OCD

13 Stories

'Brain Training' App Shows Promise for OCD Sufferers

Subjects with strong contamination fears saw significant relief of symptoms after one week

(Newser) - There literally does appear to be an app for almost everything, and treating symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder just got its own entry. Treatment for OCD (a condition in which patients can't stop having obsessive thoughts and engaging in repetitive behaviors) has been notoriously hit or miss: UPI reports that...

Twin Sisters With High-Profile OCD Cases Found Dead

A suicide pact is suspected

(Newser) - Twin sisters, known for their debilitating symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder, have been found dead in Colorado in what police say was a possible suicide pact. Sara and Amanda Eldritch, 33, were found dead of gunshot wounds Friday in a vehicle near Canon City's Royal Gorge Bridge, some 130...

Study: Workaholics More Likely to Have ADHD, Anxiety

Not to mention OCD and depression

(Newser) - Spending late nights at the office and missing a kid's piano recital or three might be a sign of a deeper psychiatric problem, according to a study published last week in PLOS One. Researches found workaholism was statistically linked with anxiety, depression, OCD, and ADHD. “Workaholics scored higher...

Target Is Getting Loads of Criticism for This Sweater

OCD isn't something to joke about, critics say

(Newser) - Target is selling a Christmas sweater that many are complaining about for trivializing mental illness. The sweater reads "OCD: Obsessive Christmas Disorder," and USA Today reports that people have been tweeting their unhappiness. "Thank you @Target for helping to perpetuate the idea that OCD is some sort...

5 Celebs Who've Struggled With Mental Health

And what they had to say about it

(Newser) - Drew Barrymore has been opening up about mental health issues recently, first revealing she struggled with postpartum depression after the birth of her second child, then later talking about her childhood, during which she was "institutionalized" at a hospital for the mentally ill at age 13. The Chive rounds...

To Treat OCD, Surgeons Remove Half-a-Teaspoon of Brain

Psychosurgery can help when medication and therapy don't

(Newser) - Mental illness can be debilitating, leaving sufferers in desperate need of relief. Many don't get it: Medication and therapy have no effect on 30% to 60% of those with obsessive-compulsive disorder, Popular Science reports. "For these patients who are the sickest of the sick they should be allowed...

Report: Newtown Shooter Could Have Been Helped

Instead, parents, school sheltered and 'appeased' Adam Lanza

(Newser) - Parental denial and stunning breakdowns in his educational and medical treatment led to plenty of missed opportunities to get Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza the help he needed and perhaps avoid the 2012 tragedy, a report released today by the Office of the Child Advocate reveals. Lanza had "'...

Why Hoarders Can't Let Go
 Why Hoarders 
 Can't Let Go 
in case you missed it
Aug 11, 2012 12:46 PM CDT

Why Hoarders Can't Let Go

Decision-making parts of their brains go into 'overdrive'

(Newser) - If you've ever watched A&E's Hoarders and wondered what makes it so hard for the show's subjects to throw away their clutter, a new study may have an answer for you. Researchers scanned the brains of 43 people with the hoarding disorder and compared them to...

Mild Mental Illness Increases Death Risk
 Mild Mental Illness 
 Increases Death Risk 
study says
Aug 1, 2012 5:34 PM CDT

Mild Mental Illness Increases Death Risk

Low-level disorders raise it by 16%, says study

(Newser) - In the largest study of its kind, scientists found that mild mental illness, including low-level anxiety and depression, increases the chance of an early death, reports the BBC . British scientists analyzed 68,000 people in England who died prematurely from conditions such as heart disease and cancer and found that...

Study of Obsessive Dogs Turns up OCD Gene

Study sheds light on OCD cause in both humans and dogs

(Newser) - Dogs that engage in compulsive behavior like tail-chasing and blanket sucking share a genetic variation, according to new research. The researchers believe the study of Doberman pinschers—a breed especially vulnerable to canine OCD—sheds new light on the causes of the disorder in both humans and animals, the New ...

In Picking Tennis Balls, Junk Science Meets OCD

(Newser) - The meticulous attention a pro tennis player gives to choosing balls ahead of a serve is a little bit of science with a healthy dose of superstition—or even stalling. Players say balls that have seen more play are fluffier and therefore have more drag, though the consensus is that...

Mental Illness Drove NIU Killer to Suicide Tries

Army kicked gunman Kazmierczak out over mental health history

(Newser) - The shooter who left 5 dead and 15 injured at Northern Illinois University in February had tried to kill himself four times, an investigative effort by Esquire finds. “I want to die. Life sucks,” Steve Kazmierczak told a nurse after attempting to overdose on prescription medication while in...

Marketer Says He's Nailed a Nasty Habit

'The preventer' will cure nail biting in four weeks, inventor vows

(Newser) - A Dutch marketer says he can cure the pernicious problem of nail biting in under a month with the “preventer,” a tooth guard that’s molded to fit either the upper or lower teeth and makes it impossible to bite. “The impulse disturbance is so frustrated that...

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