Posted by Bryan Hodges (192.208.35.43) on October 03, 2000 at 08:01:24:
Greetings, I don't suffer from cluster headaches, in fact I stumbled across this site on accident. I suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and from reading some things on this site it seems likely to me that Cluster Headaches might be, in some fashion, related to OCD. Many symptoms of cluster headaches are shared by OCD.
Anyway, I don't want to try to reduce cluster headaches to a mental disorder, it's obvious to me that it's a medical issue. I do think, however, that cluster headaches may be a combination of a medical problem and a mental disorder... OCD is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, and is related to other disorders like Torettes Syndrome and Tics. There is also a link between OCD and Strep throat and Scarlet Fever. If you'd like to learn more about OCD (and see what I mean about the similarity between it and cluster headaches) goto the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation at http://www.ocfoundation.org
I wish you all luck in overcoming this horrible problem. I know that it's not possible for me to know the pain you suffer with without having cluster headaches, but I know that it must be awful. I too have banged my head against walls, and tried crushing my skull, only I do it to try to get thoughts out.
Good luck, and don't let it get you down... remember two things: there will be a time without pain, and no matter where you go, there you are. :)
-Bryan