Obsessive-compulsive disorder causes
|
Obsessive-compulsive disorder Microchapters |
|
Differentiating Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder from other Diseases |
|---|
|
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder due to Another Medical Condition |
|
Diagnosis |
|
Treatment |
|
Case Studies |
|
Obsessive-compulsive disorder causes On the Web |
|
American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Obsessive-compulsive disorder causes |
|
Directions to Hospitals Treating Obsessive-compulsive disorder |
|
Risk calculators and risk factors for Obsessive-compulsive disorder causes |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Causes
It was the general belief in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries that those who experienced blasphemous, sexual, or other obsessive thoughts were possessed by the Devil. Based on this reasoning, treatment involved banishing the "evil" from the "possessed" person through exorcism.[1]
Today the community of scientists studying obsessive-compulsive disorder has been split into two factions by a disagreement over the exact cause of the illness. On one side is a group who believe that obsessive-compulsive behavior is a psychological disorder. On the other side are scientists who believe that obsessive-compulsive behavior is caused by abnormalities in the brain. A majority of researchers now believe in this biological hypothesis of OCD.
Stanford University School of Medicine OCD web page states that:"Although the causes of the disorder still elude us, the recent identification of children with OCD caused by an autoimmune response to Group A streptococcal infection promises to bring increased understanding of the disorder's pathogenesis."[2]
References
- ↑ Baer, L.; M. A. Jenike & W. E. Minichiello. Obsessive Compulsive Disorders: Theory and Management. Littleton, MA: PSG Publishing, 1986.
- ↑ "History of Treatment of OCD - OCD Research - Stanford University School of Medicine". Retrieved 2007-06-28.