Causes of OCD - The Big 3
New evidence is emerging all the time in the hunt for the true causes of OCD.
Some of these potential causes seem more likely than others, while some have little support from respected experts.
As it stands right now, the potential causes of OCD with the most credibility are: Heredity - This is the belief that OCD runs in families, and is passed on genetically from one generation to the next.
There are already many studies that show an increased chance of developing OCD at some point during your lifetime if someone in your immediate family also has the condition.
Chemical Imbalances - This is the belief that incorrect levels of neurotransmitters in the brain are responsible for OCD.
These neurotransmitters carry signals from one part of your brain to another, and many experts believe that imbalances in this area can lead to increased anxiety and stress levels.
Anti-anxiety drugs usually work by attempting to correct these chemical imbalances, but with only one third of people who take these drugs finding relief, it raises doubt as to whether these imbalances are one of the causes of OCD after all.
Lifestyle Factors - This is the belief that events throughout your life are responsible for OCD.
Negative events, in particular, are considered by many to be large contributing factors to the developing of obsessive compulsive disorder later in life.
Negative events experienced as a child are, experts say, particularly likely to increase the likelihood of developing OCD later in life.
This theory of lifestyle factors being responsible for OCD may discredit the idea that OCD runs in families.
Lifestyle factors would, some argue, mean that every member of the same family is equally likely to develop OCD at some point in the future, since all family members would essentially be exposed to the same experienced during childhood and adolescence.
Some of these potential causes seem more likely than others, while some have little support from respected experts.
As it stands right now, the potential causes of OCD with the most credibility are: Heredity - This is the belief that OCD runs in families, and is passed on genetically from one generation to the next.
There are already many studies that show an increased chance of developing OCD at some point during your lifetime if someone in your immediate family also has the condition.
Chemical Imbalances - This is the belief that incorrect levels of neurotransmitters in the brain are responsible for OCD.
These neurotransmitters carry signals from one part of your brain to another, and many experts believe that imbalances in this area can lead to increased anxiety and stress levels.
Anti-anxiety drugs usually work by attempting to correct these chemical imbalances, but with only one third of people who take these drugs finding relief, it raises doubt as to whether these imbalances are one of the causes of OCD after all.
Lifestyle Factors - This is the belief that events throughout your life are responsible for OCD.
Negative events, in particular, are considered by many to be large contributing factors to the developing of obsessive compulsive disorder later in life.
Negative events experienced as a child are, experts say, particularly likely to increase the likelihood of developing OCD later in life.
This theory of lifestyle factors being responsible for OCD may discredit the idea that OCD runs in families.
Lifestyle factors would, some argue, mean that every member of the same family is equally likely to develop OCD at some point in the future, since all family members would essentially be exposed to the same experienced during childhood and adolescence.
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