What are the risk factors for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)?

The number one risk factor for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is family history. According to Dr. David Tolin, director of the Anxiety Disorders Center at the Institute of Living, "We know there's a very strong genetic component. It seems to affect men and women in equal numbers. Boys tend to develop this disorder earlier, whereas, girls develop it in later years, or even in early adulthood years."
This content originally appeared on doctoroz.com

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has a strong genetic basis; close relatives of a person with the disorder are six times more likely to have OCD than a person who has no relatives with the condition. Brain imaging scans of people with OCD show increased nerve cell activity in the basal ganglia, an area of the brain that controls motor function. One theory is that damage to this region during childhood or even before birth increases the risk for OCD. This disorder is also common among people with conditions linked to dysfunction in the basal ganglia, such as Tourette syndrome (a condition marked by repeated involuntary sounds and movements, i.e., tics). However, experts don't fully understand how abnormalities of increased activity in the basal ganglia might promote the repetitive thoughts and rituals of OCD.