Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Anorexia Nervosa Presenting as the Prodrome of Schizophrenia - A Case Report

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) affects 1% to 3% of global population, characterized by intrusive thoughts, known as obsessions, and repetitive actions, or compulsions [1]. The disorder can consume lot of time in daily activities and cause marked distress and functional impairment. The causes are multifactorial including cognitive, genetic and neural factors. The presentation of OCD in children and adults can be entirely different. Whereas, children usually present with obsessions of violence and magical thinking, adolescents and adults can have obsessions with contamination and sexual component. Past had seen nomenclatures like Schizo-obsession which are obsolete now. Having said that even today we see lot of patients with schizophrenia presenting co-morbidly with OCD. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by excessive restriction on food intake and irrational fear of gaining weight, often accompanied by a distorted body self -perception [2]. Eating disorders and schizophrenia are frequently comorbid and schizophrenia shares genetic susceptibility with anorexia. Genome-wide analysis of anorexia nervosa and major psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia reveals genetic overlap and identifies novel risk loci for anorexia nervosa [3]. We are reporting an interesting case where both Anorexia nervosa and obsessive-compulsive disorder were subsequently found to be prodrome of Schizophrenia in 16-year-old girl. Keywords: Anorexia nervosa, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), Schizophrenia, Prodrome