Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

  1. Home
  2. Health
  3. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Causes of OCD

Don Farrall/Getty Images

Many theories attempt to explain where OCD comes from. Although biological theories of OCD have come to the forefront, cognitive-behavioral and psychodynamic explanations may also help our understanding of the causes of OCD.

Related Articles

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Spotlight10

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Blog with Owen Kelly, Ph.D.

How do you Cope With Stigma?

Tuesday June 30, 2009
If you have OCD, you know that the stigma attached to mental illness can make it difficult to cope. Even though it is clear that OCD has biological roots, there are people who continue to believe that people challenged with mental illness should be able to “snap out of it.” Have you ever been discriminated against or stigmatized because of your OCD? What happened and how did you cope with it? Share your experience.

OCD Spectrum Disorders on A&E's Obsessed

Tuesday June 23, 2009
This past Monday’s episode of A&E’s Obsessed provided a really nice window into two OCD spectrum disorders; hypochondriasis and trichotillomania. While these illnesses are not technically OCD, they share many of the same symptoms of OCD including obsessive thoughts and compulsions. The main difference is that while obsessions and compulsions in OCD can relate to just about anything, obsessional thoughts in hypochondriasis relate almost exclusively to health concerns and in trichotillomania to hair pulling. It should be noted, however, that in addition to trichotillomania, Todd demonstrated more traditional symptoms of OCD including counting. What do you think of the show so far?

How do You Cope With OCD?

Monday June 15, 2009
It is a fact of life that we will all experience stress from time to time. As you may know, learning to cope effectively with stress can go a long way to making your OCD symptoms more manageable and treatments more effective. Share how you cope with your OCD symptoms.

OCD and Romantic Relationships

Monday June 8, 2009
If you have OCD, you know that your symptoms can often get in the way of establishing and maintaining romantic relationships. Many people with OCD are single and those who are in a relationship or are married often report a significant amount of relationship stress. How has your OCD impacted your romantic relationships? Share your experience

Discuss

Community Forum

Explore Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

About.com Special Features

Do I Have Allergies?

Are your symptoms merely irritating, or could they be a sign of allergies? More >

Preventing Headaches

The best way to treat a headache is to prevent it. Learn how. More >

We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

  1. Home
  2. Health
  3. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.