Introduction

[Guest guest]

Dear List Members,

Just wanted to write a short note to welcome all of you to the list.

We have five members thus far. As time passes others may join our

ranks and our family of families may grow and hopefully many of us will

be blessed by help and be blessed by helping.

It is my hope that our shared experiences will be beneficial to one

another as we seek to learn about OCD and it's effects on the lives of

other families.

My older son, Louis, is sixteen and was diagnosed with OCD at age

twelve. Louis, my wife, Madelaine, and I, and our younger son, Doug,

have learned much about OCD in the past four years from the OCD-L and

books that have been recommended by list doctors.

I remember how we felt when Louis was first diagnosed and a list like

this would have been extremely beneficial at that time. It is my

hope that we shall be able to help families through this time in their

family lives through participation in this list.

If this list accomplishes it's declared goal of supporting and informing

parents of children with OCD it will be because of our willingness to

share our experiences by participating in the discourse that develops.

It is your list and it's success depends on each of us.

Take care.

Louis

ocdnet@...

[Guest guest]

Dear List Members:

I am really excited about the opportunity this list will provide me and our

family. We live in an isolated, rural community and it is hard for me to

find anyone, professional or otherwise, who knows anything about OCD beyond

what is in an Abnormal Psychology textbook. Finding an OCD support group

here is just out of the question.

Our son, Steve, who is now 12, has severe OCD which is finally being

successfully treated by a team which constantly needs replacements and

coordination. We diagnosed him when he was 10 and he also has major

depressive disorder and PTSD - Type 1. He is doing very well right now and

we are amazed at his determination and courage. Of course I don't have to

tell you that it has been a very rocky ride to where he is today. We also

have a son, Mark, who is almost 15 and who has gone through a lot while we

have all learned to cope with OCD in our family.

Looking forward to participating in sharing and mutual support, warmest

aloha, Kathy

Louis wrote:

Dear List Members,

>

>Just wanted to write a short note to welcome all of you to the list.

>We have five members thus far. As time passes others may join our

>ranks and our family of families may grow and hopefully many of us will

>be blessed by help and be blessed by helping.

>

>It is my hope that our shared experiences will be beneficial to one

>another as we seek to learn about OCD and it's effects on the lives of

>other families.

>

>My older son, Louis, is sixteen and was diagnosed with OCD at age

>twelve. Louis, my wife, Madelaine, and I, and our younger son, Doug,

>have learned much about OCD in the past four years from the OCD-L and

>books that have been recommended by list doctors.

>

>I remember how we felt when Louis was first diagnosed and a list like

>this would have been extremely beneficial at that time. It is my

>hope that we shall be able to help families through this time in their

>family lives through participation in this list.

>

>If this list accomplishes it's declared goal of supporting and informing

>parents of children with OCD it will be because of our willingness to

>share our experiences by participating in the discourse that develops.

>It is your list and it's success depends on each of us.

>

>Take care.

>

>Louis

>ocdnet@...

>

>

>

>

>------------------------------------------------------------------------

>

[Guest guest]

Hi : I am one of the five new members on this list so I wanted to introduce

myself. I am the mom of a soon to be l6 year old girl who has had ocd since

about the age of 9. Her dad, my now ex, also had ocd. She did not go on meds

until about l3 when her ocd got much worse. Now she is on prozac- 50 mg. Her

therapist has tried BT but up til now she has refused to do the " homework " or

exposures. Now I am pushing it because I recently got on the OCD-L list and

have realized that she must have both meds and BT to really have the optimum

success. School is a problem as she studies but fails tests. I know some of

it is her ocd and some of it is using the ocd to be " lazy " . The hardest part

is figuring out which is which. We are about to have her put on a IEP Program

which I have tried not to do for many years but now feel she needs it.

Anyway, sorry to drone on and on. Just wanted to let all know my experiences.

Sheree

[Guest guest]

Dear , Welcome My name is Beth I have a 6yr. old (May 29th ) e I

will forward you some of my old letters so I don't bore everyone who already

read them.I know just what your talking about.I have found so much help from

these wonderful people,I look forward everyday to read their letters,they

are so wise, and I must say I have learned more from the people here and the

great Doctors who give their time here,than from anyone else. Thank you all

so much! And to all who have been gone ,You were Missed! Love Beth in IN.

Introduction

> From: " Stockman Vines " <lstockman@...>

>

> My 8-year-old daughter was diagnosed with OCD in January of 1998. Zoloft

+

> therapy controlled her symptoms -- with some breakthrough -- for about a

> year. Now, we're back where we were at the beginning: she's constantly

> obsessed with worries of vomiting, she doesn't eat, doesn't sleep. She's

> developing new rituals, too.

>

> We're going back for a medication reassessment; the doctors think it may

be

> time to switch meds. Also to find a good cognitive behavioral therapist.

>

> In the meantime, the issues of discipline, manipulation, " coddling, "

> comforting, frustration, helplessness, etc. abound. That's why I joined

> this list. I know of no one who parents an OC child...

>

> Looking forward to being an active member of the list.

>

>

> lstockman@...

>

>

>

>

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Looking to expand your world?

>

> ONElist has over 145,000 email communities from which to chose!

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The is sponsored by the OCSDA. You may visit

their web site at http://www.ocdhelp.org/ and view schedules for chatroom

support at http://www.ocdhelp.org/chat.html

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Welcome to the list. It can be tough to " discipline " when you're struggling

with the basics. I've been there with my 7-yr old daughter Kelsey who was

diagnosed in March with OCD. I'm glad you're searching for a good CBT

therapist as that has made a world of difference in Kelsey's progress.

Kelsey's not operating at an age-appropriate level of independence right

now either, but I have started to expect more as she's shown improvement in

her symptoms. I guess I just tell myself that for now I'm making a

conscious decision to put my energy into helping her sustain long-term

improvement with her OCD. As she's able, I'll begin to work on all those

other behaviors and skills I want for her to develop.

It's all quite challenging, but you're in good company here on this list!

in S.D.

[Guest guest]

Warning: Venting!

Discipline and age appropriate expectations - my theme of the day. Last week it

was helping Ava be okay with difficult feelings and meltdown episodes; this week

it's back to dealing with MY

annoyed feeling in dealing with her NOT age appropriate need for supervision. I

weeded the garden for an hour yesterday and before I walked out the door I did

not give her the " list of

instructions " and decided to act as if she could be left alone for a minute and

use good judgement. When I came back in the house to make dinner she had

purple lips from eating candy for

the past hour. She's 11, she knows better, she's been obssessed with candy

lately, I am so tired of this!

Done now, thanks,

Dana in NC

Roman wrote:

> From: Roman <ChrisRoman@...>

>

> Hi ,

>

> Welcome to the list. It can be tough to " discipline " when you're struggling

> with the basics. I've been there with my 7-yr old daughter Kelsey who was

> diagnosed in March with OCD. I'm glad you're searching for a good CBT

> therapist as that has made a world of difference in Kelsey's progress.

>

> Kelsey's not operating at an age-appropriate level of independence right

> now either, but I have started to expect more as she's shown improvement in

> her symptoms. I guess I just tell myself that for now I'm making a

> conscious decision to put my energy into helping her sustain long-term

> improvement with her OCD. As she's able, I'll begin to work on all those

> other behaviors and skills I want for her to develop.

>

> It's all quite challenging, but you're in good company here on this list!

>

> in S.D.

>

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Give back to your community through " Grow to Give. "

> http://www.ONElist.com

> See homepage for details.

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The is sponsored by the OCSDA. You may visit their

web site at http://www.ocdhelp.org/ and view schedules for chatroom support at

http://www.ocdhelp.org/chat.html

[Guest guest]

> From: Dana Carvalho <clayvon@...>

>

> Warning: Venting!

> Discipline and age appropriate expectations - my theme of the day. Last

week it was helping Ava be okay with difficult feelings and meltdown

episodes; this week it's back to dealing with MY

> annoyed feeling in dealing with her NOT age appropriate need for

supervision. I weeded the garden for an hour yesterday and before I walked

out the door I did not give her the " list of

> instructions " and decided to act as if she could be left alone for a

minute and use good judgement. When I came back in the house to make dinner

she had purple lips from eating candy for

> the past hour. She's 11, she knows better, she's been obssessed with

candy lately, I am so tired of this!

> Done now, thanks,

> Dana in NC

Hi Dana and all, my daughter is younger (51/2) but before ocd had a lot of

common sense and her behavior was " too good " , if that's possible. A strong

component of my child's ocd is compulsions to do bad things, which makes

perfect sense if you think of the ego-dystonic nature of ocd. OCD also

wants my daughter to get into trouble, which makes for a lot of provoking

behavior and very challenging parenting: if I lose my temper, ocd wins, if

Kellen is put in timeout or a privilege is revoked, ocd is estatic and

Kellen actually gets some relief from ocd for a bit. So she's pretty

motivated to misbehave. I've recently been using something called

paradoxical response (suggested by Kathy H. on this list) which basically

means I react the opposite of the way ocd would expect, this short-circuits

the feedback loop and I have honestly seen this provoking behavior fall off

this past two weeks. I don't know if any of this is helpful, hope so.

Kathy in Indiana

p.s. Candy and sweets became a huge issue with the onset of my girl's

ocd symptoms, but I hadn't thought of this as an obsession. I thought it

was a side-effect of meds maybe, or an attempt to make herself feel

better, or ????

[Guest guest]

Hi,

My name is and I have a 12 year old daughter who has been diagnosed

with mild OCD and trichotillomania (compulsive hair pulling). Two years ago

my daughter got a sty on one eyelid, and proceeded to pull out a few

eyelashes. It then became more and more, until she had pulled all the top and

bottom lashes from both eyes. She then began pulling from the top of her

head. I tried finding out what was wrong, but no doctor knew about it. We

finally got her to a psychiatrist who gave it a name -trichotillomania- a

spectrum disorder of ocd. He put her on medication-zoloft- but that did not

seem to help. She started a behavior therapy program in April of 98 and

within a few months she was almost pull free, but she developed a

" Neck-snapping tic " which the doctors attribute to ocd. (She also is a

hoarder and must have things " lined up evenly " .

As of now her hair pulling comes and goes-especially the eyelashes- and the

neck snapping continues,though not as much. The psychologist felt that " this

is as good as it gets " and he has done all he can for her.He feels the skills

he has taught her will help her. Of course our medical insurance changed, and

he doesn't accept our new one. We do see the psychiatrist for a " med check "

every 2 months. But for now we're on our own.

I look forward to learning how parents deal with the everyday problems of

these special children.

D.

[Guest guest]

Hi :

Thank you for telling us about your daughter, . I also have a 12

year-od, Steve who has OCD and MDD and PTSD. He is on Paxil, mostly for

depression as his OCD is being well managed right now with CBT. This has

been a long haul for him and for our family.

Families on this list have many ideas for how to cope day-to-day with our

beloved OCDers. For now we are trying to have an OCD-free vacation as we

travel to DC for the OCF conference. What has helped us in our family was

to change a lot of things, e.g. expectations, coping strategies, parenting

methods, to adapt to the needs (demands?) of OCD. Steve has been doing

very well bossing back OCD and he is hoping to reduce his Paxil when we

return home after this vacation.

Take care, aloha, Kathy (Ha)

kathyh@...

At 08:40 AM 7/2/99 EDT, you wrote:

>From: CGD219@...

>

>Hi,

>My name is and I have a 12 year old daughter who has been diagnosed

>with mild OCD and trichotillomania (compulsive hair pulling). Two years ago

>my daughter got a sty on one eyelid, and proceeded to pull out a few

>eyelashes. It then became more and more, until she had pulled all the top

and

>bottom lashes from both eyes. She then began pulling from the top of her

>head. I tried finding out what was wrong, but no doctor knew about it. We

>finally got her to a psychiatrist who gave it a name -trichotillomania- a

>spectrum disorder of ocd. He put her on medication-zoloft- but that did not

>seem to help. She started a behavior therapy program in April of 98 and

>within a few months she was almost pull free, but she developed a

> " Neck-snapping tic " which the doctors attribute to ocd. (She also is a

>hoarder and must have things " lined up evenly " .

>

>As of now her hair pulling comes and goes-especially the eyelashes- and the

>neck snapping continues,though not as much. The psychologist felt that " this

>is as good as it gets " and he has done all he can for her.He feels the

skills

>he has taught her will help her. Of course our medical insurance changed,

and

>he doesn't accept our new one. We do see the psychiatrist for a " med check "

>every 2 months. But for now we're on our own.

>

>I look forward to learning how parents deal with the everyday problems of

>these special children.

>

> D.

[Guest guest]

Hello! Please post recipes too! For all of of. That would be nice.

[Guest guest]

Hi K.,

You sound so frustrated! Can you tell us a bit more about what makes you

doubt your parenting skills? what is going on at school - or possibly - what

is not happeneing? !

Where do you live, perhaps someone on the list can help with a doc or

with a support group.

This is such a wonderful group to be associated with as everyone has

diverse experiences, both positive and negative, and are so willing to

share. You mention that you were in a support group before, great! Love to

hear what you can pass on to us!

Remember, rule #1: Take care of yourself

welcome and best wishes, wendy in canada

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Although Frustration has played a huge part in our lives for the past 6

years. There is Hope - please hold onto that. Our daughter, , was

diagnosed at 3 and 1/2 and we also noticed OC behaviors before the age of

two. It has been an incredible long journey - different doctors - different

meds and lots of tears. Now that she is older - she is cognitively catching

on and the right dose of meds are helping her to make it. Who knows how

long this will last - but we will take it. We still have our days - but we

are stronger than before and so is she. When you find a good behavior

therapist and I hope soon - that will be the key to your child's

functioning. And there has been thousands of times that I have been upset

with my own parenting skills - it's a challenge filled with you own pain

too. Prayer keeps us going and the trust of our therapist and each other.

Good luck.

in PA

Introduction

>From: Knod <kelly@...>

>

>Hi, my name is , I have a daughter with OCD, she will be 8 in a few

>weeks. Her name is . She was diagnosed at age 4, we saw signs of

>OCD before age 2. It was through a list like this one that I initially

>found information and help for her.

>

>At the present time I am tired and frustrated with Doctors, school, my

>parenting skills, or lack of them. Although frustrated I am still ever

>vigilant and hoping for some advice, support and also hoping that I can

>offer some of our experience to help others.

>

>Thank you,

>

>

>--

> Knod

>

>mailto:kelly@...

>mailto:kelly@...

>

>>You may subscribe to the OCD-L by emailing

>listserv@... .

>In the body of your message write:

>subscribe OCD-L your name.

>The archives for the OCD and

>Parenting List may be accessed by going to

> .

>Enter your email address and password.

>Click on the highlighted list name and then click on index.

>

[Guest guest]

Thank you . The story of my daughter and her OCD is a long one.

Like everybody's I am sure. It has been 4 years of Medication so far. So many

ups and downs. I have been such an advocate for her and have searched and

searched for the correct treatment. It has helped a great deal, however we are

going through a terrible time. Just the worst, I will have to write more

details later, right now I am exhausted. is living under her bed a lot,

just a whole bunch of NEW things. That is the most frustrating part. The OCD

is constantly changing. I can handle the change but to have Doctors doubt that

things are as bad as I say, or doubt that OCD can cause these many problems.

Of course Abuse or neglect must play a role. It can't be OCD alone! (Sorry,

being sarcastic here)

Sorry for rambling. had a terrible episode today. Just terrible. She

slept from 5:00p.m. until 11:00p.m.. Now it is almost 1:00 a.m. and she is

taking another bath.

So much more to say and so many questions to ask. Thank you for taking the

time to listen to my story. I am not as down as I probably sound. I will

never give up hope.

Thank you again,

abbottfamily wrote:

> From: " abbottfamily " <abbottfamily@...>

>

> Hi ,

>

> Although Frustration has played a huge part in our lives for the past 6

> years. There is Hope - please hold onto that. Our daughter, , was

> diagnosed at 3 and 1/2 and we also noticed OC behaviors before the age of

> two. It has been an incredible long journey - different doctors - different

> meds and lots of tears. Now that she is older - she is cognitively catching

> on and the right dose of meds are helping her to make it. Who knows how

> long this will last - but we will take it. We still have our days - but we

> are stronger than before and so is she. When you find a good behavior

> therapist and I hope soon - that will be the key to your child's

> functioning. And there has been thousands of times that I have been upset

> with my own parenting skills - it's a challenge filled with you own pain

> too. Prayer keeps us going and the trust of our therapist and each other.

> Good luck.

>

> in PA

> Introduction

>

> >From: Knod <kelly@...>

> >

> >Hi, my name is , I have a daughter with OCD, she will be 8 in a few

> >weeks. Her name is . She was diagnosed at age 4, we saw signs of

> >OCD before age 2. It was through a list like this one that I initially

> >found information and help for her.

> >

> >At the present time I am tired and frustrated with Doctors, school, my

> >parenting skills, or lack of them. Although frustrated I am still ever

> >vigilant and hoping for some advice, support and also hoping that I can

> >offer some of our experience to help others.

> >

> >Thank you,

> >

> >

> >--

> > Knod

> >

> >mailto:kelly@...

> >mailto:kelly@...

> >

> >>You may subscribe to the OCD-L by emailing

> >listserv@... .

> >In the body of your message write:

> >subscribe OCD-L your name.

> >The archives for the OCD and

> >Parenting List may be accessed by going to

> > .

> >Enter your email address and password.

> >Click on the highlighted list name and then click on index.

> >

>

> > You may subscribe to the OCD-L by emailing

> listserv@... .

> In the body of your message write:

> subscribe OCD-L your name.

> The archives for the OCD and

> Parenting List may be accessed by going to

> .

> Enter your email address and password.

> Click on the highlighted list name and then click on index.

--

Knod

The Dental Site

http://www.dentalsite.com

mailto:kelly@...

For Banner Advertising information:

http://www.dentalsite.com/sponsors.html.

[Guest guest]

(((()))),

I am sending you lots of hugs.

We were at a very bad place with Ian this summer and I am remembering the

frustration, pain and confusion I felt just from reading your post. We have a

very good therapist but often remark on how hard it is to convince people

just how bad an OCD experience is for our child. We feel fortunate that Ian

has totally lost it in front of Dr. Hatton so that he can truly see the

struggle we sometimes have. At times Ian can be so frightened or so blocked

by OCD that he is not really there. He gets a look in his eye that is truly

frightening.

I wish I had more to offer in the way of help. What I can offer is support

and understanding. You are doing the best job you can as a parent and I'm

sure knows how much love, support and compassion you have for her even

if you are not at your best.

Joy in SD

[Guest guest]

Dear ,

Knod wrote:

>

>

> going through a terrible time. Just the worst, I will have to write more

> details later, right now I am exhausted. is living under her bed a

lot,

> just a whole bunch of NEW things. That is the most frustrating part. The

OCD> is constantly changing.

My heart goes out to you and to all of us on this list. As parents we

would surely throw ourselves in front of a moving train in order to

protect our precious children, and yet there are times when we cannot

remove them from the clutches of OCD.

I can tell from your writing that you have not given up hope. At least

it may help you to know that there are others on this list who

understand, so you will not feel so alone.

Take care,

Lesli (S.F.Bay)

[Guest guest]

,

I feel for you - I know it must be so hard right now - esp. with all the

" new stuff " - just when you think she has something under control. The OC

sneaks into something else -doesn't it. I wrote this poem awhile ago and I

cried and cried over it. Than I felt better.

I feel like your an Evil

Demon

trying to pull us away.

I can not rest -

cause I know you want to

stay.

But in this home

you shall not roam.

I'll fight you till my

dying breath.

For then she will be at

Peace....

And I will be at

rest......................

I hope your weekend went better. Let's pray...

in PA

Introduction

>>

>> >From: Knod <kelly@...>

>> >

>> >Hi, my name is , I have a daughter with OCD, she will be 8 in a few

>> >weeks. Her name is . She was diagnosed at age 4, we saw signs of

>> >OCD before age 2. It was through a list like this one that I initially

>> >found information and help for her.

>> >

>> >At the present time I am tired and frustrated with Doctors, school, my

>> >parenting skills, or lack of them. Although frustrated I am still ever

>> >vigilant and hoping for some advice, support and also hoping that I can

>> >offer some of our experience to help others.

>> >

>> >Thank you,

>> >

>> >

>> >--

>> > Knod

>> >

>> >mailto:kelly@...

>> >mailto:kelly@...

>> >

>> >>You may subscribe to the OCD-L by emailing

>> >listserv@... .

>> >In the body of your message write:

>> >subscribe OCD-L your name.

>> >The archives for the OCD and

>> >Parenting List may be accessed by going to

>> > .

>> >Enter your email address and password.

>> >Click on the highlighted list name and then click on index.

>> >

>>

>> > You may subscribe to the OCD-L by emailing

>> listserv@... .

>> In the body of your message write:

>> subscribe OCD-L your name.

>> The archives for the OCD and

>> Parenting List may be accessed by going to

>> .

>> Enter your email address and password.

>> Click on the highlighted list name and then click on index.

>

>--

> Knod

>

>The Dental Site

>http://www.dentalsite.com

>mailto:kelly@...

>

>For Banner Advertising information:

>http://www.dentalsite.com/sponsors.html.

>

>>You may subscribe to the OCD-L by emailing

>listserv@... .

>In the body of your message write:

>subscribe OCD-L your name.

>The archives for the OCD and

>Parenting List may be accessed by going to

> .

>Enter your email address and password.

>Click on the highlighted list name and then click on index.

>

[Guest guest]

,Give a big hug for me and then tell her to give you one from

me.How long has she been going under the bed? Last year right after

Christmas (I guess that's this year) e had to stay in water for a week

I kept the bathtub full of water because she had to get in it so much

,she couldn't walk on the carpet. And I sure know what your talking about

when you say her OCD keeps changing. Don't worry about the DR. I think the

only way you can understand ocd is to have it, or live with someone who has

it. I'm praying for both of you.Love Beth in IN. Introduction

> >

> > >From: Knod <kelly@...>

> > >

> > >Hi, my name is , I have a daughter with OCD, she will be 8 in a

few

> > >weeks. Her name is . She was diagnosed at age 4, we saw signs

of

> > >OCD before age 2. It was through a list like this one that I initially

> > >found information and help for her.

> > >

> > >At the present time I am tired and frustrated with Doctors, school, my

> > >parenting skills, or lack of them. Although frustrated I am still ever

> > >vigilant and hoping for some advice, support and also hoping that I can

> > >offer some of our experience to help others.

> > >

> > >Thank you,

> > >

> > >

> > >--

> > > Knod

> > >

> > >mailto:kelly@...

> > >mailto:kelly@...

> > >

> > >>You may subscribe to the OCD-L by emailing

> > >listserv@... .

> > >In the body of your message write:

> > >subscribe OCD-L your name.

> > >The archives for the OCD and

> > >Parenting List may be accessed by going to

> > > .

> > >Enter your email address and password.

> > >Click on the highlighted list name and then click on index.

> > >

> >

> > > You may subscribe to the OCD-L by emailing

> > listserv@... .

> > In the body of your message write:

> > subscribe OCD-L your name.

> > The archives for the OCD and

> > Parenting List may be accessed by going to

> > .

> > Enter your email address and password.

> > Click on the highlighted list name and then click on index.

>

> --

> Knod

>

> The Dental Site

> http://www.dentalsite.com

> mailto:kelly@...

>

> For Banner Advertising information:

> http://www.dentalsite.com/sponsors.html.

>

> > You may subscribe to the OCD-L by emailing

> listserv@... .

> In the body of your message write:

> subscribe OCD-L your name.

> The archives for the OCD and

> Parenting List may be accessed by going to

> .

> Enter your email address and password.

> Click on the highlighted list name and then click on index.

>

[Guest guest]

Huh oh, Hi . I'm pretty sure we were on another list together. The 2

's thing.

Welcome to the group!

Don't know if you remember, my son is 9 with GAD and OCD, and a daughter 15

with GAD and Trich.

L.=}

From: Knod <kelly@...>

Hi, my name is , I have a daughter with OCD, she will be 8 in a few

weeks. Her name is . She was diagnosed at age 4, we saw signs of

OCD before age 2. It was through a list like this one that I initially

found information and help for her.

At the present time I am tired and frustrated with Doctors, school, my

parenting skills, or lack of them. Although frustrated I am still ever

vigilant and hoping for some advice, support and also hoping that I can

offer some of our experience to help others.

Thank you,

--

Knod

mailto:kelly@...

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[Guest guest]

Dear ,

I can't offer much knowledge as I am also new here. But I will say you

happened upon a good place. It is wonderful to have other Mom's & Dad's to

talk to. You sound so overwhelmed, I hope you find some strength and hope

here.

Welcome,

Patti

[Guest guest]

Hello & welcome. We have a 7yr old daughter who was diagnosed w/ ocd at 3.

Her main problems are with clothing(including shoes & socks). She was also

diagnosed w/ bipolar & we recently added depakote sprinkles to her prozac.

She has had her first " major " improvement since we have been seeking help.

The depakote seems to be the correct medication for her. It can be so

flustrating trying the different meds & waiting it out - then after the weeks

of waiting, you find out it's not the one that will help. This list has

been very helpful to me. It sound bad, but it does help to know that others

are going through the same things you are. And you see that there is hope by

hearing the " success/improvement " stories. I would love to hear more about

your child, (oc symptoms etc). Good luck, Wanda

[Guest guest]

Hi there ,

(vinlin@...)

We all know how you feel. It is a shock to know that your child has

something in them that we cant control, and that they must learn to control.

Its hard, but we do get over it. I have 3 ocd kids and an ocd hubby - and

instead of being overwhelmed, I try and funnel my energy towards ocd

advocacy and education, and my work.

Medication is given to children when the doc's are having difficulties

connecting with them through therapy. There may be some more on going

diagnostic work done too. Meds could be prescirbed because of ocd being so

severe, or perhaps depression. But whatever it is, meds are a matter of

trial and error. Not all work for everyone. The amount used for ocd tends to

be higher than the amount prescribed for depression, btw. Your sons

therapist should be using cognitive behavioural therapy with a technique

called Exposure and Response Prevention. It is now the best treatment for

ocd availble.

I wont overwhelm you with too much info - but please, feel comfortable

asking lots of questions!! You will get a difference of opinion on some

things - which is healthy and encouraged here! Our #1 rule is: take care of

yourself, because if you arent doing well, then the whole system falls

apart!

take care,

wendy in canada

wb4@...

PS - it helps if you put something with your name to help identify which

, or Michele, or wendy, or kathy... that you are!!!!

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[Guest guest]

Dear ,

Welcome to the list. How old is your son?

You are where we were about a year and a half ago. I felt a lot of

grief and many other emotions when my daughter (now age 6) was first

diagnosed, and learning about treatment options was difficult and

confusing.

But now, looking back, her OCD diagnosis and subsequent treatment was

the best thing that ever happened to our family. Please write with any

questions you may have and we will try to help and share what we've

learned (so far!) with you.

Take care,

Lesli (S.F. Bay)

Losavio wrote:

>

> From: vinlin@... ( Losavio)

>

> Hi Everyone,

>

> My name is . I have a son who was just diagnosed with OCD. We

> have suspected for some time now that something was wrong with him. It

> has just gotten so bad that we knew we needed to see what we could do

> about it. I am hoping to learn a lot from all of you as most of you

> seem to have been dealing with this for awhile and seem to know how to

> handle it. We are having a rough time.

>

> We have only been to our therapist twice. So we haven't actually gotten

> much done beyond figuring out he has a problem. We saw the Child

> Psychiatrist yesterday and they put him on Zoloft.

>

> Well I really don't know how much I will be able to help anyone but I

> will try if I can. I am looking forward to the support and help that I

> think I will find here. It is nice to know we are not alone.

>

> Thanks,

>

>

> ---------------------------

[Guest guest]

Welcome Dana,

I am sure you will find this list a great source of help and support. I think

your daughter would be a great age to use the teen list. I know what you mean

about trying to figure out what is going on. It seems like I am always trying

to decide if it is ocd or not. Frustration is something I think all of us

parents would say we experience. Hang in there!

Take care,

in PA

K12m10d42@... wrote:

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subscribe OCD-L your name.

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Enter your email address and password.

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---------------------------------

[Guest guest]

Dana,

I highly recommend the teen list. My son will be 14 next month and I've

been trying for a while to get him to at least subscribe and read. He is so

shy.... but he definitely needs some kind of interaction with others his age

(he's been on homebound for a year) and I think it would do him so much

good to at least read the posts from other kids that suffer with the same

issues that he does.

Take care and good luck!

mary from La.

K12m10d42@... wrote:

> From: K12m10d42@...

>

> Hello everyone, my daughter has OCD also. I have a hard time trying not to

> get frustrated with her when she won't do things around the house I take for

> granted. She picks her eyelashes and germs are a problem. I have a feeling

> there are more, but she is so suddle about them it's always a challenge to

> figure out what is going on. I'm a single parent and it is so hard for

> anyone to understand what it's all about. My daughter is almost 14 and I'm

> trying to get her to use the teen list to communicate with others. Does

> anyone think she's too young for this?

>

> Thank you for any feed back

>

> Dana

>

> ---------------------------

[Guest guest]

Wow - so many new people this week!Was our name posted somewhere new??

It helps us get to know you if you include Where you live? If your child is

seeing a therapist? If they are on any meds? Dont worry if your posts are

long....

Hello Dana

(K12m10d42@...)

I also have a daughter, adi, who will be 14 in 2 weeks. She is active

on the teen list and has been for over a year. It has been a very productive

sounding board for her. She likes to support others and turns to the list

for their opinions when she needs it. Perhaps your daughter could just

'lurk' for awhile and when she's ready - jump in! Adi says that picking

eyelashes and discussions on germs come up all the time - so your daughter

should feel comfort knowing there are kids like her.

We all know how hard it is to parent our ocd kids. Being a single parent

must be exhausting to you. Your daughter is also being a typical adolescent

so manipulating, testing and avoiding are pretty average for the role!!

Sometimes we need to stand back and let them try and when they make

mistakes, pick up the pieces with patience.

I should mention here that I have 3 ocd kids and an ocd hubby. The kids are

16, almost 14 and 10). When I look at ocd things, I ask myself: How much is

this effecting their lives? Does it effect the people around them? If I step

in, will that be enabling them? Should I ask them if this is an OCD THING

and encourage them to " boss it back " ? most of the time, I follow my

instinct.

Dana, how about giving an example that we can all jump in and comment on??

The most important question I have for you is: Are you taking care of

yourself?????

take care, wendy, in canada

wb4@...

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