Brain injuries and OCD
 

Has anyone experienced OCD tendencies after a traumatic brain injury? I have been recovering for half a year and I have begun to feel a bit more normal now, not as much cranial pain, brain fuzziness, memory issues etc. But with this I have begun to become very paranoid with cleanliness, and daily I will be cleaning for hours on end, sometimes cleaning something over and over until I am tired or satisfied. It has been good for keeping the house lean but it is all I think about, sometimes I will clean in the middle of the night because the anxiety of wanting things clean keeps me awake, even after cleaning all day. I have never been this way before, I was clean but it was never the only thing in my head and never made me anxious.

I can't say I have. I have actually reverted to being the opposite in most aspects. I was once clean and now i'm quite messy for example

PCS can cause a variety of anxiety manifestations. OCD is a form of anxiety. Many have severe struggles. Have you sought help from a professional ?

I have struggled with looping thoughts. For me, it is just a mundane meaningless thought that plays over and over, sometimes into the next day. I was put on Paroxetine at max dose for 14 years. I eventually was able to replace the paroxetine (Paxil) with L-Tryptophan and 5-HTP. I have the same or better relief without the horrible side effects.

Are you following a vitamin and supplement regimen ? It is very helpful at helping the brain tolerate stress.

Zero,

If you are experiencing anything such as myself I bet the cleaning is the release for anxiety. I don't clean like you but I can be so scared to be still. I don't know why, I wasn't like this before my injury.

I have had to force myself to lay down to the point of tears from fear of maybe relaxing enough to fall asleep. That is better now but the anxiety still makes my sleep restless.

It's a weird thing that I have no explanation for. I Do know I really have to guard my thoughts. You aren't alone! I'll be praying for you.

Bud

Totally, gives a sense of control when everything seems to be out of your control. I dealt with things like that for 4-5 months. Initially I studied everything II possibly could to the point I would make myself sick, then I tracked orders of equipment 10-20 times a day. Then trying to change my vision back to normal by concentrating, cleaning came next all really weird things for me, taping untaping hockey sticks.

I started listening to Tich Nhat Hahn audiobooks on mindfulness, and Eckhart Tolle, seemed to help me. Though I still struggle, its hard enough to focus a brain injured mind dealing with emotional troubles, cognitive trouble headaches etc etc, but if you can give yourself a break by "being present" in the moment even for an hour or two it comes as a huge relief.

Some things are just out of our control, easier to accept some days than other, but on those days I find it easier to cope. Anxiety sucks. Never have I ever felt like that in my life and I now have so much sympathy for anyone dealing with it for any reason, I hope it gets better for you I am sure it will. Keep your head up

I haven't seeked professional help yet but I will be at my doctors appointment in a week and a half. I am glad to know that others experience it. It's a very strange feeling not having as much control over my thoughts anymore, I used to be very laid back and usually stuff didn't really bother me, it is hard to handle being so anxious all the time, I guess at least cleaning OCD is productive. Will it be permanent and something that I will have to get used to or will it fade?

I doubt it's OCD, I agree with Bud it sounds like a classic anxiety symptom. After the initial high anxiety falls away (with me it took around 2-3 months after my injury) I reckon we're left with a residual anxiety that takes longer to leave. I think controlling our habits is a way of calming ourselves and conserving brain energy.

For a long while I used to find myself sighing and exhaling for no real reason, when I became conscious I was doing it I made an effort to stop. I think it's easy to get into a loop if you're not careful, what made me think about it was reading about mindfulness and how the mind can alter the functioning of the brain. However, I think with most people as daily life takes over again the compulsive habits are dropped.

There are quite a number of articles in PubMed
regarding Obsessive Compulsive Disorder after Traumatic Brain Injury.

SuperE,

I developed some habits also....been working at dropping them one at a time.

Been a different adventure.

Bud