Olfactory Reference Syndrome

A case of olfactory reference syndrome.

An army soldier in his early thirties was referred to the neurology ward with a history of urinary incontinence for the last 2 months. He complained of incontinence of urine and an unpleasant odour of urine which was noted by others as well. He complained that some of the gestures of his colleagues such as wiping their nose, or covering their faces as a response to his unpleasant body odour. He...

Olfactory reference syndrome: issues for DSM-V.

The published literature on olfactory reference syndrome (ORS) spans more than a century and provides consistent descriptions of its clinical features. The core symptom is preoccupation with the belief that one emits a foul or offensive body odor, which is not perceived by others. This syndrome is associated with substantial distress and disability. DSM-IV and ICD-10 do not explicitly mention O...

Olfactory reference syndrome as a subtype of body dysmorphic disorder.

Olfactory reference syndrome: diagnostic criteria and differential diagnosis.

Olfactory reference syndrome (ORS) has been defined as a psychiatric condition characterized by persistent preoccupation about body odour accompanied by shame, embarrassment, significant distress, avoidance behaviour and social isolation. ORS has however not been included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edition) (DSM-IV) and, given that its primary symptoms may...

Prevalence of olfactory reference syndrome in obsessive-compulsive disorder and social anxiety disorder.

To the Editor: Olfactory reference syndrome (ORS) is a condition characterized by concerns about perceived body odor, which may lead to repetitive behaviors to diminish the odor, as well as to avoidance of social interactions.1,2 A range of other terms describing olfactory reference symptomatology has appeared in the literature; for example, based on the observation that it involves a single be...