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The Leyton Obsessional Inventory: an analysis of the responses of 73 obsessional patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

R. M. Murray ,
J. E. Cooper  and
A. Smith
R. M. Murray*
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychiatry and Biometrics, Institute of Psychiatry, London, and the Department of Psychiatry, University of Nottingham
J. E. Cooper
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychiatry and Biometrics, Institute of Psychiatry, London, and the Department of Psychiatry, University of Nottingham
A. Smith
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychiatry and Biometrics, Institute of Psychiatry, London, and the Department of Psychiatry, University of Nottingham
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr Robin Murray, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF.
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Synopsis

The Leyton Obsessional Inventory was administered to 73 obsessive-compulsive neurotics, and their responses compared with those of 100 normal subjects. The ratio of the mean patient to normal scores ranged from 2·4: 1 for obsessional traits and 3·2: 1 for symptoms to 6·2: 1 for resistance and 12·5: 1 for interference with other activities. A principal components analysis on the patients' replies produced 3 unitary components (household order, personal contamination, and doubting) plus 2 bipolar components (checking/parsimony and desire for closure/unpleasant ruminations). These appeared to be more definitive representations of components identified from a similar analysis on normal subjects, suggesting that obsessional neurotics differ from normal subjects quantitatively rather than qualitatively. A cluster analysis on the patients' responses produced 3 subgroups. Thirty-two patients were predominantly hesitant and indecisive (‘doubters’), 30 were concerned with bodily and clothing contamination (‘contaminators’), and 7 were preoccupied with checking (‘checkers’).

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 9 , Issue 2 , May 1979 , pp. 305 - 311
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1979

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