Bears, Gazelles And Rats Inspire New Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Treatment

Almost three percent of all Americans suffer from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). But when do you cross the line between a neurotic compulsion to check your email every five minutes and mental illness?

According to new Tel Aviv University research, the best way to understand and effectively treat OCD is to look at ourselves as though we're animals in a zoo. "We've developed a program that allows us to videotape people that suffer from overt compulsions and compare their behavior to classic displays of neurotic or healthy behavior from the animal kingdom, observed in the wild or in captivity," says Prof. David Eilam from the Department of Zoology at Tel Aviv University.

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I'm glad that OCD animals are helping to cure OCD humans, but the very existence of OCD animals in zoos is very sad indeed. Maybe this study will somehow help improve living conditions for animals in zoos.

More bear, gazelle, and rat news that may or may not have anything to do with animals:

• Bear Suicide: It does happen (inquisitr.com)
• Gazelle Buys Your Used Electronics [Gadgets] (lifehacker.com)
• Rat infestation threatens UK (telegraph.co.uk)