This is a write up I did originally for BlueSky about Trey Clover and OCD. This is mostly character analysis, as well as a brief dive into the nature of OCD. I love Trey, thank you for coming! (Please be kind in the comments, this is an opinion piece.)
Before I begin, there is a common fundamental misunderstanding of what OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) is. People assume that it is an illness that focuses entirely on cleanliness, organization, or similar themes. There are actually many themes around which OCD might manifest, such as relationships, religion, health, or past events. Most of these themes do share central elements of uncontrollable intrusive thoughts, extreme anxiety, consistent shame, and urges to engage in compulsions to make the fear subside. Compulsions can be physical (counting, self harm, checking, washing) or entirely mental/emotional (rumination, reassurance seeking).
Trey’s behavior is consistent with a sufferer of Real Event OCD. Real Event OCD involves obsessive guilt or shame over something that actually happened in the past. In his case, his helping sneak Riddle out of the house to have sweets, and his inability thereafter to protect him from his mother’s abuse. I also believe he has PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), but that often overlaps with this subtype.
He exhibits compulsions consistent with this, especially rumination—mentally reviewing the event over and over again internally. The amount of flashbacks and excessive time Trey spends replaying Riddle’s mother pulling him from the window—and her subsequent berating of himself and his family—is consistent with this type of obsession. The disproportionate guilt he experiences is common as well for this sub-type.
It does not matter that he was a literal child without the power to rescue, or the developed mind to fully process his choices: Trey feels wholly at fault to the point that it has taken over his life and self-perception entirely. For an OCD sufferer, their internal perception is their whole reality, regardless of what the truth of the matter is. Even his signature spell has manifested in an effort to correct and “paint over” his mistakes. He compulsively tends to Riddle’s needs, and the needs of others in the hope that the shame will eventually dissipate. He avoids emotional reminders, and confrontation to avoid being re-triggered.
None of this works, and he continues to experience intrusive reminders of his perceived failure and the destruction he “caused”. Sometimes Real-Event OCD sufferers will also intentionally launch themselves into a flashback, just to make sure they still feel guilty enough about said event—and as a form of self punishment.
I also think his obsession around tooth-brushing is partially a form of health related OCD. He is very fixated on this, as well as his parent’s warnings about the impact of sweets. He takes it upon himself not only to maintain his own health, but the health of others around him. He also engages in compulsive checking, literally looking in other people’s mouths (sometimes more than once) to be sure it was done “properly”. It seems he would have difficulty relaxing if he didn’t do this.
All in all, I feel Trey has massive overlap with the OCD experience. He sees improvement in his symptoms only when he confronts his triggers, and stands in power against his fear and destructive view of self. This is consistent with improvements in OCD symptoms through exposures and response prevention. I love seeing a character like Trey as representation for a lesser known facet of a widely misunderstood condition.
To read more about OCD I recommend:
https://theocdandanxietycenter.com/real-event-ocd-symptoms-and-treatment/
https://www.treatmyocd.com/learn/blog
https://iocdf.org/about-ocd/
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