'Boy thought he caused 9/11'

London, Jun 28: A ten-year-old boy with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) thought 9/11 occurred because he missed stepping on a particular white mark on the road that day. According to a report, the boy thought that September 11, 2001 attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York were his fault.

Experts believe it is the first time a patient blamed himself for a major terrorist attack. The report published in the journal Neurocase revealed that the boy, who suffers from OCD and Tourette's syndrome, was wracked with guilt after the attack. His condition meant he was forced ''to step correctly on a particular white mark on the road'' every day. On September 11, he forgot to do this and therefore thought the World Trade Centre attack was his personal fault, the report said.

According to psychologist Dr Robinson, the boy had been ''extremely pleasant and likeable and got good grades'' in the run up to the attacks despite being affected by the two conditions.

The boy was treated with drugs to calm his OCD and was also informed that he had actually skipped his normal ritual of stepping on the same white mark after the attacks occurred, so was not to blame.

UNI