Currently, researchers do not understand OCD s genetic mechanisms, though they suspect multiple genes are involved. Women with OCD may experience a worsening of symptoms during pregnancy and postpartum . A recent study suggests that fluctuating hormones may trigger symptoms during pregnancy. The arrival of a baby brings new responsibility, a new set of concerns, and changes in routine. While normal reaction to a newborn may include some anxiety, postpartum OCD features disturbing thoughts and excessive behavior regarding the baby s well-being.
Treatment is necessary to control symptoms and to ensure care of the baby.
Basal ganglia are involved in routine behaviors, like grooming, and the frontal lobes in organizing behaviors and in planning. The cingulum consists of fibrous bands that assist in communicating the brain s behavioral and emotional messages. Support for its role in OCD is the fact that surgical severing of the cingulum has relieved and even cured people with the disorder. Serotonin is a chemical neurotransmitter that transmits information from one nerve to another throughout the brain. After a message is sent, enzymes in the brain clean serotonin out of the synapses.