2008 Woodie Awards
Genetics affects gender differences in OCD
Issue date: 5/1/08
OCD occurs with equal frequency in men and women, affecting one to three percent of the population. On average the symptoms of OCD develop at age 10, and usually before age 40, although people can go for many years without a clear diagnosis. Like autism and schizophrenia, the symptoms of OCD are expressed differently between genders.
Women with OCD are more likely to have contamination obsessions - anxiety about coming into contact with bacteria and contracting disease - while men are more likely to have aggressive or sexual obsessions. While the frequency of compulsions is equal between genders, women's compulsions have been shown to be more severe.
Symptoms are also more likely to develop in women during middle age, especially after pregnancy and delivery. Men develop tics such as Tourette's Syndrome, a related condition, at an earlier age and more frequently.
The results of this study are not comprehensive enough to explain all the differences in how OCD is expressed between genders, but they definitely suggest that the differences are genetically rooted.
The researchers speculate that sex hormones play a role in regulating the genes in question, or that in males, the Y-chromosome interacts with the cell's mitochondria to produce these differences.
The team plans to look at other variables in families that include people living with OCD. For example, the six mutations linked to OCD that they found were all located in a cluster of genes known to help process our sense of smell, suggesting that those with the disorder have changes in how they perceive smells. The team plans to pursue this link in future studies.
Women with OCD are more likely to have contamination obsessions - anxiety about coming into contact with bacteria and contracting disease - while men are more likely to have aggressive or sexual obsessions. While the frequency of compulsions is equal between genders, women's compulsions have been shown to be more severe.
Symptoms are also more likely to develop in women during middle age, especially after pregnancy and delivery. Men develop tics such as Tourette's Syndrome, a related condition, at an earlier age and more frequently.
The results of this study are not comprehensive enough to explain all the differences in how OCD is expressed between genders, but they definitely suggest that the differences are genetically rooted.
The researchers speculate that sex hormones play a role in regulating the genes in question, or that in males, the Y-chromosome interacts with the cell's mitochondria to produce these differences.
The team plans to look at other variables in families that include people living with OCD. For example, the six mutations linked to OCD that they found were all located in a cluster of genes known to help process our sense of smell, suggesting that those with the disorder have changes in how they perceive smells. The team plans to pursue this link in future studies.
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