Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: This psychiatric condition can cause permanent brain changes, claims new study
According to a recent research, people with OCD can have a huge impact on their decision-making skills. The survey has tried to establish the possibility of the psychological condition having possible biological causes.
The research team, which hails from the University of South Wales, Sydney, conducted a series of MRI scans on the brains of 21 adolescents diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder and made a startling discovery. The teens were asked to perform simple decision-based tasks in exchange for food, and the MRI machine measured the direction of blood flow in their brains. Those with OCD struggled to make the correct choices, even when the quantity and quality of the food offered were lowered.
“People with OCD experience difficulties using reward signals to guide their choices in an adaptive way. Those behavioral difficulties are associated with changes in the brain,” said Iain Perks the author of the study.
How OCD Alters The Brain
According to the MRI reports, the brains of teens with OCD displayed an underdeveloped orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), a region of the brain associated with behaviour modulation and decision-making skills. While undertaking decisions, the lateral OFC showed hypoactivity while the medial OFC was hyperactive.
OCD is a debilitating psychiatric disorder. Mostly occurring in young adults, it is characterised by patients experiencing recurring distressing thoughts and fears which affect their habits and may interfere with day-to-day life.
How To Help Someone With OCD?
- Have patience with them. Don’t try to coax or cajole them into opening up if they aren’t in the mood.
- Be empathetic. Don’t try to dismiss their fears even if they appear trivial to you. Doing so may make them
