Mental Health Notes

Are You At Risk For Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?

by Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader on February 28th, 2008

I Must Shave My Legs: The OCD Miniseries - Part 4

Recently we discussed the definition of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), as well as the two categories its signs and symptoms are separated into - obsessions and compulsions. Because about 2.2 million Americans have OCD (according to the National Institute of Mental Health; I don’t even know the statistics for the entire world), it’s safe to say OCD is not a rare condition. So, let’s now look at the causes of and risk factors for OCD that are helping make OCD fairly common.

What causes obsessive-compulsive disorder?

Like many mental health issues, we don’t really know exactly what causes OCD; however, most of the usual suspects are being questioned:

• Biology - Your body’s chemistry, as well as how it’s changed over the years.
• Environment - You may learn, teach yourself, or adapt OCD thoughts and behaviors as a reaction to your surroundings.
• Serotonin - That’s right. We see “serotonin” in so many explanations for mental illnesses. In this case, a lack of sufficient serotonin, i.e. not having enough serotonin, may help cause OCD.
• Strep throat - (Group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis) This may be a new one for you; it was news to me until recently. The research suggesting strep throat developed in childhood can help cause OCD deals with an antibody against strep throat acting as a brain enzyme and disrupting neuron communication. Note that this research is controversial, but strep throat has also been connected with developing anorexia and schizophrenia.

What are the risk factors for obsessive-compulsive disorder?

It’s important to first recognize that age isn’t really a strong risk factor for developing obsessive-compulsive disorder; both children and adults are at risk for developing OCD. The average age for a child is around 10 years old, while adults seem to develop OCD around the age of 21.

With that being said, let’s look at some of the more concrete risk factors for OCD:

• Family history - Just like in the case of serotonin, “family history” is also a phrase we hear a lot regarding mental illness. While researchers have yet to identify a specific gene that causes OCD, it is thought that having family members with OCD increases your risk for OCD.
• Stress - Developing OCD (becoming obsessed with certain things and using ritualistic behavior to alleviate the anxiety) may be a reaction to how you deal with stress as a whole or a reaction to an extremely stressful life event.
• Pregnancy - Just as the idea that strep throat may cause OCD may have raised your eyebrows, learning that pregnancy may increase your risk of developing OCD may leave you doubtful, too. However, studies do show that pregnant women and new mothers may be at an increased risk for developing obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Do any of these causes and risk factors ring true for you?

Stay tuned for information about seeking medical advice and how your doctor will screen you for obsessive-compulsive disorder.

First image credit.
Second image credit.

Share This

POSTED IN: Anorexia Nervosa, Anxiety Disorders, Childhood Disorders, Eating Disorders, Enviromental Factors, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Psychotic Disorders, Questions Answered, Schizophrenia, Sites of Interest