OCD (Genetics)

[MrsMiggins]

I am just wondering if anyone knows whether OCD can be genetic :confused:

I had OCD as a child & teenager (before I ever knew what it was, or even that what I was doing was not normal). I did have it under control for several years to a point where it wasn't interfering with my everyday life at all & I was quite happy with that. So I don't think I have it very severely, but it is definitely there.

I've noticed however that it seems to have reared its ugly head a bit more since DD was born, obviously due to the fact that she means so much to me & I couldn't bear anything ever happening to her. It got me to thinking - is OCD genetic, can it be passed on?

I don't think anyone else in my family has ever had it (not that I'm aware of anyway).

[Tam-I-Am]

Hey Fiona,

Not sure if I ever told you, but I'm a psychologist and I worked in mental health for 3 years. I've worked with lots of people with OCD, and, as far as I understand, OCD can be genetic, or at least have a genetic componant - but its more likely the environment that your DD grows up in. OCD is an axiety disorder, primarily, and how DD is brought up will impact on whether she is a very anxious or stressed-out child, who grows into a very stressed out or anxious adult - therefore its really important to get on top of your symptoms, to minimise the impact that they have on her.

I hope this post didn't just sound very condecending - cause I didn't mean it to!

Let me know if there's anything I can do to help.

[reAllytee]

Hahahaha everything Tami said as per usual :p
I have OCD which only came to a head a few years ago due to certain issues in my life coming to a head before that it was never really an issue.
My cousin & my aunty have it but also my family does have the tendency due as we all have our "things" which again stress has a lot of bearing on.
I have had mine under control for awhile now but it has tried for a comeback since bubs arrival lol. I always make an effort to start my cognitive therapy routine again when i realise what im doing.
As my psych said it wont kill you & infact a lot of employers would love to have such a pedantic employee but when its starts ruling your life & interferring with it its a problem !
I would suggest getting some help in regards to cognitive therapy if you can as i can honestly say it really helps :thumbsup:
Good luck :)

[MrsMiggins]

Thanks Tami & Ally!

I think for me it was much worse when I was a kid. Looking back now, I think it was probably at its worst when I was about 8-10 years old. Of course then, I didn't know what I was doing was abnormal, although I always did my little rituals & routines privately anyway, so I doubt my family would have even known about it.

I remember being about 10 years old and it took me ages to go to bed every night because I had a ritual with my stuffed toys & my pillows that took forever! But I had to do it every night.

I think it all came about because for some unknown reason, I had a death phobia from a very early age. I was terrified of dying myself, but more that my mum or dad, my grandparents or brothers would die. I used to cry myself to sleep almost every night worrying that my mum would die. I was absloutely petrified. I used to make little "deals" with myself that if did something in a certain way, then that would ensure everything would be OK.

As a teenager, I got to a point where I knew it was not normal & it was also starting to impinge on me having a normal life. One day I just thought "enough!" The logical part of my brain knew that my mum living or dying had nothing to do with how many times I touched my thumb to each of my fingers (something I used to do almost continually), so I forced myself to stop doing it. After a while it was like I never had OCD. Every now & then I'd catch myself doing something, but it never really affected my every day life, so it didn't worry me too much.

Now I have my darling little girl, it has crept back a bit. I think it is just out of the blinding fear I have of anything ever happening to her. I know that rituals etc have nothing whatsoever to do with protecting her, but part of me also thinks that it doesn't hurt me to do "just this one little thing", and then there is no doubt she'll be safe! KWIM? I guess that's the trap!

Ally, it's funny you should mention about employers valuing pedantic employees! That's one thing that always comes up in my evaluations - that if anything I probably spend too much time on things, because everything has to be perfect! It never really occured to me that this is a part of the OCD, but now I think about it, it is!!