@misc{cogprints1147,
          volume = {11},
          author = {Riadh T Abed and Karel W de Pauw},
          editor = {Andrew Mayes},
           title = {An Evolutionary Hypothesis for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Psychological Immune System?},
       publisher = {IOS Press},
         journal = {Behavioural Neurology},
           pages = {245--250},
            year = {1999},
        keywords = {Darwinism, evolutionary psychology, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder},
             url = {http://cogprints.org/1147/},
        abstract = {A new hypothesis is presented within the framework of evolutionary psychology that attempts to explain the origins of obsessive-compulsive disorder.  It is suggested that obsessions and compulsions originate from the overactivity of a mental module that the majority of humans possess and has the function of generating risk scenarios without voluntary intervention.  It is hypothesised that obsessional phenomena function as an off-line risk avoidance process, designed to lead to risk avoidance behaviour at a future time, thus distinguishing it from anxiety and related phenomena as on-line emotional states, designed to lead to the avoidance of immediate and direct risks.  Finally, the hypothesis makes a number of specific predictions that are testable and refutable.  It is contended that the present hypothesis if supported by empirical evidence could serve as a basis for future research on this important disorder.}
}

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