Behavioral Genetics

The topic under discussion on this morning's discussion board was behavioral genetics, and I was interested to see what the students had written about the topic. I expected to read the usual comments about alcoholism or schizophrenia, so I was surprised to read one about OCD in a two-year old who had been demonstrating obsessive-compulsive behaviors since he was six months old! The child's father has OCD tendencies, but since he and the mother live apart, the mother (the student in this case) feels that her baby's behavior is more nature than nurture.

I was a little skeptical until I read some great examples. According to his mother, he loves to carry dice around (usually several at the time), and they all must display rows of five or six; none of them can show a different number or he becomes quite upset. Another example is that he hoards everything and will not put anything down. On the surface this sounds like a typical two year old who simply doesn't want to share, and yet this isn't the case. He's quite generous and sharing AS LONG AS HIS HANDS REMAIN FULL OF THINGS.

His mother feels that the child's behavior couldn't possibly be learned since neither parent displays such behavior. She wonders if it could be hereditary, and if so, whether or not his behavior can be changed. She adds, "If a person is born with a behavior such as OCD, ADD, or even Schizophrenia, it may be something that cannot be changed or if it can be changed, it would pose a real challenge for that person."

I don't have my DSM handy, so I'm hoping someone out there can shed some light on this issue. Does OCD have a genetic component?