obsessive compulsive disorder

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'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...

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...

A Growing Food Concern: Obsession With 'Clean Eating'

Some want 'orthorexia' recognized as an eating disorder

(Newser) - It's called "orthorexia"—an obsession with healthy, "clean eating"—and as it gains traction in this age of Instagrammed food photos, some think it should be recognized as its own eating disorder. "It's really a real fixation," one nutritionist tells NBC News...

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...

Bite Your Nails? You Might Have an Official Disorder

Severe cases expected to be categorized as OCD

(Newser) - Those who can't stop biting their nails might soon be able to lay claim to an official-sounding excuse: They have obsessive-compulsive disorder. The Health on Today blog reports that the American Psychiatric Association plans to classify severe cases under the OCD label when the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of...

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 ...

Personality Disorders Afflict 20% of Young Adults

(Newser) - In the wake of shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University, a new study says nearly 20% of young adults suffer from personality disorders, the AP reports. Obsessive compulsive disorder topped the list, but the problems include anti-social feelings and paranoia, which can lead to violence. Fewer than a...

Surgery for Depression? Yup.
 Surgery for Depression? Yup. 
May 3, 2008 8:35 AM CDT

Surgery for Depression? Yup.

Deep brain stimulation, used for years to fight Parkinson's, is spreading out

(Newser) - A type of brain surgery previously used to treat symptoms of Parkinson’s disease may be effective in countering the debilitating effects of deep depression, CNN reports. A new study shows that deep brain stimulation, a process in which electrodes are inserted into problem areas in the brain and hooked...

Compulsive Shopping Linked to Mental Woes

Disorder affects both sexes equally

(Newser) - Nearly 6% of the population suffers from compulsive buying, which is often linked to other problems with control and mood disorders, according to research in the American Journal of Psychiatry. About the same percentage of women and men are shopaholics, and addicts are likely to be young, near the limit...

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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