Background: Behavioral changes in patients with epilepsy could cause comorbid psychiatric disorders such as anxiety disorders. This study is concerned with investigation of obsessive-compulsive disorders and assessment of obsessionality as a personality trait in patients with complex partial seizure. Methods: Seventy six patients with complex partial seizure, 74 patients with generalized epilepsy that referred to Shiraz psychiatric professional center during three month (from July to September 2009), and 76 matched healthy controls were randomly selected and evaluated using the Yale-Brown obsessive compulsive scale (Y-BOCS), short form of Minnesota multiphasic personality inventory (MMPI) and clinical interview. Results: Complex partial seizure and obsessive-compulsive disorder (%13.15) are significantly more prevalent than generalized seizure (%2.70) and than control groups (%1.31) (p<0.001), and mean of psychasthenia scale (Pt scale) scores in patients with complex partial seizure is more than mean of Pt scores in generalized epilepsy and control groups (p<0.001). There is significant relationship between total score of Yale- Brown scale and Pt scale in MMPI (r=0.79, p<0.01). Conclusions: Patients with complex partial seizure are suffering from obsessive- compulsive disorder more than healthy persons and patients with generalized epilepsy, and obsessionality can be a personality trait in patients with complex partial seizure. So,in addition to drug therapy, psychological intervening for treatment of anxiety disorders in patients with complex partial seizure seems necessary

Keywords: Obsessive-compulsive disorder, obsession, trait, complex partial, epilepsy

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