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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffFactors that may increase the risk of developing or triggering obsessive-compulsive disorder include:
- Family history. Having parents or other family members with the disorder can increase your risk of developing OCD.
- Stressful life events. If you tend to react strongly to stress, your risk may increase. This reaction may, for some reason, trigger the intrusive thoughts, rituals and emotional distress characteristic of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
References
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder. In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR. 4th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association; 2000. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed Oct. 4, 2010.
- Ciechanowski P, et al. Overview of obsessive-compulsive disorder. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 29, 2010.
- Hewlett WA. Obsessive-compulsive disorder. In: Ebert MH, et al. Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Psychiatry. 2nd ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw Hill Companies, Inc.; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=3286970. Accessed Oct. 4, 2010.
- Practice guideline for the treatment of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association. http://www.psych.org/psych_pract/treatg/pg/prac_guide.cfm. Accessed Oct. 5, 2010.
- Stein DJ, et al. Obsessive-compulsive disorder: Diagnostic and treatment issues. Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 2009;32:665.
- Ward HE, et al. Update on deep brain stimulation for neuropsychiatric disorders. Neurobiology of Disease. 2010;38:346.
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