The general theory is that both nature and nuture play together to bring out certain disorders.
the idea is that you are gentically predisposed to the disorder, but that your environment and learning experiences bring it out. So, if you have a parent with OCD ( such as me) I probably have thepredisposition for a higher level of anxiety than most people, and by watching her, I learned and repeated her behaviours. I strongly belive this, because the times I remember the most, she was petrified of being sick, hence the phobia developed as well.
I won't get into the details of it ( because it confuses me as well) but another theory says that there are certain neurotransmitters in the brain that function abnormally in someone with OCD, specifically seretonin. Thats why anti anxiety meds like SSRI's ( which block the reuptake of seretonin) work with people with OCD.
okay, Ive gone off on a tanget here. lol. feels good to have learned something at school this year!
~*Jill*~ Teacher, Advanced BSc in Psychology
"You can unlock any door as long as you have the right key". Mrs. Brisby, Secret of Nimh