- Date posted
- 19d ago
Question: What causes OCD. Nature and/or Nurture?
Why do some people develop OCD?
Why do some people develop OCD?
OCD can be caused by trauma, medical, genetics, or environmental factors.
Both
OCD is like the ultimate overachiever in the anxiety world, it takes a little bit of nature, a little bit of nurture, and then just runs way too far with it. On the nature side, genetics and brain wiring play a role. Some people are just born with brains that love to hit the “what if” button over and over. Studies show differences in areas responsible for decision making and habit formation, which can make it harder to let intrusive thoughts go. On the nurture side, life experiences and learned behaviors can reinforce OCD patterns. Stressful events, certain parenting styles, or even just accidentally discovering that compulsions provide (temporary) relief can all fuel the cycle. So it’s kind of like making a really weird soup, your brain provides the ingredients, and life stirs the pot. What ingredients do you think went into your own OCD recipe?
This is a great question. While I'm not clinically trained, I do have my B.A. in Psychology, and this is something I think about often. I think it's a mixture of both nature and nurture, but I also think it can be one or the other. For some people, it may be genetic, while for other people it may develop as a result of a traumatic event. How do you think nature and nurture play a role in OCD? Do you think it can be both or just one or the other for an individual?
Just to preface this, I’d like to say that I in no way whatsoever intend to judge parents of ocd children or people with ocd that have children. I honestly mean no disrespect with this post, I just really don’t know what to think or do. I wish the best for all of your families, and for all of you struggling with ocd as well. Please don’t let my post influence how you think, all I need is advice if anyone can give me it. Feel free to skip if this is an uncomfortable topic for you. Thank you! I’ve had ocd since I was young, but I hadn’t started thinking about this until recently. I heard that you have a 15-20% chance of passing ocd down to your child. I used to be really uncomfortable at the thought of being pregnant and often had intrusive thoughts trying to convince me I somehow was. I finally got past this and began to look forward to being a mother someday, but now I don’t know. I can’t imagine not having kids, but I’m scared that they’ll have ocd like me. It’s not a crazy high percentage but it still scares me. On one hand I’m like hey, who better to help their kid if they have ocd than a mom who has ocd? But on the other I worry that if they have it, it could worse than mine and that they’ll have a really hard time dealing with it. I hate to say this but it feels a little bit selfish to want to have kids when there’s a chance they’ll get the same disorder I hate so much. Both me and my sister have ocd as well, so I’m scared it’s something that runs in my family. Any advice would be appreciated.
Hey guys! So I struggle with OCD, especially harm, relationship and moral stuff and I am somewhat recovered now. However, my current girlfriend has started showing signs of OCD but it’s abou5 something I don’t know much about so I wanted to see if anyone on here had thoughts about it. She is constantly thinking about food (when to eat it, what is healthy, what is too much, what is too little) and controls the thoughts by giving in and controlling her entire day around food. She don’t really know the feeling of being full. She never starved herself and always eats, but then she feels extremely guilty afterwards. Her thoughts do have to do a lot with her body image and not gaining weight but also not losing any either. Does this sound like ocd or an eating disorder?
Anyone else develop it in their 30s? I’m 33 and just started showing symptoms in October 2024. So far have only been diagnosed with GAD , PD and depression.I started having intrusive thoughts after a series of panic attacks . My compulsions would be googling. I have made an effort to stop though because it only makes me feel worse. My intrusive thoughts have been around fear of going crazy
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