What causes Obsessive compulsive disorder ?

Answer 1

OCD is caused by a gene that regulates how much serotonin is released into the brain. In people with OCD, this gene is different, and causes to much serotonin into the brain. This causes the disturbing, recurrent thoughts(obsessions) or "NEED" to figure out a problem. and then the debilitating habits(compulsions) as a result.

There has been some thought given to strep throat as a trigger for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Strep throat is NOT a cause of OCD, but rather can cause it to actually show up and present itself in people with the mutated gene that causes OCD.

Also OCD depends on peoples thinking styles & habits. If one's thinking style is bizzare & very different from the ordinary & standard styles he/she has more possibilities to have an OCD. On the contrary,OCD is not caused by too much seriton but not enough,medications such as zoloft, FocalinXR, or Prozac also known as SRI's which stands for serotonin reuptake inhibitor do just that.They slow the removal.My son of 15 years suffers with OCD. he started take prozac for 1 month. after the second week i started noticing he was doing wierd think such as blinking fast, or for example we would be sitting at the diner table and he would remain unresponsive. he would sit there for minutes and just stare. when i ask what is wrong he just says he has to figure this out.

The role of genetics in OCD is theory not fact and there are numerous studies confirming that single genes are not responsible for mental problems. Regarding the neurotransmitter Serotonin... some people with OCD do show decreased levels. However this is likely to be as a result of the OCD and not the cause of it.

OCD is due to a complex interaction between genetic make-up (not a single gene) and the environment (life experiences).