10 replies to this topic

[jitterbug]

I'd be really interested to read people's thoughts on whether OCD is pre-determined for us from an early age due to certain biological factors and triggered at some point or if we develop it at some point in our lives for whatever reason.

I'm interested as looking back, I can see things I used to do or things I used to feel as being the starting points of where I am now but I'm not sure if that's because there genuinely has always been something of OCD in my life and it took my 'tipping point' to fully come out (being stressed constantly to the extreme at around 11-14) or whether I'm just reading too much into things with the hindsight I have now.

If it is truly biological, low serotonin levels etc, what makes us have a chemical imbalance? Is that triggered?

I'm genuinely really interested about the pathological side of things so even if you have no expert experience or opinions, I'd still love to hear what you think.

[TummyDepressed]

I think personally that it can be a mixture of both......

I think we can be pre-disposed to it, but conditions send us over the edge.

[Zee]

Hi

For me it took a specific event to trigger it but my wife tells me ive always been obsessive and a worrier before i flipped out severley.

[FobicFairy]

I think it's a combination of factors like genes and learned behaviour. If there was a definitive answer we would all know about it by now.

FF

[Annabel]

There seems to be some common genetic heritability for OCD and related conditions- so that people in a family may share some behavioural and cognitive tendencies which facilitate or act as a predisposition towards developing full-blown OCD. For example some studies show that OCD sufferers and their families have some difficulty with tasks involving breaking habits (set-shifting) and suppressing certain behaviours (inhibition) over non-sufferer controls and their family members. You can have these problems by themselves or develop full-blown OCD where these issues become very pronounced and form the foundation for other symptoms specific to OCD.

If a person experiences a triggering event (either environmental or biological) [or events] then the OCD develops into a full-blown condition.

There's quite a lot of research into the biological basis of OCD and some studies have found differences in brain activity in the orbitofrontal cortex, caudate nucleus, thalamus and anterior cingulate gyrus and some structural differences e.g. the basal ganglia may be a different size.

So yeah pretty much agree with Zee, Tummydepressed and FF, it's likely to be a mixture of both! You may have had some OCD tendencies before you were diagnosed and it may have become worse when you were very stressed.

Hope things are ok just now x

Edited by Annabel, 07 September 2012 - 11:09 PM.

[Caramoole]

Who knows?

My OCD occurred in a moment, in a minute, at the age of 20. Very happy, contented childhood....no indicators, then Wham

Looking back and analysing things, I reckon my Dad showed OCD tendancies....but I only see that now, knowing what I know now. I don't think that affected me, my upbringing or any form of influence.

I don't know why my OCD occurred, or why so suddenly. I had loads of Strep throats in my late teens...was it that? I dunno

The bottom line was it happened....and whatever the cause, I have to deal with it in the here and now. It's my best way forward to continue improving.

Caramoole

[jitterbug]

Thanks for your replies. This is a really interesting subject. I'm definitely gonna look more into it.
What I can't understand is how if it is triggered, how can a chemical change occur in the brain. High levels of dopamine and low serotonin; we all know it by heart now, but how can you undergo a sudden chemical change? Or... was the imbalance always there, in which case why only at a certain point are symptoms felt?

So confusing and interesting!

[sarah1984]

Hi Jitterbug,
You might find this page interesting reading: http://www.ocduk.org/what-causes-ocd - it's got lots of info about brain chemistry.
Sarah

[Annabel]

Changes in brain chemistry can happen for many reasons and result from changes in environment, increased stress etc

[jitterbug]

Ooh, thanks again!
I'll defo give that a read when I have a chance. Looks very interesting.

[Nil]

In my case I suffered too much throat infections and fever in mychildhood. I think it may be a cause. But I think I had obsessive trend in personality in my very childhood. I used to fear about death and tried to imagine what it is like after death at the age of 4. Anyway I started to obsess at the age of 11-12 and it was about not killing any insect accidentally under my feet. Later I grew up severe hyper responsibility OCD.

Edited by Nil, 18 September 2012 - 05:25 PM.