group with misophonia had a higher rate of dirtiness obsession/cleaning compulsion, other compulsions, agoraphobia, and eating disorder comorbidities compared to the group without misophonia (p<0.05). Additionally, patients with misophonia had significantly higher Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale obsession scores (p=0.016). However, no difference was found between the groups in terms of executive functions (p>0.05).
Conclusion: The presence of high dirtiness obsessions, other compulsions, and agoraphobia comorbidity in in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and misophonia suggests an association with disgust sensitivity, sensory phenomena, and anxiety sensitivity, respectively, in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Contrary to expectations, the preservation of executive functions in misophonia can be interpreted as misophonia diverging from the OCD category.