Surgery and OCD - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Message Board

JP82 · 12-11-2007, 12:12 PM

Have any of you heard of any relation to brain surgery and OCD? I had brain surgery (only removed about 40% of my nonmalignant brain tumor on brain stem) when I was 10 and ever since (15 yrs), I've been having OCD type issues. I've read some things about it possibly being related, but I'm not too sure.

Birdbreath · 12-12-2007, 01:28 AM

Hm I don't know about that, but it sounds possible. Maybe you can look into it more. I'm sorry about the brain surgery, is everything okay now? That sounds scary. The Dr.s didn't warn about this happening at all either, I mean any side effects to the surgery?

JP82 · 12-12-2007, 05:48 AM

Yeah, everything is fine and I'm healthy and all - although I do have to monitor it from time to time. Can't really tell I had brain surgery, and it's funny because most people don't believe me. The tumor was - and is - on the brain stem, so obviously that's a sensitive area. The surgery did cause some little side effects - like numbing on the side of one face (gone after a mth, double vision on downgaze), etc.. But, I didn't know if there was actually any reason I could get some sort of OCD from it or what not. Maybe it messed up my serotonin levels or something. I'm not clinical, clinical OCD - don't wash my hands several times, I don't switch lights on over and over, etc... but I do sense mild to moderate OCD especially with wanting to have control over certain things, feeling the need for reassurance at times, and desiring perfectionism, etc. I guess there are different stages of OCD type behavior. Who knows if any of this relates, but it's an interesting thing.. especially when people mess around in someone's brain..

dksea · 12-13-2007, 01:15 AM

Its entirely possible, the brain is a complex organism and anytime something happens to it its hard to know what result it will have. Is there a family history of similar behavior? In my case since my diagnosis my father has noticed he has some OCD traits, although much milder than mine, such as needing things to be organized, wondering if he has shut the door or locked the car, etc. and there are definitely other anxiety related diseases that affect some of my extended family (undiagnosed unfortunately for them). If so then the surgery probably didn't affect you that way, but who knows.