Comparing cognitive rigidity profile in obsessive compulsive disorder, major depressive disorder, and healthy group

Introduction: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and major depression disorder (MDD) are highly debilitating disorders that usually require lifelong treatments. Studies have introduced cognitive rigidity as a common risk factor for both disorders. This study aimed to investigate and compare the cognitive rigidity profile in patients with OCD and MDD. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive causal-comparative study. The participants were selected among who referred to Bozorgmehr Clinic in Tabriz city, Iran, in 2019 based on the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for OCD and MDD by using convenience sampling. A total of forty-five cases were selected and assigned to three equal groups. Research instrument included General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (MOCI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the computer-based task-switching test, working memory test, and the Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT), which are related to cognitive rigidity. The data were statistically analyzed by using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) in SPSS-16. Results: The results showed that MDD and OCD patients had more errors in the task-switching test than healthy individuals as the control group (P=0.043). In addition the response time in the task-switching test was longer in MDD and OCD patients than in controls (P=0.007). The control group outperformed both OCD and MDD patients in the working memory test. The results also indicated that MDD and OCD patients had more errors and obtained higher scores on the response time in the SCWT compared to the control group (P=0.003). Conclusion: The results suggested that patients with MDD and OCD were similar to each other but significantly different from healthy individuals in cognitive rigidity profile.