Talking Hands #2

Talking Hands 2

Are the brains different of people who are a little OCD? Is the brains structure a part of the OCD condition? My OCD has a physical and bodily manifestation in several ways but most notably with the need for washing my hands. The relationship between anxiety and compulsive cleaning or grooming is obvious. Research draws a relationship between Serotonin abnormalities and OCD. Insufficient serotonin levels in the brain and body are thought to be a major contributing factor to OCD. This is why medication for most anxiety disorders, including OCD, involves antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs. Sufficient levels of serotonin allow for chemicals to travel effectively between brain cells or neurons, whereas insufficient levels prevent this from happening, causing mood fluctuations and stress. SSRIs increase your serotonin levels by limiting its reuptake by the neurons so that enough is available to keep the synapses firing and messages traveling smoothly within the brain. In people with OCD, serotonin receptors are understimulated due to limited serotonin production, leading to a decrease in serotonin receptors and, often, an increase in receptors for stress-related chemicals such as norepinephrine and cortisol. This combination may be contributing to an environment that changes brain function. The relationship between my hands and brain are an ongoing area of investigation for my art work. How the interior and exterior communicate what is happening inside my head, how I can make sense & connect to it.