Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD, is part of a group of mental illnesses ---the anxiety disorders—which doctors have continued to study in order to analyze their origins. Doctors and scientists have been unable to figure out the exact causes of OCD. As with other anxiety disorders, doctors can only make educated guesses as to what may cause the disease to develop and what can be done to treat it.

OCD and the Brain

Doctors have been able to pinpoint certain factors they believe may influence if not cause the development of OCD in some people. These factors are very similar to those influencing other mental diseases like social anxiety and bipolar disorders, as they are all part of the same family. Doctors believe that brain abnormalities to some extent could aid in influencing the development of OCD. Brain scans of patients with the disorder have revealed different brain activity patterns than those of patients who do not have OCD. This abnormal functioning of circuitry within the brain may help to cause OCD.

Also, scientists have suggested that genetics and heredity may play a role in who is likely to develop OCD. Environmental factors like stress or disrupted home life have also been studied. One of the primary causes of OCD, though, may be just what lies behind other mental disorders: a chemical imbalance. In particular, the brain may be lacking in the chemical serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps to relay messages in the brain between nerve cells. When the balance is disrupted, patients may suffer from certain mental disorders and may also be physically affected. They may experience difficulty sleeping as well as difficulty performing daily tasks. Doctors have determined that an imbalance of serotonin could very well cause symptoms of OCD in some people.

Although the causes of OCD have not been definitively determined, doctors are continuing to work toward pinpointing the origin of the disease. Yet they still have a good idea of what may or may not influence the disease, so doctors can still determine what likely attributed to a patient’s developing OCD.

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