People with obsessive-compulsive disorder have an imbalance of brain chemicals

According to new research shared in The Conversation, Dr Marjan Biria (UCL Psychiatry) and researchers from Cambridge University have discovered an imbalance in brain chemicals in OCD that could lead to radically different and improved treatments. People often jokingly say they've "got a bit of OCD" (obsessive-compulsive disorder) if they are overly organised or tidy. But OCD is actually a severe and disabling disorder characterised by obsessions - recurrent intrusive thoughts, impulses or images that are unwanted and anxiety provoking. This is often coupled with compulsions, which are ritualistic mental or physical actions. Some people with OCD are engaged in rituals for much of their waking life and cannot even leave their homes. As the condition is difficult to treat, life with OCD can be extremely difficult. But in our new research, published in Nature Communications, we discovered an imbalance in brain chemicals in OCD that could lead to radically different and improved treatments.