OCD - cause or effect?

[Guest iracam]

I have strong views that OCD is an effect not a cause.

I see OCD as a type of reaction to life's stressors. Some turn to alcohol, others have anger issues or over-exercise, while others are emotional eaters.

OCD sufferers cope by performing compulsions or overanalysing when dealing with stress.

Do you agree?

[PolarBear]

Do I agree? No.

I'm not sure what to make of our theories.

Edited June 1, 2015 by PolarBear

[Gemma7]

I don't agree. Ocd is an illness not a reaction to something.

[Guest MrsF]

I have to strongly disagree. There is a whole world of difference between stressful situations in life and chronic anxiety. OCD is a debilitating illness not a coping mechanism.

[Franklin12]

It depends what you mean by life stressors. I can be perfectly relaxed and anxiety free, then drink 3 cans of full caffeine coke and have a sudden spike of physical anxiety which then, if allowed, can easily turn into an OCD thought - did I just run over a cat etc. Was I traumatised as a child by a cat? Did I ever witness a hit and run accident? No, I just made a biochemical change in my body that manifests as anxiety. I think rooting around for some kind of inner deep seated trauma can be a bit of a red herring some of the time. I doubt many people, OCD or otherwise are without issues. There's always something to find if you dig around and try to force links. It's more useful to look at the now - is the way that you react to thoughts/events causing problems? How can you react differently that can ease those problems. If that means trying to be more assertive or confident, or not blaming yourself for everything, or accepting a less than perfect world, then go ahead and work on those things too.

[Guest mynameisian]

I understand what you are trying to say here. My OCD only first arose when i was extremely stressed..and has since gotten a lot worse when i am under pressure. that led me to believe that it was purely caused by stress. However, i think this was just a trigger. I believe you have to be prone to it. I know other people who have been stressed and described to me ocd type thoughts. However, once their stress went so did the thoughts. So i wonder why that doesnt hold true for me. Well i believe it must be partly due to the fact that i am prone to OCD 'i.e. it is a cause in itself". Other people are able to break away from it once stress reduces as i believe they have the correct mechanisms in their brains to bot get "stuck".

So, i think stress can definitely trigger OCD and then it becomes engrained. I dont think it is a cause in itself though.

[Handy]

It has some biological reason Im sure.

[Franklin12]

The way I have read it is that Iracam believes that there must always be some kind of non-biological cause for OCD, rather than a genetic or biochemical basis. And that a kind of psychoanalytic approach is therefore needed to uncover and resolve such hidden issues. I may have misunderstood though.

[Guest Heryn!]

Do you agree?

No. I have obsessions and perform compulsions whether I'm stressed or not.

[Guest iracam]

I'll try to elaborate on my theory.

If OCD sufferers did not release their stress via OCD, and instead bottled it up, it could manifest in other ways... cancer for example.

I feel the stress has to be released in some form or another, and our bodies/minds have decided that OCD is the best way forward, under the current circumstances.

[Gemma7]

I'll try to elaborate on my theory.

If OCD sufferers did not release their stress via OCD, and instead bottled it up, it could manifest in other ways... cancer for example.

I feel the stress has to be released in some form or another, and our bodies/minds have decided that OCD is the best way forward, under the current circumstances.

The reason sufferers have ocd is incredibly complex and individual and isn't simply a product of stress. It will have been a gradual process that eventually tips you into ocd. Once you have ocd its the ocd that causes the stress.

In other words the factors contributing to ocd could only lead to ocd.

[Guest iracam]

The reason sufferers have ocd is incredibly complex and individual and isn't simply a product of stress. It will have been a gradual process that eventually tips you into ocd. Once you have ocd its the ocd that causes the stress.

In other words the factors contributing to ocd could only lead to ocd.

That's an interesting point. So there's a tipping point which then becomes very difficult to reverse, as the OCD feeds on itself and gathers momentum.

That certainly happened to me.

I've leanrt so much about myself (and the world) through my OCD recovery, and hope for the same for everyone currently suffering.

[Caramoole]

I fall somewhere between the opinions.

My own OCD is very much driven by stress/anxiety first rather than OCD causing the anxiety. Yes, once the OCD is playing up the anxiety then increases even further. I believe (for me) my OCD is part of an anxiety syndrome.

I accept that for others it manifests differently. I think it's unhelpful to try and be rigid in definition, as with all things, there is rarely a One Size Fits All. Regardless of cause, the resolution is largely the same.

[gingerbreadgirl]

yes I agree the important thing is what we do about it.

[PolarBear]

We simply do not know enough to be able to pinpoint what causes OCD. There is evidence there is a genetic component to it. There is also evidence that it may be impacted by the environment people grow up in. Some studies show low serotonin levels though there is no consensus as to why the levels are low. Some people think it has to do with a miswiring of neurons in the brain. We certainly have anecdotal evidence from the forum that real life stress makes OCD symptoms worse. Then there's PANDAS, where kids get OCD like symptoms because of strep infections (or one of several other infections).

We do know how to treat it. Medications and/or CBT.