WHAT CAUSES OCD?

I’m 28 and have been battling with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) for years. It started when I was in my early teens and has persisted with varying degrees of severity. I’m currently seeing a counselling psychologist to learn coping techniques and will also be seeing a psychiatrist to review the medicine I’ve been on for the past 10 years.

But I’d like to know what you think the causes of this disorder are, and if there are any natural remedies I could try. Kyle, email Obsessive compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder characterised by excessive, uncontrollable, unwanted thoughts and repetitive, ritualised behaviours you feel compelled to perform. It’s a chronic condition that can last for years or be lifelong, and affects people of all ages and all walks of life.

People with OCD know their behaviours are irrational but feel unable to resist them. The obsessions and compulsions often centre on things such as a fear of germs or the need to arrange objects in a specific manner. The symptoms usually begin gradually and can vary over the years.

There are essentially two subgroups of OCD. The first is environmentally based, where the OCD is the result of a specific event, such as a traumatic event, brain injury or neurological disorder. The second is related to genetics or chromosomal anomalies. OCD sufferers with this form of the disorder have significant differences in the frontal cortex of their brain.

Research indicates OCD patients may benefit from antidepressant and anti-anxiety medication, and it’s important you consult with your psychiatrist regularly to review how well it’s working.

The latest research also indicates the best treatment options for OCD, in no specific order of importance or efficacy, are 1) exposure and ritual-response prevention in which the obsession is provoked and the patient experiences the subsequent anxiety but is refrained from engaging in the ritual; 2) cognitive behavioural therapy; 3) deep-brain stimulation; and 4) hypnotherapy.