Obsessive⁻compulsive disorder (OCD) affects about 2% of the general population, for which several etiological factors were identified. Important among these is immunological dysfunction. This review aims to show how immunology can inform specific etiological factors, and how distinguishing between these etiologies is important from a personalized treatment perspective. We found discrepancies concerning cytokines, raising the hypothesis of specific immunological etiological factors. Antibody studies support the existence of a potential autoimmune etiological factor. Infections may also provoke OCD symptoms, and therefore, could be considered as specific etiological factors with specific immunological impairments. Finally, we underline the importance of distinguishing between different etiological factors since some specific treatments already exist in the context of immunological factors for the improvement of classic treatments.
Keywords: OCD; Streptococcus pyogenes; Tourette syndrome; Toxoplasma gondii; cytokines; immunology; obsessive–compulsive disorder; pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS); pediatric autoimmune neuropsychological disorders associated with streptococcal infection (PANDAS); psychiatry.