Causes of OCD
OCD is a disorder that originates in the brain. In simple terms, the brains of people with OCD process information (or certain types of information) differently from people without OCD. This means that the brain of a person with OCD perceives certain situations as dangerous, while a person without this disorder does not. It also means that the brain “makes” a person repeat certain behaviours a number of times (compulsions or rituals) which other people do not. However, the origin of these difficulties is not known.
In mental disorders, the concept of cause is more complicated than for physical illnesses, such that many of the causes of mental disorders are not currently known. In fact, there may not be one single cause for a person to develop OCD, but rather many. When considering mental disorders, it is often useful to talk about risk factors or vulnerabilities rather than causes.
Risk factors
When someone has OCD, their relatives (including their descendants) are also more likely to develop OCD, as genetic factors mean that relatives are more susceptible to the disorder. However, this does not necessarily mean that if a person has OCD, their descendants will definitely develop it. OCD is not like eye color or other physical characteristics that are entirely determined by genetics. Furthermore, we currently do not know which genes are involved in OCD.
Non-genetics risk factors (enviromental)
Environmental factors, such as experiencing periods of stress or very traumatic situations can trigger the symptoms of OCD. As mentioned in the case of genetic aspects, this does not mean that OCD is caused by stress. However, stress may be a trigger for it or may prolong the symptoms of this disorder after it has started.
In some women, hormonal changes related to certain life events (e.g. pregnancy, postpartum or menopause) may be related to the appearance or reactivation of obsessive-compulsive symptoms.
A subgroup of children and adolescents with very sudden onset OCD, may have previously suffered an infection (mainly tonsillitis), which triggered an autoimmune process and caused obsessive-compulsive symptoms.
Substantiated information by:
Published: 7 February 2019
Updated: 7 February 2019
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