Gender seems to affect what other mental health problems people with OCD might have. In one study of adults with OCD, there was no overall difference between men and women in whether they had additional conditions. But men were more likely to have social anxiety, tics, alcohol problems, internet addiction, and sexual disorders. Women were more likely to have specific phobias, eating disorders, hair-pulling, skin-picking, and compulsive shopping. When people filled out questionnaires about their symptoms, women scored higher on measures of depression, anxiety, and OCD symptoms than men. However, a different study of people in the community (not necessarily with diagnosed OCD) found that women were more likely to have alcohol problems, depression, generalized anxiety, social anxiety, agoraphobia, and specific phobias.

OCD Comorbidity: Gender

People with two or more additional mental health conditions had more severe and long-lasting OCD symptoms than those with just one additional condition. Having any additional mental health problem was linked to having OCD for a longer time. This pattern also shows up in children - most kids with OCD (56%) also have at least one other mental health condition, usually depression or anxiety.

Wesleyan University

Most people with OCD also have at least one other mental health condition. In one study of 382 people with OCD, about 55% had another current mental health diagnosis, and about 78% had another diagnosis at some point in their lives. The most common additional problems were other anxiety disorders, depression, and related conditions like hoarding or body dysmorphic disorder. This pattern was confirmed in another study of OCD patients.

OCD Comorbidity 

Mathes, B.M., Morabito, D.M. & Schmidt, N.B. Epidemiological and Clinical Gender Differences in OCD. Curr Psychiatry Rep 21, 36 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-019-1015-2

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