Nobody has found a single reason why one person develops OCD and another does not. The current understanding is that a few things come together: a tendency that runs in the family, certain brain circuits that handle doubt a little differently, a habit of needing to be completely sure, and then some period of strain that pushes it all into the open. Looking at what causes OCD in this way takes the blame off families, and it also explains why OCD treatment is planned around the symptoms a person has rather than around one hidden cause.
According to Dr. Soumya Kamath, a Psychiatrist in Mumbai, “Families often arrive after a long time spent trying to work out what went wrong. Parents go back over how they brought the child up, and patients decide they are just being careless.”
For guidance on OCD symptoms and treatment, speak to a specialist.
What Causes OCD? The Main Risk Factors
If a parent or sibling has OCD, a person’s own chances of developing it go up somewhat. The exact genes have not been identified, so a family history only means a person may be more susceptible, and many people with a relative who has OCD never develop it themselves.
Brain imaging in some studies suggests that the circuits which handle worry and decision-making may work a little differently in people with OCD, and serotonin is thought to be involved, which is one reason medication is part of treatment. OCD is also closely related to anxiety and the two often occur together, covered on the page about anxiety treatment in Mumbai
Thinking style seems to matter as well. People who hold themselves to very high standards, or who find it hard to live with a “maybe”, are thought to be more at risk. Someone who has to be completely sure the gas is off before leaving the house, and is still unsure by the time the lift arrives, is a fairly familiar picture.
Common Triggers That Can Set OCD Off
Most people can point to a stretch of life just before the symptoms began, though it is rarely a single event. It might be the year of board exams, moving to a new city for a job, the weeks around a wedding, or the months after losing a parent. After childbirth, some women find that frightening thoughts about the baby start to show up, and hormonal changes are one explanation that has been suggested for this. There are also reports of children whose symptoms started quite suddenly after a throat infection, though this is uncommon.
Strain of this kind is not believed to create OCD from nothing. In someone who already has the tendency, a hard few months seems to be enough to start the thoughts and rituals, or to keep them going well past the point where things at home or work have settled again.
Since the picture is usually a mix of these, the focus of care is on the symptoms. OCD treatment in Mumbai generally includes a form of therapy where the person learns to sit with the discomfort without carrying out the ritual, and in many cases a medicine as well, with the combination chosen according to how much the symptoms are affecting daily life.
What Determines Whether Something Is OCD?
Plenty of people go back to check a lock or a switch once in a while, and that is ordinary. A psychiatrist begins to think of OCD when the same unwanted thought keeps coming back, it causes real distress, and the person ends up repeating a ritual just to calm it down. or that start making someone late for work or unable to concentrate on studies, are a reason to get assessed. Part of the assessment is also checking whether some other condition could be behind the same symptoms.
KEY TAKEWAYS
- OCD does not come from one cause. Family history, brain function, a person’s way of thinking, and life events all seem to contribute in different amounts.
- A stressful period or big change can bring the symptoms out in a person who already has the tendency.
- Neither the way a child was raised nor a lack of willpower has been shown to cause OCD.
- What marks it out from a habit is how distressing the thoughts are and how much time these repetitive behaviours take up each day.
- Starting OCD treatment sooner generally gives better results.
FAQs
Can stress alone cause OCD?
It is more likely to bring on symptoms in a person who already has a tendency than to cause OCD by itself.
If my father has OCD, am I going to get it as well?
Your chances are a little higher than average, but most people with an affected parent do not develop it.
Did the way I raised my child cause their OCD?
No, parenting has not been found to be the cause, and blaming yourself usually does not help.
Does treatment help when nobody can say what caused the OCD?
Yes, because the therapy and medicine work on the symptoms themselves, a known cause is not required.
