Could overactive bladder syndrome be associated with altered perception of somatic sensations as a consequence of obsessive compulsive disorder?

• OAB is a stressful condition which can be seen as a psychosomatic disorder. • Psychological basis of OAB provides a relatively new line of thinking. • Psychological aspects of OAB shares similarities with OCD and somatization. • OAB may be a clinical reflection of OCD due to increased body sensation. The pathophysiology of overactive bladder (OAB) remains unclear, although various contributing factors have been identified, including psychological factors, age-related changes and bladder outlet obstruction. Among these factors, studies on psychological factors are increasing. OAB symptomatology is similar in nature to obsessive and compulsive symptoms, and there are studies showing a relationship between these two diseases. This shows that there may be other causes in the OAB pathophysiology. According to our hypothesis, the increased body perception together with increased bladder sensations turns into somatization and relatedly the obsessions that begin with an increased desire to urinate turns into a compulsion with urination over time. In this respect, the process that begins with somatization turns into an increase in the perception of the bladder in a physical sense and eventually an obsessive trait, and clinically results in OAB.