Links for Keyword: OCD - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

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A Healing Journey, From Harvard to the Homeless Shelters

By CHARLES BARBER It often occurs to me, having spent most of the last decade working in shelters for the homeless mentally ill, that I am not where I am supposed to be. I went to all the right schools - Andover, Harvard, Columbia - and was on the fast track for a far more bourgeois and lucrative career, like being a doctor or lawyer. Instead, I spend my days counseling people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression in dingy shelters. My clients tell me harrowing stories of AIDS and heroin, of crack and methadone and sexual abuse, of the voices that plague them. When I read in my college alumni magazine about the activities of my classmates (the second and third houses, the six-figure donations), I often feel a brief pang of regret about my vocational choice. But it quickly dissipates. The truth is, I am exactly where I'm supposed to be. When I was a freshman at Harvard, I was quite suddenly overwhelmed by a steady assault of unwanted, irrational and deeply painful thoughts and ideas. While I'd had brief previews of such mental compulsions as a child and adolescent - having to wear a red shirt to school the next day or horrible things would happen, for example - I had always been able to push them aside. Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company

Related chapters from BP6e: Chapter 16: Psychopathology: Biological Basis of Behavior Disorders
Related chapters from MM:Chapter 12: Psychopathology: Biological Basis of Behavioral Disorders
Link ID: 7253 - Posted: 04.26.2005

Brain region identified that controls collecting behavior

Perhaps the Beanie Baby craze wasn't so weird after all. Most people have a collection of some kind at some point in their lives. Indeed, historical studies show that acquiring and retaining objects, even when they are not necessary for survival, is not only nearly universal, but also has been part of human behavior since the earliest human societies. Yet despite the ubiquitous nature of this trait, very little is known about what drives humans to collect. By studying patients who developed abnormal hoarding behavior following brain injury, neurology researchers in the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A Carver College of Medicine have identified an area in the prefrontal cortex that appears to control collecting behavior. The findings suggest that damage to the right mesial prefrontal cortex causes abnormal hoarding behavior by releasing the primitive hoarding urge from its normal restraints. The study was published online in the Nov. 17 Advance Access issue of the journal Brain. Hoarding behavior is common among animals; around 70 species hoard and mostly they hoard food, which makes sense from a survival standpoint. Studies of hoarding behavior in rodents have shown that collecting is driven by certain primitive structures deep in the brain and most mammals, including humans, share these subcortical regions.

Combination therapy, not medication alone, most effective for treating children with OCD

Treating children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) with a combination of cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) and the medication sertraline is more effective than CBT or sertraline alone, according to a study in the October 27 issue of JAMA. Epidemiologic data suggest that approximately 1 in 200 young people suffers from OCD, which in many cases severely disrupts academic, social, and vocational functioning, according to background information in the article. Among adults with OCD, one-third to one-half develop the disorder during childhood or adolescence, which suggests that early intervention in childhood may prevent long-term illness in adulthood. Previous research has shown the effectiveness of short-term CBT or medical management with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (such as sertraline, an antidepressant). However, little is known about their relative and combined efficacy. CBT is a form of psychotherapy that helps patients change their thought patterns and behaviors related to obsessive thoughts and compulsions. OCD is characterized by recurrent obsessions and/or compulsions that are intense enough to cause severe discomfort. Obsessions are recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images that are unwanted and cause marked anxiety or distress. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or rituals (such as hand washing, hoarding, checking something over and over) or mental acts (such as counting, repeating words silently).

Mutant Gene Linked to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Analysis of DNA samples from patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and related illnesses suggests that these neuropsychiatric disorders affecting mood and behavior are associated with an uncommon mutant, malfunctioning gene that leads to faulty transporter function and regulation. Norio Ozaki, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues in the collaborative study explain their findings in the October 23 Molecular Psychiatry. Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have found a mutation in the human serotonin transporter gene, hSERT, in unrelated families with OCD. A second variant in the same gene of some patients with this mutation suggests a genetic "double hit," resulting in greater biochemical effects and more severe symptoms. Among the 10 leading causes of disability worldwide, OCD is a mental illness characterized by repetitive unwanted thoughts and behaviors that impair daily life. "In all of molecular medicine, there are few known instances where two variants within one gene have been found to alter the expression and regulation of the gene in a way that appears associated with symptoms of a disorder," said co-author Dennis Murphy, M.D., National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Laboratory of Clinical Science. "This step forward gives us a glimpse of the complications ahead in studying the genetic complexity of neuropsychiatric disorders."

PET predicts response to Paxil in study

UCLA neuroscientists using positron emission tomography (PET) brain imaging have discovered distinct patterns of brain activity that predict the effectiveness of paroxetine, or Paxil, in treating obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) vs. major depression. Published in the March 2003 edition of the peer-reviewed American Journal of Psychiatry, the study is the first to compare neurobiological predictors of response to the same treatment across different disorders. Since patient responses to treatment options vary widely, the findings demonstrate the potential for using brain scans prior to treatment to tailor psychiatric care. "The study demonstrates the potential of functional brain imaging to predict how a patient will respond to treatment," said lead investigator Dr. Sanjaya Saxena, director of the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute's OCD Research Program and associate professor-in-residence of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine. "Pretreatment brain scans hold promise for accelerating the sometimes painstaking process of identifying the best treatment for an individual patient and speeding development of new interventions."

First genetic findings in children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorders

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a severe psychiatric illness. The onset of disease often occurs during childhood. OCD is characterized by recurrent and intrusive thoughts (obsessions), usually accompanied by repetitive behaviours (compulsions), the person feels to be driven to perform, e.g. excessive washing of hands. Insight is generally preserved, thus the patient acknowledges the senseless nature of the symptoms. An extensive body of evidence supports the involvement of genetic components in the pathogenesis of OCD. OCD can be effectively treated with serotonin reuptake inhibitors, thus, it has been suggested that genes involved in the serotonergic system may be involved in the aetiology of this disorder. The University clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of W�rzburg has investigated the etiology of early onset OCD in both family-based studies and longitudinal studies for many years. These studies demonstrated high prevalence of this disorder in the relatives of OCD patients. This supports the hypothesis that genetic factors play a role in OCD disease etiology.

UF study looks at strep, OCD link

Scientists aim to settle the question of whether strep infections in kids are linked with the disorder. By DIANE CHUN Sun medical writer "Step on a crack, break your mother's back!" Many of us have played this childhood game, carefully avoiding the cracks in the sidewalk on a walk home from school. But when the need to avoid those cracks becomes obsessive, it can be a sign of a child in trouble, one afflicted with obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD. A new University of Florida study may settle once and for all the baffling question of whether common strep infections are linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder or tics (involuntary muscle spasms) in some children.

Related chapters from BP6e: Chapter 7: Life-Span Development of the Brain and Behavior; Chapter 16: Psychopathology: Biological Basis of Behavior Disorders
Related chapters from MM:Chapter 13: Memory, Learning, and Development; Chapter 12: Psychopathology: Biological Basis of Behavioral Disorders
Link ID: 2826 - Posted: 10.19.2002

A genetic contribution to obsessive compulsive disorder

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a severe psychiatric condition affecting up to 3% of the general population lifetime. It is characterized by intrusive unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and the need to perform repetitive acts or rituals in order to alleviate the anxiety (compulsions). As an example, a patient who fears contamination would be afraid of touching anything and would feel that they must wash their hands over and over. The causes of OCD remain obscure. However, there is strong evidence for a genetic component (the risk of developing OCD is higher in the relatives of affected), and for the involvement of the serotonin (5HT) neurochemical system. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is essential for communication between cells, and it is possible that the receptors that tell how much serotonin should be released may be altered in OCD patients.

Heightened activity in certain areas of the brain to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Researchers at Rigshospital have used advanced scanning techniques to reveal regions of the brain which may be responsible for the development of obsessive-compulsive disorder. This according to daily newspaper Berlingske Tidende on Monday. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is believed to affect 2-3% of the national population. In some severe cases, obsessive-compulsive sufferers are rendered virtual invalids, unable to work or maintain social relationships. Symptoms include obsessive fear of hurting others, fear of contamination, sexual or religious obsessions or extreme fixations on order and symmetry. Researchers believe the discovery will be of enormous benefit to the medical understanding of OCD. All rights reserved CPHPOST.DK ApS

Related chapters from BP6e: Chapter 15: Emotions, Aggression, and Stress; Chapter 16: Psychopathology: Biological Basis of Behavior Disorders
Related chapters from MM:Chapter 11: Emotions, Aggression, and Stress; Chapter 12: Psychopathology: Biological Basis of Behavioral Disorders
Link ID: 2089 - Posted: 05.19.2002

Hijacking the Brain Circuits With a Nickel Slot Machine

By SANDRA BLAKESLEE Compulsive gambling, attendance at sporting events, vulnerability to telephone scams and exuberant investing in the stock market may not seem to have much in common. But neuroscientists have uncovered a common thread. Such behaviors, they say, rely on brain circuits that evolved to help animals assess rewards important to their survival, like food and sex. Researchers have found that those same circuits are used by the human brain to assess social rewards as diverse as investment income and surprise home runs at the bottom of the ninth. And, in a finding that astonishes many people, they found that the brain systems that detect and evaluate such rewards generally operate outside of conscious awareness. In navigating the world and deciding what is rewarding, humans are closer to zombies than sentient beings much of the time. Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company

Related chapters from BP6e: Chapter 4: The Chemical Bases of Behavior: Neurotransmitters and Neuropharmacology; Chapter 15: Emotions, Aggression, and Stress
Related chapters from MM:Chapter 4: The Chemistry of Behavior: Neurotransmitters and Neuropharmacology; Chapter 11: Emotions, Aggression, and Stress
Link ID: 1557 - Posted: 02.20.2002

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Links for Keyword: OCD - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder