Samantha Brown, 27, was eventually diagnosed with unusual form of OCD

aramIS articles
  • Samantha Brown, 27, was eventually diagnosed with unusual form of OCD
  • Had she lost another half a stone, she may have suffered organ failure
  • Says her weight loss was rooted in her desire for some control in her life
  • Research has shown OCD increases the risk of suffering an eating disorder

By
Anna Hodgekiss


PUBLISHED:

04:49 EST, 12 November 2013


|

UPDATED:

09:30 EST, 12 November 2013

An artist saw her weight drop to just 5st 7lb because she was terrified that all food was going to poison her.

Samantha Brown, 27, was eventually diagnosed with an unusual form of obsessive compulsive disorder.

Her chronic anxiety, an effect of an obsessive compulsion to control her food intake, caused her weight to shrink dangerously low, to the horror of her family and friends.

Recovered: Samantha Brown's weight plummeted to to 5st 7lb because she thought basic foods were poisoning her. She was later diagnosed with a rare form of obsessive compulsive disorder and now weighs a healthy 9st 7lb

Recovered: Samantha Brown’s weight plummeted to to 5st 7lb because she thought basic foods were poisoning her. She was later diagnosed with a rare form of obsessive compulsive disorder and now weighs a healthy 9st 7lb having undergone therapy

Miss Brown was working as a freelance fashion stylist when her OCD began to manifest itself.

She said: ‘I was incredibly stressed, doing a job that I hated. The recession had hit and the work was drying up.

‘I was working so hard to make something of my freelance career, which involved a lot of rejection. I felt as if I had no control.

‘I began dictating to myself what I could and couldn’t eat. As my behaviour developed, it became an OCD, where I thought practically everything was poison.

‘It was all rooted in my desire for control.’

Decline: Samantha pictured while she was rapidly losing weight. Her chronic anxiety, an effect of an obsessive compulsion to control her food intake, caused her to only eat Coco Pops, salt and vinegar crisps and thin-crust pizza

Samantha rapidly losing weight

Decline: Samantha pictured while she was rapidly losing weight. Her chronic anxiety, an effect of an obsessive compulsion to control her food intake, meant she only ate Coco Pops, salt and vinegar crisps and pizza

While OCD is treated as an entirely
separate condition to eating disorders such anorexia and bulimia, it is
known that patients with OCD tend to experience eating disorders more
severely.

Miss Brown, of Leicester, suspects her paranoia that food was harming her was made worse by the fact that she also suffers from ME, which causes chronic fatigue.

Shrinking: Samantha says her eating habits were rooted in her desire for control

Shrinking: Samantha says her eating habits were rooted in her desire for control

Miss Brown said: ‘I didn’t want to be thin. I wasn’t avoiding eating to stay skinny.

‘Instead, I was convinced that unless I restricted myself to the foods I had decided were OK, I would poison myself.

‘I drew up an “allowed” list and a “forbidden” list. Before long, the “allowed” list had just three things – Coco Pops, salt and vinegar crisps, and thin-crust pizza.

‘Eventually, all I could manage was Coco Pops. My mum became really concerned. She would try to tempt me with new foods like macaroni cheese, but all I could do was sob into the plate, pleading with her and warning her that it would kill me.’

At her lowest ebb in the spring of 2012, Miss Brown, who is 5ft 8in, weighed just 5st 7lb. The physical and emotional exertion was so great that she contemplated suicide.

She said: ‘I thought I was being an enormous burden on my parents, and I didn’t know whether I would ever get better. I couldn’t see any way out.’

An appointment with her GP finally put her anxieties in context and, after an intensive course of cognitive behavioural therapy, she finally began to put on weight.

She said: ‘I stood on the scales and the doctor said, “if you lose another half a stone, your organs are going to fail”. It was a wake-up call.

‘When the doctor diagnosed me with OCD I was surprised because I thought I would be described as having a simple eating disorder. 

‘It never occurred to me that my
behaviour – my systematic approval and disapproval of foods – was
compulsive.

‘But once I heard that I had OCD, it all started to make
sense.

‘He said it was rare for OCD to have
the effect it had on me, but not unknown. He had seen two other women in
a similar situation over the course of his career.’

Now Miss Brown, who exhibits art all over London, weighs a healthy 9st 7lb and maintains a balanced, varied diet.

She said: ‘I want to help other people who are struggling with OCD issues, if only by raising awareness about the different forms the condition can take.’

OCD – A MISUNDERSTOOD OBSESSION…

Well-known symptom: Sufferers of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder carry out repetitive and ritualistic actions, such as washing hands

Well-known symptom: Sufferers of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder carry out repetitive and ritualistic actions, such as washing hands

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is an anxiety-based condition, characterised by the sufferer having uncontrolled intrusive thoughts that dictate their actions, moods and fears.

The disorder is often depicted incorrectly in films and on television, where the sufferer has endearing or ‘amusing’ ritualistic behaviour. This depiction underplays the debilitating and often alienating nature of the condition.

It affects children, adolescents and adults. The majority of sufferers display symptoms from an early age.

The most well-known symptom of OCD includes the continuous and obsessive washing of hands, sometimes until the skin is irritated and feels raw.

Other common symptoms include: repetitive rituals such as closing doors in a specific way, or repeatedly checking locks or appliances; hoarding; preoccupation with violent, religious or sexual thoughts; and aversion to particular numbers, words or objects.

OCD sufferers can appear paranoid and even psychotic, and they can suffer emotional stress from the resulting breakdown in relationships at work and in their private lives. Worse still, many sufferers are aware that their actions appear irrational, leading to further anxiety. Suicide rates in sufferers is high, and more than 50 per cent of sufferers experience suicidal tendencies.

Despite its irrational nature, OCD has been associated with above-average intelligence – both share personality traits such as high attention to detail, meticulous planning and a higher than normal sense of responsibility.

People suffering from OCD can have related disorders, such as bipolar disorder, anorexia nervosa, Tourette syndrome, Aspergers syndrome, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and dermatillomania (skin picking) and trichotillomania (hair pulling).

Famous sufferers include: Dr Samuel Johnson, retrospectively diagnosed because of his ritualistic behaviour of counting stairs and crossing doorway thresholds in a specific way; actress Cameron Diaz, who says she is irrationally terrified by the transmission of germs – especially from doorknobs; singer Justin Timberlake, who admits that certain foods must be present in his fridge at all times; Leonardo DiCaprio, who used his childhood OCD as inspiration when he played fellow sufferer Howard Hughes in The Aviator; and footballer David Beckham, who has said he must count his clothes and arrange books and magazines in straight lines.      


Comments (182)

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The comments below have been moderated in advance.

Jughead Jones,

Truro, United Kingdom,

5 hours ago

Nice set of cans !

Fizzbomb,

York, United Kingdom,

5 hours ago

Poor thing. To some people actually WANT this to happen to themselves. Awful.

Jay,

Liverpool,

5 hours ago

She is hot now. Top figure,

Charlie,

Scotland, United Kingdom,

5 hours ago

How strange that OCD is not a problem is countries that are poor? You also never hear about nut allergies or lactose intolerance where found it scarce?

Jeff,

Athens,

5 hours ago

That before photo.. OOOF!

Dave Ninetynine,

Darlington – UK,

5 hours ago

Stand by for the “coco-pops, crisps and pizza” diets in all the women’s magazines.

grubstreetnm,

New Mexico USA, United States,

5 hours ago

I eat crisps and pizza and I’m nowhere near as small as 5st 7lbs — maybe I should add cocopuffs to my diet!
Just kidding, OCD is a terrible affliction and I wouldn’t ever ridicue someone who suffers from it.

Timbo,

Cheltenham, England,

5 hours ago

She had such a voluptuous figure before what a shame

Timbo,

Cheltenham, England,

5 hours ago

Sounds legit

Mackem Lass,

La.Manga-Spain,

5 hours ago

I think I must have this OCD….because I cannot stand people smoking in my vicinity. I used to think it was just because I didn’t want my hair and clothes to stink of smoke but I think now the rational explanation is OCD.

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