When is a complex phenomenon we experience an either-or proposition? While we tend to compartmentalize and simplify the dynamic challenges we confront in modern life, we often realize that lived experience is more often a "both-and" phenomenon. Put another way, we tend to assume some big things in life are simple and two-sided (i.e., dualistic) when they are actually complex and multifaceted. We can apply such non-dualistic thinking to an illness such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which affects an estimated 2 percent of the general population (Brock et al., 2024).

Not long ago, OCD was considered a form of demonic possession of a body rather than a psychiatric disorder (Brock et al., 2024). In this post, we’ll examine how OCD is a unique mental disorder with multiple indicators, the evolutionary implications of contemporary research, and the medicalization of sufferers in the mental healthcare system.

Recent research suggests up to 30 genetic indicators linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) to varying degrees,........

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