title: Superstitiousness in obsessive-compulsive disorder.
abstract: It has been speculated that superstitiousness and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) exist along a continuum. The distinction between superstitious behavior and superstitious belief, however, is crucial for any theoretical account of claimed associations between superstitiousness and OCD. By demonstrating that there is a dichotomy between behavior and belief, which is experimentally testable, we can differentiate superstitious behavior from superstitious belief, or magical ideation. Different brain circuits are responsible for these two forms of superstitiousness; thus, determining which type of superstition is prominent in the symptomatology of an individual patient may inform us about the primarily affected neurocognitive systems.
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychology Unit, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland. peter.brugger@usz.ch
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brugger
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Viaud-Delmon
mesh_terms: D003469:Culture; D006801:Humans; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D013483:Superstitions / Q000523:psychology*