OCD possibly linked to immunity

[dogjones]

I found this interesting. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/may/27/bone-marrow-transplants-mental-illness)

Particularly from an evolutionary point of view - it strikes me that some OCD symptoms (obsessive cleanliness, revulsion at certain foods etc) could impart a survival advantage for someone with a faulty immune system. I'm sure I'm being rather simplistic though.

[Iconoclast08]

I found this interesting. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/may/27/bone-marrow-transplants-mental-illness)

Particularly from an evolutionary point of view - it strikes me that some OCD symptoms (obsessive cleanliness, revulsion at certain foods etc) could impart a survival advantage for someone with a faulty immune system. I'm sure I'm being rather simplistic though.

Thanks for posting this.

Not sure about the survival advantage, although that is an interesting idea. The paradoxical side to that argument is the finding that the more sterile the environment that people create around themselves and their children, the less "practiced" their immune systems are to fighting the bad stuff, and the weaker their defenses can get (I'm really oversimplifying, but you get the point-- an article on this came out awhile ago).

I find it hilarious that George Carlin pointed this out in one of his older stand-up routines prior to scientists really taking it seriously. Carlin even brought the article clipping to one of his shows.

[Dancing David]

Oh there are many potentially positive traits in OCD, as long as they are partial and not full blown.

[casebro]

Wasn't there a study done in Great Britain that shows kids raised without running water had waaaay fewer allergies? Assumption was that there is a link between running water and cleanliness.

And lately one study showed that the more common staph germ protects against the more severe MRSA, and another that exposure to a germ in soil makes rats smarter.

Ya know, it ain't germs that cause disease. It's the lack of immunity.

Reminds me of a nurse friend, a new mother. She was at the sink sterilizing Junior's cup and spoon, when she looked out the window and saw the toddler licking a dog doo popsicle. She decided Junior didn't need sterile hardware anymore.

[Dymanic]

I find it hilarious that George Carlin pointed this out in one of his older stand-up routines prior to scientists really taking it seriouslyAnd before him, the same issue was addressed by his mentor, Lenny Bruce -- whose act involved eating a hotdog onstage while explaining how he was building up his resistance to all the bad stuff it contained.