Posts in category: Dating Tips, Guide and Advice

POCD, also known as pedophile obsessive-compulsive disorder, is a type of OCD that involves havingobsessions—or intrusive thoughts—that are focused on fears about being or becoming a pedophile. These obsessions trigger immense anxiety, distress, and disruptions in a person’s life.  

The person feels the urge to perform compulsions, or safety behaviors, to alleviate anxiety, prevent something bad from happening, seek certainty that they are not a pedophile, etc. For example, a mother might experience unwanted sexually intrusive thoughts about her toddler (obsession) and thus avoid (compulsion) holding or playing with her child because of how terrified she is of the thoughts.  

Pedophile OCD Is Not Pedophilia

It’s important to note that pedophile OCD is not the same thing as being a pedophile. The obsessions of obsessive-compulsive disorder are ego-dystonic, which means they are the opposite to a person’s desires, values, and self-concept.

A person with POCD is deeply disturbed by their obsessions and does not enjoy them. They want more than anything to escape the thoughts because of how terrorizing they are and go to great lengths to do so by performing compulsions.  

A pedophile experiences sexual thoughts, urges, attraction, and fantasies that are ego-syntonic, which means they align with a person’s self-concept, feelings, and desires. The sexual thoughts and feelings about children are pleasurable to the pedophile.

Symptoms of Pedophile OCD

OCD, by nature, is the doubting disorder. The OCD brain has difficulty connecting to logic. While the obsessions are unwanted and distressing, the person feels the urge to perform compulsions to seek absolute certainty that the obsessions are not true. A pedophile knows that they are attracted to children without a doubt.

Common Pedophile OCD Obsessions

In society, the term “obsessed” is often used to indicate something that a person really enjoys. For example, “I am obsessed with Milk Bar ice cream!” Psychologically speaking, this is the opposite of what an obsession really is.  

Common obsessions of POCD include, but are not limited to:

• Unwanted sexual images of children that pop into the mind
• Unwanted sexual thoughts about children that pop into the mind
• What if I am a pedophile?
• What if I snap and do something sexual to a child?
• What if I turn into a pedophile?
• What if I fall in love with a child?
• What if the sexual abuse I suffered as a child turns me into a pedophile?
• What if I am aroused by or attracted to children?
• What if I did something sexual to a child in the past and do not remember?
• What if I never stop obsessing about this, and it ruins my life?
• Fear that being around a kid will turn a person into a pedophile (magical thinking/emotional contamination)
• Fear that a sexual thought of a child popping in during sex makes someone a pedophile

Common Pedophile OCD Compulsions

Compulsions are physical or mental acts that a person feels driven to carry out in response to an obsession. They do not want to be or like performing compulsions but do so to try and prevent a dreaded outcome.  

While the most well-known compulsion of OCD is handwashing, many people with OCD perform covert mental compulsions. This can make it difficult for others to recognize that someone is struggling and—in addition to the immense shame people with pedophile obsessions feel—can act as a barrier to the person accessing proper treatment.

Common compulsions of POCD include, but are not limited to:

• Avoiding being around children, looking at children, holding children, etc.
• Avoiding media (TV shows, movies, photographs, social media platforms) that have children in them
• Avoiding sexual intimacy with themselves and others for fear that a thought or image will pop in during the act
• Mentally checking feelings internally (for example, Do I enjoy this thought?) to prove or solve obsessions
• Mentally checking bodily sensations (for example, checking their groinal area to see if they are aroused) to prove or solve obsessions
• Purposely bringing on the thoughts/images to gauge their reaction to them
• Staring at kids to check that they do not arouse them
• Doing something appropriate with a child (i.e., high-fiving them or holding them) to check that they are not aroused by or attracted to them
• Ruminating (analyzing, trying to solve, attempting to seek certainty) about the obsessions
• Mentally reviewing past situations to make sure that they have not acted inappropriately
• Excessively searching the internet for reassurance that they are not a pedophile
• Repeatedly asking others for reassurance about the content of the obsessions or reassuring themselves mentally
• Washing hands after touching kids or objects that kids have touched so as not to be “contaminated”
• Keeping a mental note of, or writing down, markers throughout the day to use as reassurance that they have not acted inappropriately
• Neutralizing thoughts by replacing a “bad” thought with a “good” thought
• Confessing intrusive thoughts to others
• Punishing themselves (not eating enough, calling themselves mean names, etc.) for having the thoughts
• Sanitizing their groinal area if they felt something down there after having a thought
• Redoing something if they had an intrusive thought during to neutralize it (i.e., If someone walks into a room and has an intrusive thought, they may walk back out and walk in again while trying not to have the thought)

What Causes Pedophile OCD?

While there isn’t an exact identifiable cause of obsessive-compulsive disorder, research shows that there are both genetic and biological causes of OCD. Specific areas of the brain are impacted in those with OCD.

UCLA School of Medicine conducted PET scans to measure the brain activity of those with and without OCD. When compared, the brain with OCD is much more hyperactive than the brain without OCD.

What about environmental factors such as trauma, pregnancy, other mental health conditions, etc.? These can contribute to the onset of OCD, but a person still needs to have a biological predisposition to develop it.

How Is Pedophile OCD Diagnosed?

Pedophile OCD is just a nickname and not an actual diagnosis. The diagnosis is obsessive-compulsive disorder, regardless of the content of the obsessions.    

Getting a proper OCD diagnosis can be difficult for people because of misconceptions about the disorder held by the general public and even clinicians. People with pedophile obsessions face an added layer of shame and stigma that may deter them from seeking treatment. They are often afraid to access help because they fear a therapist or medical professional will report them to the police.

A true OCD specialist utilizes exposure and response prevention (ERP) as a primary treatment modality and will not be surprised in the slightest bit by pedophile obsessions.  They understand the ego-dystonic nature of OCD and how it attacks what people value the most.

When searching for an OCD specialist, here are some questions to ask:

• Where did you receive specialized training to treat OCD?
• How much experience do you have treating OCD?
• How do you treat OCD? (Tip: listen for exposure and response prevention (ERP); someone saying they utilize cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is not specific enough)
• What would a treatment plan look like for me, given what I have told you about my symptoms?
• What percentage of your caseload is in treatment for OCD?

Treatment for Pedophile OCD

In reality, the content of obsessions does not matter in regard to treatment because it is all OCD. The gold standard treatment for OCD, regardless of the theme, is exposure and response prevention (ERP). 

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)

ERP is a behavioral therapy that falls under the cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) umbrella.  

It involves exposing a person to feared stimuli while simultaneously cutting out compulsions. For example, a dad might change his baby’s diaper and tolerate the anxiety/discomfort that arises without checking to see if he was aroused by it. ERP can facilitate:

• Habituation, in which a person’s anxiety or discomfort decreases after repeated exposure to feared stimuli. 
• Inhibitory learning, in which a person learns that there is not as much danger or risk as their brain is alerting them of. Inhibitory learning is about learning new safety information (I can be around a child without snapping and harming them) to inhibit the obsessional fear (being around children is not safe for me). The person also learns that they can tolerate anxiety and discomfort associated with the feared stimuli.

There are therapeutic modalities, like traditional talk therapy, that are ineffective at best and harmful at worst when treating OCD. People with OCD over-attend to their obsessions, which leads them to over-respond to them compulsively.  

Compulsions are the problem, as they alert the brain that they should pay attention to the obsessions (false alarms from an overactive fear center in the brain). The brain then fires off more obsessions. 

Analyzing and attempting to find meaning in the obsessions in talk therapy is one big compulsion. The person is paying a talk therapist to over-attend to their obsessions, which only feeds the obsessive-compulsive cycle. 

Mindfulness Skills Training

Mindfulness skills training is also effective in treating OCD. It helps the person learn to accept the presence of intrusive thoughts/images/sensations/urges without engaging in them compulsively or resisting them. 

Naturally, the person with OCD wants to get rid of the intrusive thoughts because they are so disturbed by them. However, we are not in control of what we think and feel a lot of the time. Attempts to suppress thoughts and feelings usually exacerbate the very things we are trying not to think or feel.

Coping With Pedophile OCD

While the theme of obsessions does not matter regarding treatment, it absolutely matters regarding the shame and stigma that a person faces.

Telling a friend you are afraid you are contaminated after touching a doorknob is far less stigmatizing and shameful than telling a friend you are afraid you are a pedophile because you have relentless unwanted sexual thoughts about children.

POCD can impair a person’s functioning across various domains: work, sex, relationships, schooling, etc. 

The person who once felt like they were born to be a mother might feel like having kids is too difficult when living with POCD. The new parent might avoid contact with their baby for fear of being triggered. The young adult in his 20s might avoid intimate relationships and sex because having sex with a partner does not feel as enticing when unwanted sexual thoughts about children constantly pop in.

Alcohol withdrawal refers to the physical and mental effects a person experiences after stopping prolonged and heavy alcohol use. When you suddenly stop drinking, your body is deprived of the effects of alcohol and requires time to adjust to functioning without it. Depending on how long you have used alcohol and how much you typically drink, the severity of these symptoms can range from mild to severe.

This article discusses the causes, common symptoms, and different stages of alcohol withdrawal. It also discusses various treatment options for alcohol withdrawal and how you can get help.

Symptoms of Alcohol Withdrawal

The symptoms of alcohol withdrawal relate proportionately to the level of alcohol intake and the duration of the person’s recent drinking habit.

Not everyone who quits drinking alcohol experiences withdrawal symptoms, but many people who have been drinking for a long period of time, drink frequently, or drink heavily, will experience some withdrawal symptoms if they stop using alcohol suddenly.

There are several mild to moderate psychological and physical symptoms you might experience when you stop drinking.

Causes of Alcohol Withdrawal

Alcohol is a depressant, which means that it slows your brain. When a person drinks heavily, frequently, or for prolonged periods of time, their brain compensates for alcohol’s depressant effects by releasing more stimulating chemicals (compared to when a person does not drink). Overproduction becomes the brain’s new normal.

When a person stops drinking, their brain is still producing extra chemicals, which can potentially cause unpleasant alcohol withdrawal symptoms that are associated with overstimulation. The brain will readjust, but until it does, a person in withdrawal might feel unwell.

Timeline of Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms

The severity of alcohol withdrawal is categorized into three stages. The symptoms of these stages range from mild to severe. Not all people progress through all of the stages of alcohol withdrawal.

Stage 1: Mild Withdrawal

Stage 1 is considered mild withdrawal. Mild withdrawal symptoms often begin within 6 to 12 hours after your last drink.

These first symptoms of withdrawal include:

Mild symptoms may appear similar to a hangover, but they last longer than 24 hours.

Stage 2: Moderate Withdrawal

Stage 2 is considered the moderate stage of withdrawal. This stage of alcohol withdrawal includes Stage 1 symptoms plus the following moderate symptoms:

• Confusion
• Excessive sweating
• Fast heart rate (more than 100 beats per minute)
• Fever
• Increased systolic blood pressure
• Mild tremor
• Moderate anxiety
• Rapid, shallow breathing

These symptoms generally appear 12 to 24 hours after your last drink. While these symptoms are more severe than Stage 1, they are not life-threatening.

Stage 3: Severe Withdrawal

Stage 3 is considered severe alcohol withdrawal. In addition to experiencing Stage 2 symptoms, those with severe alcohol withdrawal experience severe anxiety and moderate to severe tremors.

Complicated Withdrawal

If left untreated, withdrawal can progress to complicated alcohol withdrawal.

The symptoms of alcohol withdrawal delirium include withdrawal seizures that can occur between 8 and 28 hours after your last drink. Signs of an impending seizure include tremors, increased blood pressure, overactive reflexes, and high temperature and pulse. Having a history of seizures increases your risk for withdrawal seizures.

Alcohol withdrawal delirium (AWD), commonly known as delirium tremens (DT), is the most serious symptom of alcohol withdrawal. AWD usually lasts 48 to 72 hours.

The symptoms of delirium tremens include:

• Agitation
• Confusion (which can be severe)
• Dangerous changes in blood pressure
• Excessive sweating
• Fever
• Hallucinations
• Heart arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat)
• Rapid changes in mood
• Seizures
• Sensitivity to touch, light, and/or sound
• Tremors

The symptoms of DT may get rapidly worse and can be fatal. A person with delirium tremens needs to be hospitalized until the symptoms can be controlled.

Duration of Alcohol Withdrawal

People who suddenly stop drinking and develop alcohol withdrawal symptoms often have two main questions: “Is this normal?” and “How long does it last?”

It’s typical for withdrawal symptoms to begin within hours to a day or two after you have your last drink. Symptoms are often at their worst around 24 to 72 hours after you stop drinking.

You’ll likely begin to feel better between five to seven days after you stop drinking, though some symptoms—like changes in sleep patterns, fatigue, and mood swings—can last for weeks or months.

Treatment of Alcohol Withdrawal

Alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be greatly reduced or even eliminated with proper medical care. There are specific treatments available for anyone who wants to stop drinking—even after long-term, chronic alcohol use.

Outpatient Treatment

Treatment varies depending on the severity of withdrawal symptoms. People experiencing mild to moderate alcohol withdrawal symptoms often receive outpatient care—meaning there is no extended time spent in a hospital or facility. It’s recommended, however, that they have someone stay with them who can help during recovery.

A healthcare provider may request daily visits during which they will likely run blood tests and monitor vital signs until symptoms stabilize.

Inpatient Treatment

Inpatient treatment, or staying at a hospital or care facility, may be necessary for someone with moderate to severe symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. Inpatient treatment allows healthcare professionals to monitor you for DT or hallucinations, monitor your vitals, and administer fluids or medicine intravenously if needed.

Ruling Out Other Conditions

A healthcare provider will also run tests to rule out other medical conditions that have similar symptoms of alcohol withdrawal or occur alongside withdrawal. These conditions include gastrointestinal bleeding, infection, intracranial hemorrhage (acute bleeding in the brain), and liver failure.

Counseling

Counseling is usually recommended for someone experiencing alcohol withdrawal. A counselor can advise on ways to cope with the mental and emotional aspects of withdrawal.

Medications for Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms

A doctor may also prescribe a sedative drug, such as a benzodiazepine, to help reduce withdrawal symptoms such as restlessness or agitation. Benzodiazepines like Librium (chlordiazepoxide) and Ativan (lorazepam) may also help to prevent minor withdrawal symptoms from becoming more severe. Other drugs a healthcare provider might prescribe include anxiolytics , vitamins, and suboxone.

Getting Help for Alcohol Withdrawal

Once you have gone through withdrawal, you’ll also need a plan to remain alcohol-free. Start by talking to a healthcare provider about the treatment options for alcohol dependence.

There are many resources available for anyone who is ready to stop drinking for good, or who wants to reduce the harm alcohol is causing in their life by cutting down. As you continue to commit to long-term recovery, support group meetings like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or online support communities might be helpful.

Does the thought of being trapped in an enclosed space make you shudder? Does your heart start to race when you are locked in a small room? If the thought of being trapped in such situations triggers feelings of intense fear, you might have a type of phobia known as cleithrophobia.

Cleithrophobia, or the fear of being trapped, is a type of specific phobia. The root word for this phobia is from the Greek cleithro, which means to shut or close.

Many events might trigger cleithrophobia, including being locked in a bathroom or other small room. The condition can affect both children and adults and can lead to a range of disruptive and distressing symptoms.

Symptoms of Cleithrophobia

The symptoms of cleithrophobia are similar to those of other specific phobias. Common symptoms of cleithrophobia include:

• Chest pain
• Chills
• Difficulty breathing
• Dizziness
• Fear of losing control
• Nausea
• Racing heartbeat
• Shaking
• Sweating

If you have this fear, you might experience a panic attack when you feel trapped. Crying, screaming, physically lashing out, freezing up, and attempting to run away are very common.

If you cannot leave the situation, you might start sweating profusely, feel your pulse rate begin to rise, and develop symptoms of physical illness. You will likely be unable to think of anything other than the need to escape.

How Is Cleithrophobia Diagnosed?

A doctor or mental health professional will ask questions about your symptoms to make a diagnosis. They may also take a medical history and conduct lab tests and a physical exam to rule out other conditions.

Cleithrophobia is not recognized as a distinct condition in the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” (DSM-5-TR). Instead, it would be classified as a form of specific phobia. To be diagnosed with a specific phobia:

• The fear must create significant distress or disruption in a person’s life
• The fear must be out of proportion to the actual danger
• The person avoids the source of the fear or endures it only with extreme distress

These symptoms must be present for at least six months and must not be caused by another mental health or medical condition.

Cleithrophobia vs. Claustrophobia

Cleithrophobia is often confused with claustrophobia or the fear of enclosed spaces. While they share some similarities, there are several significant differences between the two conditions.

Claustrophobia may occur at any time. If you have claustrophobia, you might fully intend to enter a small space, such as a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) chamber or a motion simulator, yet have a panic attack before or during the experience. The specific focus of the phobia itself is the small space.

The difference between the two phobias is subtle but important. However, it can be nearly impossible to distinguish between them. Both phobias often cause anticipatory anxiety, in which you begin to panic long before the actual event occurs.

Cleithrophobia may mirror claustrophobia if you see even a slight risk of becoming trapped in the space. Likewise, claustrophobia often mirrors cleithrophobia in that many people with claustrophobia may feel trapped or locked in, even if they are actually free to leave.

What Causes Cleithrophobia?

Experts are not 100% clear on what causes people to develop a fear of being trapped. However, there are a number of factors believed to play a role in the development of cleithrophobia. These may include:

• Genetics: Having family members with phobias or other anxiety disorders may increase your risk of developing a specific phobia, such as cleithrophobia.
• Evolutionary factors: Some researchers suggest that evolutionary influences may play a role in the development of certain specific phobias.
• Traumatic experiences: Traumatic events that lead to this phobia include getting trapped in a small tunnel or deep hole or being locked in a small space such as a closet, abandoned refrigerator, or car trunk.

In general, cleithrophobia is triggered by a lack of escape. Examples of common triggers include amusement park rides that utilize shoulder harnesses or other tight-fitting restraints, locked rooms, and MRI chambers.

Treatment for Cleithrophobia

Treatment for cleithrophobia depends on your needs and the severity of your symptoms. Options include medication, psychotherapy, and behavioral strategies.

• Psychotherapy: Treatments for phobias often involve using cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and related approaches, including exposure therapy and systematic desensitization. Such strategies help change the negative thoughts that contribute to fear and help you become gradually accustomed to the source of your fear to lessen its intensity.
• Medication: There is no medication that has been specifically FDA-approved to treat cleithrophobia. However, your doctor may prescribe anti-anxiety medications to help you cope with feelings of anxiety. Examples of medications that might be prescribed include benzodiazepines and beta blockers.

How to Cope With Cleithrophobia

The anxiety and fear that phobias create can be really hard to deal with. You might even find it hard to function normally in your daily life. If you tend to have milder symptoms, you may find that self-help techniques can be very helpful.

Some strategies that can help ease feelings of anxiety and fear include:

Leaving an escape route, such as cracking the bathroom door or removing the locks from rooms in your home where you might feel trapped, may help you feel calmer in certain situations. But this is not always possible or practical. You may not be able to avoid locked doors in public places.

Some people find that the Stop! Technique helps curb anxiety, while others find that it does not work in the middle of a panic attack. This technique is a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy aimed at stopping racing thoughts or obsessive worrying. When thoughts of the fear arise, you yell Stop. At first, you may do so out loud, but eventually, you progress to doing so silently.

There are a few different ways to learn about a person’s alcohol use. One is to ask them questions or use some screening questionnaire. In other cases, a blood test for alcohol can help healthcare providers learn more about current intoxication levels or regular alcohol consumption. The carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) blood test can provide information about a person’s past alcohol use and help diagnose an alcohol use disorder.

Tests for Alcohol Use

When gauging alcohol use in their patients, healthcare providers rely mainly on three methods:

• Traditional brief screening
• The blood alcohol concentration (BAC) test
• The carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) test

The traditional brief alcohol screening isn’t as reliable as the other two methods because its accuracy depends solely on the patient being accurate and honest about how much they drink. While the BAC test measures the level of alcohol currently in the bloodstream, CDT testing uses biomarkers to detect a recent history of harmful levels of alcohol consumption.

The CDT test is a better indicator of binge drinking or daily heavy drinking (four or more drinks per day) than the other two tests. It can even help determine if a person with alcohol use disorder has had a relapse.

What Is a CDT Blood Test?

As the name suggests, CDT blood testing measures the level of CDT in the bloodstream. Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) is a substance that carries iron to the bone marrow, liver, and spleen.

When someone drinks heavily, the level of CDT in their body increases to a point at which it can be measured in a blood sample. Therefore, this increase is a biomarker of excessive alcohol use.

How the CDT Test Works

People who do not drink or drink only moderately have lower CDT levels in their blood than those who drink heavily. Some CDT tests use a cutoff of less than 1.7%. People who drink four or more drinks a day, at least five days a week, for two weeks before the test show significantly greater levels of CDT.

The CDT test is highly accurate in detecting heavy drinking. Similar to how an A1C test detects blood glucose levels over the previous 90 days, the CDT test detects heavy alcohol consumption over a long period. When a person stops drinking, CDT levels go back to normal after two to four weeks. Likewise, if they resume drinking, the levels once again increase after a few days.

When and Why CDT Is Tested

The CDT test gives a healthcare provider a far more reliable diagnostic tool than the traditional brief alcohol screening test, which relies on a patient’s honesty about their drinking habits.

Medical Conditions

Alcohol consumption is contraindicated for many medical conditions. People with diabetes, high blood pressure, hepatitis C, or liver disease should not drink heavily.

One study found that of 799 patients studied, 9% of subjects with diabetes and 15% of those with high blood pressure were consuming alcohol at harmful levels. When extrapolated to the population at large, these results could mean that millions of people with diabetes and hypertension are risking their health by drinking alcohol.

Drug Interactions

Patients who take certain prescription and over-the-counter medications can experience harmful effects if they drink alcohol. Similarly, people who are being treated with opioid painkillers, sedatives, or sleep aids risk central nervous system depression should they drink alcohol heavily.

In a medical emergency, CDT testing could uncover alcohol use that’s reacting with medications and causing problems.

Recovery

CDT testing also can help healthcare providers monitor abstinence and relapse because the test is sensitive enough to detect increases and decreases in alcohol use.

Some psychotherapists and psychiatrists use the CDT test to determine a baseline level when they first begin treating a patient for alcohol use disorder. In the weeks and months that follow, they can use the CDT test to determine if the person is remaining sober or has had a relapse.

Accuracy of the CDT Blood Test for Alcohol

Researchers have conducted many studies on the effectiveness of using CDT testing to identify heavy alcohol consumption. Those studies find that the test is accurate but not foolproof.
Research has shown, for example, that transferrin mutations can cause false positive results, which can affect the diagnostic accuracy of the test.

False Negatives

In a small percentage of people, heavy alcohol consumption does not raise levels of CDT in the blood. A healthcare provider who suspects heavy drinking despite a negative CDT test may then turn to digital DNA methylation techniques, which rely on blood or saliva samples to detect heavy alcohol consumption.

False Positives

Biological factors such as genetic variants, female hormones, and end-stage liver disease can falsely increase CDT levels. The earliest CDT tests returned false positives due to these factors. Newer tests can identify genetic variants that can cause false positives and negatives, as well as patterns caused by liver disease related to heavy drinking.

Getting Help

It is crucial for your doctor or therapist to understand your alcohol consumption so they can determine which treatments may be most helpful for you. If your alcohol use is heavy and chronic, detoxing may put you at a higher risk for seizures and other symptoms of delirium tremens. Knowing this, your doctor may recommend medical monitoring during the detox process and prescribe medications that can minimize withdrawal symptoms and reduce alcohol cravings.