The Overlap of OCD, Psychosis and Schizophrenia: A Comprehensive Look

According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine1, comorbid OCD/OCS influences the course of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. There is also some evidence to suggest that a diagnosis of OCD may be associated with an elevated risk for later development of psychosis and bipolar disorder. Comorbid OCD/OCS is associated with greater severity of schizophrenia phenotype and poorer prognosis.

It is unlikely that OCD can cause schizophrenia to develop. But while OCD doesn’t necessarily cause schizophrenia, it can come with higher chances of experiencing it than people without OCD. A sudden onset of OCD symptoms may also be connected to the development of conditions involving psychosis, like schizophrenia2.

Scientists have long studied the relationship between OCD and schizophrenia, as a great many of their symptoms overlap. Doctors can often differentiate the disorders by the delusions seen in schizophrenia and the obsessions seen in OCD. Delusions are defined as false thoughts that are held to be true despite evidence to the contrary3.