Why makes a person get OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)?

Question

I mean does it like have something to do with the enviroment you grow up in? Or is it just something purely biological?

Oops, i meant to say "What" makes a person get OCD?

Sorry. :D

Wow, thank you everyone for your answers. They were all very helpful. =))

Answer 1

Risk factors for obsessive-compulsive disorder include the following:

Genetics
Postpartum periods
Environmental stressors
Although there is no clear genetic evidence, obsessive-compulsive disorder tends to run in families. A person with OCD has a 25% chance of having a blood relative who has it. Like other mental illnesses, it is more prevalent among identical twins than fraternal. There is a 70% chance that identical twins with share it, and a 50% chance for fraternal twins. Currently, researchers do not understand OCD’s genetic mechanisms, though they suspect multiple genes are involved.

Women with OCD may experience a worsening of symptoms during pregnancy and postpartum. A recent study suggests that fluctuating hormones may trigger symptoms during pregnancy. The same study reports OCD in 30% of women observed.

The arrival of a baby brings new responsibility, a new set of concerns, and changes in routine. While normal reaction to a newborn may include some anxiety, postpartum OCD features disturbing thoughts and excessive behavior regarding the baby’s well-being.

Environmental stressors that can worsen OCD symptoms include the following:

Abuse
Changes in living situation
Illness
Occupational changes or problems
Relationship concerns
School-related problems

Causes
Biological factors involving brain structure and activation are associated with OCD. Abnormalities of the frontal lobes, basal ganglia, and cingulum are common in people with OCD. Basal ganglia are involved in routine behaviors, like grooming, and the frontal lobes in organizing behaviors and in planning. The cingulum consists of fibrous bands that assist in communicating the brain’s behavioral and emotional messages. Support for its role in OCD is the fact that surgical severing of the cingulum has relieved and even cured people with the disorder.

The Serotonin Hypothesis
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An abnormally low level of serotonin is perhaps the most well-established link between the brain and OCD. Serotonin is a chemical neurotransmitter that transmits information from one nerve to another throughout the brain. It is released by one synapse (nerve ending), crosses a gap, and is picked up by another synapse. After a message is sent, enzymes in the brain clean serotonin out of the synapses. Drugs used to treat OCD, known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), increase and sustain serotonin levels and reduce or eliminate symptoms.

Answer 2

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a potentially disabling anxiety disorder. A person who has OCD has intrusive and unwanted thoughts and repeatedly performs tasks to get rid of the thoughts. For example, if you have OCD, you may fear that everything you touch is contaminated with germs, and in order to ease that fear, you repeatedly wash your hands.

The effects of OCD range from mild to severe. OCD can disrupt your social life and relationships as well as your ability to work or go to school.1
What are the symptoms?

OCD is a chronic or long-term illness, and the symptoms typically increase and decrease over time. Treatment can lessen the severity, but some symptoms may linger after you begin treatment. Anxiety is the most common symptom of OCD. For example, you may have an overall sense that something terrible will happen if you don't follow through with a particular ritual, such as repeatedly checking to see whether the stove is on. If you fail to perform the ritual, you may have immediate anxiety or a nagging sense of incompleteness.

Symptoms of OCD include:2

* Obsessions, which are recurring, unwanted thoughts, ideas, and impulses that interrupt normal thinking and cause anxiety or fear. The thoughts may be sexual or violent or create a concern of illness. Examples include:
o Persistent fear of harm to yourself or a loved one.
o An excessive need to do things perfectly or correctly.
o A fear of contamination.
* Compulsions, which are behaviors or rituals that are repeated intentionally to try to control the obsessions. Some people have rituals that are rigid and structured, while others have very complex rituals that change. Examples include:
o Washing or checking.
o Counting, often while doing another compulsive action, such as hand-washing.
o Repeating things or endlessly rearranging items to keep them in perfect alignment.
o Hoarding.
o Praying.

Answer 3

I have OCD, and it is not an easy thing to live with. I personally believe it is caused by a stressful enviorment, and starts in the home. In my case I noticed things I was doing wasn't right when I was 17 or so. But I just went on with life, and they went away. But then a few tragic things happened in my life and it all came back, but 100 times worst. So the answer to the question? It all begins with stress, and if you don't take care of each thing that causes that stress in your life, it then turns to anixety, and anixety turns into other things. Therapy helps, it you're lucky to get the right therapist. I went through 5 before finding the right one. And she made all the difference.

Answer 4

Nope. It is psychological. OCD is a psychological disorder specifically anxiety disorder. People with this disorder uses the defense mechanism of reaction-formation. It means to say that they have repetitive activities just to ease their anxiety. Examples of this are frequent checking of things, keeping posters of idols, and frequent handwashing. Without these activities they may overdevelop their anxiety. It is not with the environment and not in genes. It is within the individual. Treatment for this is gradual desensitization to his fear.