Down The Pub
I was sitting in a pub last night drinking coffee ( don’t judge ) , while my wife was doing two classes in the leisure centre next door . She was doing that legs ,tums and bums class followed by a slightly worrying combat training class .
After a couple of coffees ( free refills!) I went off to use the little room , the Americans might call it the closet , in Australia I went to the dunny . As I was in there staring at the wall , if you follow what I mean! , Two men came out of two separate cubicles ( stalls ). They turned left and went straight out the door , avoiding the sinks as they went ….not doing what most people might be expected to do …you know…. be decent and wash their hands !!(Yuk) . As I went back to my seat I saw them , one of them was eating a burger ( yes with his hands …Ahhhhh)
Now I hate that , it was fairly common not being hygienic before COVID, then not at all , but I’ve noticed its creeping back , a quick bit of advice , never shake someones hand unless you plan to scrub it !
Yes I do have a point this time...
The only reason I told you that true story was that today I had planned to write a post about OCD (Obsessive-compulsive disorder) and childhood trauma .
So What is OCD ?
I will make this short as I think you probably have good idea already. It could be described as thoughts that circle around in your head , these are negative thoughts, images and urges. These cause anxiety and generally make you feel bad. A person who suffers wants this to end so to stop these thoughts they conduct often repetitive actions , these actions can continue for quite some time.I used to have a friend who suffered from this , he never told us but it was obvious. He used to cross a door threshold a set number of times , back and forth before he went in a room. He used to touch things repeatedly when he thought no one was looking. he would tap things a certain amount of time before he could use them . He was a really nice guy and I don’t think we ever mentioned it to him , we were good friends.
In addition to my friends symptoms an individual might repeatedly check stuff , we have all done that to some degree , I always re check my handbrake when I park in the staff parking at school as I’m terrified that my car will roll forward and hit a child . Ive been known to go back home to check the oven as I thought it was left on , thats sort of normal, for me anyway. An OCD sufferer will perhaps check the handbrake 10 times or the oven five times .If your wondering about the toilet story at the beginning its because another symptom of OCD is fear of contamination , germs or even illness.
A common complaint of suffers is that the feel they will harm someone , usually someone they care about. I told you I would be brief, just an overview , before we move on .
So Childhood trauma leads to OCD ?
Yes ..and No
I have suffered childhood trauma and I don’t think I have OCD . Ills Kufman Psy.D wrote an article in Psychology Today in 2020 asking this same question. My answer is practically the same as hers …yes and no . She states that childhood trauma can , if a person has a genetic disposition lead to OCD , but plenty of ACE sufferers do not have OCD.
Mind.org The mental Heath charity here in the UK have the opinion that the exact cause is yet to be fully determined . They say that three causes are likely . Firstly trauma, as we have already covered, secondly some personality traits , like neatness or a being a methodical person might be a pre cursor. lastly they point to the brain chemical serotonin or rather the lack of it . They acknowledge that genetic factors may be involved but there is no conclusive evidence for this. Or perhaps the theory that a strep infection ( PANDAS) might be the trigger. The OCD uk website (www.ocdul.org) , a support website for sufferers OCD , support the views of an unclear cause, they state ” scientists so far have not been able to identify a definitive cause “. They add one more theory to the ones outlined above , that individuals use false beliefs to misinterpret intrusive thoughts that others may consider normal or ignore. I think they are saying we all have weird and wonderful thoughts from time to time , but for some reason we can ignore them .
I wonder, and this is just a thought Im basing on the actions of my friend that this is somehow connected to control in some way. As ACE sufferers we in general don’t like unpredictability , I wonder if OCD is somehow connected to this ? I will have a quick break to do some research and I will be back …make yourself a nice cup of coffee I will be back…..
Some time and a cheese on toast later ……
Mmm, not found a lot to support my idea , I was looking for research but found none , I did find some evidence on a few websites though, mainly from therapists . The redeem wellness centre (redeemwellnesscenter.com) has an article published in 2021 called “OCD: the need for control”. They show how one of the leading causes of OCD is the fear of loosing control , so thats promising. They point out this is linked to the fear of causing harm , they worry about turning off appliances as a fear of burning down the house and hurting others. OCD sufferers tell us that they find uncertainty very distressing . They are unable to accept life’s unpredictability ( must admit it sound a bit like trauma to me, with a different way of expressing it), they start performing rituals or compulsions as a way of gaining control and certainty . I feel like adding that OCD sounds exhausting and must be very distressing to sufferers , I think they jury is still out as to the cause , we definately need more definitive research but you could be part of the solution if you would like?
Baylor College of Medicine Houston
Follow this link if you would feel able , you might need to copy and paste, if you would like to be part of The Baylor College research, “Understanding the overlap of trauma and OCD study”. .
Sorry previous links dod not work here is the correct one, sent today from the college, many thanks to Dr Caitlin M. Pinciotti Ph.D of Baylor College of Medicine
click here https://bcmpsych.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0j4ULJv3DxUaKtE
It’s all online and will take you about 30-45 minutes , with an option to participate in a brief follow up. Ive done it myself and it’s easy to do. They could do with your input , so if your able, consider giving it a go!
Below is a link to a DNA and OCD study by the same college , it is for US residents only though , but if you are across the pond they would love to here from you if you have or think you might have OCD and are a trauma sufferer.
Anyway , hope you’re having great day , see you soon ….thanks for your time, I know there is a lot of other content out there you could be reading……
