Re: [ocd Digest #2994] ASK a DOCTOR?

[Guest guest]

Hi All --

You've heard from me before, but I'm reflecting on the overall path of

our son's situation. I wanted to check in to see if anyone has an opinion about

whether we're on the right track.

My 14 y.o. saw a psych for about 10(?) months, (not for CBT, just Tenex

-- mostly for TS) wasn't responsive to her & got worse with OCD stuff. We

found someone else who he likes/responds to -- a CSW -- and he's now been taking

both Tenex and Zoloft (125mg) for about 5+ months and doing mostly once a week

CBT/ERT with him (twice a week during part of the summer). There was some

improvement over the summer.

He's always been very impulsive, had poor executive functioning,

miserable handwriting, antsy-ness, etc., and was diagnosed NVLD a few years

ago --

but has done well in school with accommodations for seating placement, extended

time, etc. He doesn't resist going to therapy like he used to (maybe because

it takes an hour out of his school day instead of doing it after school). He

seems to have made a dent in a couple of his ritualized responses, but he

won't give us a clue about the obsessions/concerns that prompt the overall

behaviors and he's only hinted at it with his therapist. Although we can assume

that various ideas/situations cause a lot of stress for him, how can he resolve

them without talking about them and working through his fears?

It's hard to tell whether some behaviors are more tic-like than

compulsive. Although he still periodically will blurt out/repeat an odd phrase

(like,

" I'm me! And I'll always be me! " or " I'm never afraid! " ) his " stuff " shows up

more often (at least for the moment) in appearing to zone out while touching

his fingertips together and silently mouthing some kind of brief monologue,

usually with a little neck stretching or other subtle motor acativity. If we're

talking to him (before/during/ after) he always seems to not hear us and

everything has to be repeated.

The thing that's more stressful for the rest of us is that at home, and

occasionally observed in a more public setting, he's frequently got one or both

hands inside his underwear. It doesn't seem to be a " stimulating " thing (and

I wonder if maybe it's the opposite) except that now he's expanded it to

sometimes including his butt. This is especially not cool when the next thing

he

does is chew on his almost-nonexistant fingernails or touch the computer

keyboard, the silverware, or his food!

All I have to do is look at him with a raised eyebrow (and a bit of a

smile) and the hand is removed, but most often it goes almost right back in.

His

dad handles it by hitting the roof and acting disgusted. I've seen him do it

when he's working with a tutor (at home) and when he's been sitting around

watching tv or talking with his sister's friends. We wind up asking him to wash

his hands (which he may or may not do -- usually not), but if he does follow

through on washing, I worry that that might sometime turn into an obsession!

Related to that is the fact that he has now taken to sleeping in the nude

and then wanders around the hallway to go to the bathroom or shower, or

" find " his clothes in the morning. The bathroom door is usually left open

during a

shower or while he's using the facilities -- including the powder room off

the kitchen -- no matter who's in the house with him.

We have no way of knowing whether his obsessions are related to touching

things (he's been doing a lot of tapping -- on my hand, the radio dial, etc.

after he's inadvertantly touched by someone), scrupulosity, sexual thoughts, or

some other fears. So how can we be helpful if he can't bring himself to be

more revealing with us or his therapist?

I don't expect you all to diagnose him, but I'd like to hear your

thoughts! Thanks for listening :-)

Jane B.

In a message dated 10/8/2005 8:31:14 AM Eastern Standard Time,

writes:

Hi , welcome to the group!!

Did the psychologist talk about therapy also, after your son begins

medication? Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with Exposure & Response/ritual

Prevention (ERP) is the main therapy for OCD. Check out the OCD Foundation

website

for more info (if you haven't yet) at: http://ocfoundation.org

Sometimes medication alone can greatly help with the OCD. But the CBT is

what will be the best tool to learn and eventually some people can come off

medication altogether with what they learn in therapy.

[Guest guest]

Hi All --

You've heard from me before, but I'm reflecting on the overall path of

our son's situation. I wanted to check in to see if anyone has an opinion about

whether we're on the right track.

My 14 y.o. saw a psych for about 10(?) months, (not for CBT, just Tenex

-- mostly for TS) wasn't responsive to her & got worse with OCD stuff. We

found someone else who he likes/responds to -- a CSW -- and he's now been taking

both Tenex and Zoloft (125mg) for about 5+ months and doing mostly once a week

CBT/ERT with him (twice a week during part of the summer). There was some

improvement over the summer.

He's always been very impulsive, had poor executive functioning,

miserable handwriting, antsy-ness, etc., and was diagnosed NVLD a few years

ago --

but has done well in school with accommodations for seating placement, extended

time, etc. He doesn't resist going to therapy like he used to (maybe because

it takes an hour out of his school day instead of doing it after school). He

seems to have made a dent in a couple of his ritualized responses, but he

won't give us a clue about the obsessions/concerns that prompt the overall

behaviors and he's only hinted at it with his therapist. Although we can assume

that various ideas/situations cause a lot of stress for him, how can he resolve

them without talking about them and working through his fears?

It's hard to tell whether some behaviors are more tic-like than

compulsive. Although he still periodically will blurt out/repeat an odd phrase

(like,

" I'm me! And I'll always be me! " or " I'm never afraid! " ) his " stuff " shows up

more often (at least for the moment) in appearing to zone out while touching

his fingertips together and silently mouthing some kind of brief monologue,

usually with a little neck stretching or other subtle motor acativity. If we're

talking to him (before/during/ after) he always seems to not hear us and

everything has to be repeated.

The thing that's more stressful for the rest of us is that at home, and

occasionally observed in a more public setting, he's frequently got one or both

hands inside his underwear. It doesn't seem to be a " stimulating " thing (and

I wonder if maybe it's the opposite) except that now he's expanded it to

sometimes including his butt. This is especially not cool when the next thing

he

does is chew on his almost-nonexistant fingernails or touch the computer

keyboard, the silverware, or his food!

All I have to do is look at him with a raised eyebrow (and a bit of a

smile) and the hand is removed, but most often it goes almost right back in.

His

dad handles it by hitting the roof and acting disgusted. I've seen him do it

when he's working with a tutor (at home) and when he's been sitting around

watching tv or talking with his sister's friends. We wind up asking him to wash

his hands (which he may or may not do -- usually not), but if he does follow

through on washing, I worry that that might sometime turn into an obsession!

Related to that is the fact that he has now taken to sleeping in the nude

and then wanders around the hallway to go to the bathroom or shower, or

" find " his clothes in the morning. The bathroom door is usually left open

during a

shower or while he's using the facilities -- including the powder room off

the kitchen -- no matter who's in the house with him.

We have no way of knowing whether his obsessions are related to touching

things (he's been doing a lot of tapping -- on my hand, the radio dial, etc.

after he's inadvertantly touched by someone), scrupulosity, sexual thoughts, or

some other fears. So how can we be helpful if he can't bring himself to be

more revealing with us or his therapist?

I don't expect you all to diagnose him, but I'd like to hear your

thoughts! Thanks for listening :-)

Jane B.

In a message dated 10/8/2005 8:31:14 AM Eastern Standard Time,

writes:

Hi , welcome to the group!!

Did the psychologist talk about therapy also, after your son begins

medication? Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with Exposure & Response/ritual

Prevention (ERP) is the main therapy for OCD. Check out the OCD Foundation

website

for more info (if you haven't yet) at: http://ocfoundation.org

Sometimes medication alone can greatly help with the OCD. But the CBT is

what will be the best tool to learn and eventually some people can come off

medication altogether with what they learn in therapy.

[Guest guest]

It sounds like you are having a tough time. His behaviors do sound

like OCD. I wonder if he needs another or more medication.

Instead of trying to figure out what kinds of obsessions/compulsions

he has, maybe a better approach would be to treat them as if they

were sexual in nature or whatever the case may be. The clue that I

got about OCD before my son was diagnosed was the " abnormal " nature

of his behavior (reassurance seeking, repeating his words to make

sure that he " got it right " , avoidance). These behaviors were new to

us and we couldn't rationalize them away. When I see such behavior,

I chalk it up to OCD and we begin working on it.

For instance, he has asked a lot about the weather (rain) for a few

weeks and when it began to rain the other day (we had a dry spell),

he panicked on the way to school. This was a new " fear " for him with

the same old obsessive thought driving it - I'm afraid I will throw

up " (if I go out in the rain). He has been anxious and upset since

then - especially about attending a party when it would be raining.

Today, he was panicky and afraid to go anywhere. I couldn't talk him

down, so I took him out in the rain and carried him around the yard

until he felt safe enough to get down. Then we played outside a

little bit. We were drenched, but when we got back in he said " maybe

I'll be okay going to the party tomorrow " . We will try it again

tomorrow if need be - story to be continued.

I wish you the best,

Bonnie

>

> Hi All --

>

> You've heard from me before, but I'm reflecting on the overall

path of

> our son's situation. I wanted to check in to see if anyone has an

opinion about

> whether we're on the right track.

>

> My 14 y.o. saw a psych for about 10(?) months, (not for CBT,

just Tenex

> -- mostly for TS) wasn't responsive to her & got worse with OCD

stuff. We

> found someone else who he likes/responds to -- a CSW -- and he's

now been taking

> both Tenex and Zoloft (125mg) for about 5+ months and doing mostly

once a week

> CBT/ERT with him (twice a week during part of the summer). There

was some

> improvement over the summer.

>

> He's always been very impulsive, had poor executive

functioning,

> miserable handwriting, antsy-ness, etc., and was diagnosed NVLD a

few years ago --

> but has done well in school with accommodations for seating

placement, extended

> time, etc. He doesn't resist going to therapy like he used to

(maybe because

> it takes an hour out of his school day instead of doing it after

school). He

> seems to have made a dent in a couple of his ritualized responses,

but he

> won't give us a clue about the obsessions/concerns that prompt the

overall

> behaviors and he's only hinted at it with his therapist. Although

we can assume

> that various ideas/situations cause a lot of stress for him, how

can he resolve

> them without talking about them and working through his fears?

>

> It's hard to tell whether some behaviors are more tic-like than

> compulsive. Although he still periodically will blurt out/repeat

an odd phrase (like,

> " I'm me! And I'll always be me! " or " I'm never afraid! " )

his " stuff " shows up

> more often (at least for the moment) in appearing to zone out while

touching

> his fingertips together and silently mouthing some kind of brief

monologue,

> usually with a little neck stretching or other subtle motor

acativity. If we're

> talking to him (before/during/ after) he always seems to not hear

us and

> everything has to be repeated.

>

> The thing that's more stressful for the rest of us is that at

home, and

> occasionally observed in a more public setting, he's frequently got

one or both

> hands inside his underwear. It doesn't seem to be a " stimulating "

thing (and

> I wonder if maybe it's the opposite) except that now he's expanded

it to

> sometimes including his butt. This is especially not cool when the

next thing he

> does is chew on his almost-nonexistant fingernails or touch the

computer

> keyboard, the silverware, or his food!

>

> All I have to do is look at him with a raised eyebrow (and a

bit of a

> smile) and the hand is removed, but most often it goes almost right

back in. His

> dad handles it by hitting the roof and acting disgusted. I've seen

him do it

> when he's working with a tutor (at home) and when he's been sitting

around

> watching tv or talking with his sister's friends. We wind up

asking him to wash

> his hands (which he may or may not do -- usually not), but if he

does follow

> through on washing, I worry that that might sometime turn into an

obsession!

>

> Related to that is the fact that he has now taken to sleeping

in the nude

> and then wanders around the hallway to go to the bathroom or

shower, or

> " find " his clothes in the morning. The bathroom door is usually

left open during a

> shower or while he's using the facilities -- including the powder

room off

> the kitchen -- no matter who's in the house with him.

>

> We have no way of knowing whether his obsessions are related to

touching

> things (he's been doing a lot of tapping -- on my hand, the radio

dial, etc.

> after he's inadvertantly touched by someone), scrupulosity, sexual

thoughts, or

> some other fears. So how can we be helpful if he can't bring

himself to be

> more revealing with us or his therapist?

>

> I don't expect you all to diagnose him, but I'd like to hear

your

> thoughts! Thanks for listening :-)

>

> Jane B.

>

>

> In a message dated 10/8/2005 8:31:14 AM Eastern Standard Time,

> writes:

> Hi , welcome to the group!!

>

> Did the psychologist talk about therapy also, after your son begins

> medication? Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with Exposure &

Response/ritual

> Prevention (ERP) is the main therapy for OCD. Check out the OCD

Foundation website

> for more info (if you haven't yet) at: http://ocfoundation.org

>

> Sometimes medication alone can greatly help with the OCD. But the

CBT is

> what will be the best tool to learn and eventually some people can

come off

> medication altogether with what they learn in therapy.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

It sounds like you are having a tough time. His behaviors do sound

like OCD. I wonder if he needs another or more medication.

Instead of trying to figure out what kinds of obsessions/compulsions

he has, maybe a better approach would be to treat them as if they

were sexual in nature or whatever the case may be. The clue that I

got about OCD before my son was diagnosed was the " abnormal " nature

of his behavior (reassurance seeking, repeating his words to make

sure that he " got it right " , avoidance). These behaviors were new to

us and we couldn't rationalize them away. When I see such behavior,

I chalk it up to OCD and we begin working on it.

For instance, he has asked a lot about the weather (rain) for a few

weeks and when it began to rain the other day (we had a dry spell),

he panicked on the way to school. This was a new " fear " for him with

the same old obsessive thought driving it - I'm afraid I will throw

up " (if I go out in the rain). He has been anxious and upset since

then - especially about attending a party when it would be raining.

Today, he was panicky and afraid to go anywhere. I couldn't talk him

down, so I took him out in the rain and carried him around the yard

until he felt safe enough to get down. Then we played outside a

little bit. We were drenched, but when we got back in he said " maybe

I'll be okay going to the party tomorrow " . We will try it again

tomorrow if need be - story to be continued.

I wish you the best,

Bonnie

>

> Hi All --

>

> You've heard from me before, but I'm reflecting on the overall

path of

> our son's situation. I wanted to check in to see if anyone has an

opinion about

> whether we're on the right track.

>

> My 14 y.o. saw a psych for about 10(?) months, (not for CBT,

just Tenex

> -- mostly for TS) wasn't responsive to her & got worse with OCD

stuff. We

> found someone else who he likes/responds to -- a CSW -- and he's

now been taking

> both Tenex and Zoloft (125mg) for about 5+ months and doing mostly

once a week

> CBT/ERT with him (twice a week during part of the summer). There

was some

> improvement over the summer.

>

> He's always been very impulsive, had poor executive

functioning,

> miserable handwriting, antsy-ness, etc., and was diagnosed NVLD a

few years ago --

> but has done well in school with accommodations for seating

placement, extended

> time, etc. He doesn't resist going to therapy like he used to

(maybe because

> it takes an hour out of his school day instead of doing it after

school). He

> seems to have made a dent in a couple of his ritualized responses,

but he

> won't give us a clue about the obsessions/concerns that prompt the

overall

> behaviors and he's only hinted at it with his therapist. Although

we can assume

> that various ideas/situations cause a lot of stress for him, how

can he resolve

> them without talking about them and working through his fears?

>

> It's hard to tell whether some behaviors are more tic-like than

> compulsive. Although he still periodically will blurt out/repeat

an odd phrase (like,

> " I'm me! And I'll always be me! " or " I'm never afraid! " )

his " stuff " shows up

> more often (at least for the moment) in appearing to zone out while

touching

> his fingertips together and silently mouthing some kind of brief

monologue,

> usually with a little neck stretching or other subtle motor

acativity. If we're

> talking to him (before/during/ after) he always seems to not hear

us and

> everything has to be repeated.

>

> The thing that's more stressful for the rest of us is that at

home, and

> occasionally observed in a more public setting, he's frequently got

one or both

> hands inside his underwear. It doesn't seem to be a " stimulating "

thing (and

> I wonder if maybe it's the opposite) except that now he's expanded

it to

> sometimes including his butt. This is especially not cool when the

next thing he

> does is chew on his almost-nonexistant fingernails or touch the

computer

> keyboard, the silverware, or his food!

>

> All I have to do is look at him with a raised eyebrow (and a

bit of a

> smile) and the hand is removed, but most often it goes almost right

back in. His

> dad handles it by hitting the roof and acting disgusted. I've seen

him do it

> when he's working with a tutor (at home) and when he's been sitting

around

> watching tv or talking with his sister's friends. We wind up

asking him to wash

> his hands (which he may or may not do -- usually not), but if he

does follow

> through on washing, I worry that that might sometime turn into an

obsession!

>

> Related to that is the fact that he has now taken to sleeping

in the nude

> and then wanders around the hallway to go to the bathroom or

shower, or

> " find " his clothes in the morning. The bathroom door is usually

left open during a

> shower or while he's using the facilities -- including the powder

room off

> the kitchen -- no matter who's in the house with him.

>

> We have no way of knowing whether his obsessions are related to

touching

> things (he's been doing a lot of tapping -- on my hand, the radio

dial, etc.

> after he's inadvertantly touched by someone), scrupulosity, sexual

thoughts, or

> some other fears. So how can we be helpful if he can't bring

himself to be

> more revealing with us or his therapist?

>

> I don't expect you all to diagnose him, but I'd like to hear

your

> thoughts! Thanks for listening :-)

>

> Jane B.

>

>

> In a message dated 10/8/2005 8:31:14 AM Eastern Standard Time,

> writes:

> Hi , welcome to the group!!

>

> Did the psychologist talk about therapy also, after your son begins

> medication? Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with Exposure &

Response/ritual

> Prevention (ERP) is the main therapy for OCD. Check out the OCD

Foundation website

> for more info (if you haven't yet) at: http://ocfoundation.org

>

> Sometimes medication alone can greatly help with the OCD. But the

CBT is

> what will be the best tool to learn and eventually some people can

come off

> medication altogether with what they learn in therapy.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Jane B.

Do you think your son could be trying to hold his bowel movements

and/or maybe prevent erections? You said he is 14 but that you

didn't think it was for stimulation purposes but for opposite

reasons. My OCD son used to work hard to hold his bowel movements

because he thought it was too disgusting to have one - he would

sometimes sit in a corner and push on himself (front side)to try to

hold off the urge. I'm not sure how that helped, but that is what he

was doing. He was younger than your son, however, and has not gone

through puberty, so his was all related to the bowel movements. If

your son thinks it is bad to have an erection or disgusting to have a

bowel movement, these may be ways he has learned to control it. I'm

just throwing a guess out there since he is not letting you in on

what his obessesions are and you seem to think he is not doing it for

stimulation purposes.

>

> Hi All --

>

> You've heard from me before, but I'm reflecting on the overall

path of

> our son's situation. I wanted to check in to see if anyone has an

opinion about

> whether we're on the right track.

>

> My 14 y.o. saw a psych for about 10(?) months, (not for CBT,

just Tenex

> -- mostly for TS) wasn't responsive to her & got worse with OCD

stuff. We

> found someone else who he likes/responds to -- a CSW -- and he's

now been taking

> both Tenex and Zoloft (125mg) for about 5+ months and doing mostly

once a week

> CBT/ERT with him (twice a week during part of the summer). There

was some

> improvement over the summer.

>

> He's always been very impulsive, had poor executive

functioning,

> miserable handwriting, antsy-ness, etc., and was diagnosed NVLD a

few years ago --

> but has done well in school with accommodations for seating

placement, extended

> time, etc. He doesn't resist going to therapy like he used to

(maybe because

> it takes an hour out of his school day instead of doing it after

school). He

> seems to have made a dent in a couple of his ritualized responses,

but he

> won't give us a clue about the obsessions/concerns that prompt the

overall

> behaviors and he's only hinted at it with his therapist. Although

we can assume

> that various ideas/situations cause a lot of stress for him, how

can he resolve

> them without talking about them and working through his fears?

>

> It's hard to tell whether some behaviors are more tic-like than

> compulsive. Although he still periodically will blurt out/repeat

an odd phrase (like,

> " I'm me! And I'll always be me! " or " I'm never afraid! " )

his " stuff " shows up

> more often (at least for the moment) in appearing to zone out while

touching

> his fingertips together and silently mouthing some kind of brief

monologue,

> usually with a little neck stretching or other subtle motor

acativity. If we're

> talking to him (before/during/ after) he always seems to not hear

us and

> everything has to be repeated.

>

> The thing that's more stressful for the rest of us is that at

home, and

> occasionally observed in a more public setting, he's frequently got

one or both

> hands inside his underwear. It doesn't seem to be a " stimulating "

thing (and

> I wonder if maybe it's the opposite) except that now he's expanded

it to

> sometimes including his butt. This is especially not cool when the

next thing he

> does is chew on his almost-nonexistant fingernails or touch the

computer

> keyboard, the silverware, or his food!

>

> All I have to do is look at him with a raised eyebrow (and a

bit of a

> smile) and the hand is removed, but most often it goes almost right

back in. His

> dad handles it by hitting the roof and acting disgusted. I've seen

him do it

> when he's working with a tutor (at home) and when he's been sitting

around

> watching tv or talking with his sister's friends. We wind up

asking him to wash

> his hands (which he may or may not do -- usually not), but if he

does follow

> through on washing, I worry that that might sometime turn into an

obsession!

>

> Related to that is the fact that he has now taken to sleeping

in the nude

> and then wanders around the hallway to go to the bathroom or

shower, or

> " find " his clothes in the morning. The bathroom door is usually

left open during a

> shower or while he's using the facilities -- including the powder

room off

> the kitchen -- no matter who's in the house with him.

>

> We have no way of knowing whether his obsessions are related to

touching

> things (he's been doing a lot of tapping -- on my hand, the radio

dial, etc.

> after he's inadvertantly touched by someone), scrupulosity, sexual

thoughts, or

> some other fears. So how can we be helpful if he can't bring

himself to be

> more revealing with us or his therapist?

>

> I don't expect you all to diagnose him, but I'd like to hear

your

> thoughts! Thanks for listening :-)

>

> Jane B.

>

>

> In a message dated 10/8/2005 8:31:14 AM Eastern Standard Time,

> writes:

> Hi , welcome to the group!!

>

> Did the psychologist talk about therapy also, after your son begins

> medication? Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with Exposure &

Response/ritual

> Prevention (ERP) is the main therapy for OCD. Check out the OCD

Foundation website

> for more info (if you haven't yet) at: http://ocfoundation.org

>

> Sometimes medication alone can greatly help with the OCD. But the

CBT is

> what will be the best tool to learn and eventually some people can

come off

> medication altogether with what they learn in therapy.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Jane B.

Do you think your son could be trying to hold his bowel movements

and/or maybe prevent erections? You said he is 14 but that you

didn't think it was for stimulation purposes but for opposite

reasons. My OCD son used to work hard to hold his bowel movements

because he thought it was too disgusting to have one - he would

sometimes sit in a corner and push on himself (front side)to try to

hold off the urge. I'm not sure how that helped, but that is what he

was doing. He was younger than your son, however, and has not gone

through puberty, so his was all related to the bowel movements. If

your son thinks it is bad to have an erection or disgusting to have a

bowel movement, these may be ways he has learned to control it. I'm

just throwing a guess out there since he is not letting you in on

what his obessesions are and you seem to think he is not doing it for

stimulation purposes.

>

> Hi All --

>

> You've heard from me before, but I'm reflecting on the overall

path of

> our son's situation. I wanted to check in to see if anyone has an

opinion about

> whether we're on the right track.

>

> My 14 y.o. saw a psych for about 10(?) months, (not for CBT,

just Tenex

> -- mostly for TS) wasn't responsive to her & got worse with OCD

stuff. We

> found someone else who he likes/responds to -- a CSW -- and he's

now been taking

> both Tenex and Zoloft (125mg) for about 5+ months and doing mostly

once a week

> CBT/ERT with him (twice a week during part of the summer). There

was some

> improvement over the summer.

>

> He's always been very impulsive, had poor executive

functioning,

> miserable handwriting, antsy-ness, etc., and was diagnosed NVLD a

few years ago --

> but has done well in school with accommodations for seating

placement, extended

> time, etc. He doesn't resist going to therapy like he used to

(maybe because

> it takes an hour out of his school day instead of doing it after

school). He

> seems to have made a dent in a couple of his ritualized responses,

but he

> won't give us a clue about the obsessions/concerns that prompt the

overall

> behaviors and he's only hinted at it with his therapist. Although

we can assume

> that various ideas/situations cause a lot of stress for him, how

can he resolve

> them without talking about them and working through his fears?

>

> It's hard to tell whether some behaviors are more tic-like than

> compulsive. Although he still periodically will blurt out/repeat

an odd phrase (like,

> " I'm me! And I'll always be me! " or " I'm never afraid! " )

his " stuff " shows up

> more often (at least for the moment) in appearing to zone out while

touching

> his fingertips together and silently mouthing some kind of brief

monologue,

> usually with a little neck stretching or other subtle motor

acativity. If we're

> talking to him (before/during/ after) he always seems to not hear

us and

> everything has to be repeated.

>

> The thing that's more stressful for the rest of us is that at

home, and

> occasionally observed in a more public setting, he's frequently got

one or both

> hands inside his underwear. It doesn't seem to be a " stimulating "

thing (and

> I wonder if maybe it's the opposite) except that now he's expanded

it to

> sometimes including his butt. This is especially not cool when the

next thing he

> does is chew on his almost-nonexistant fingernails or touch the

computer

> keyboard, the silverware, or his food!

>

> All I have to do is look at him with a raised eyebrow (and a

bit of a

> smile) and the hand is removed, but most often it goes almost right

back in. His

> dad handles it by hitting the roof and acting disgusted. I've seen

him do it

> when he's working with a tutor (at home) and when he's been sitting

around

> watching tv or talking with his sister's friends. We wind up

asking him to wash

> his hands (which he may or may not do -- usually not), but if he

does follow

> through on washing, I worry that that might sometime turn into an

obsession!

>

> Related to that is the fact that he has now taken to sleeping

in the nude

> and then wanders around the hallway to go to the bathroom or

shower, or

> " find " his clothes in the morning. The bathroom door is usually

left open during a

> shower or while he's using the facilities -- including the powder

room off

> the kitchen -- no matter who's in the house with him.

>

> We have no way of knowing whether his obsessions are related to

touching

> things (he's been doing a lot of tapping -- on my hand, the radio

dial, etc.

> after he's inadvertantly touched by someone), scrupulosity, sexual

thoughts, or

> some other fears. So how can we be helpful if he can't bring

himself to be

> more revealing with us or his therapist?

>

> I don't expect you all to diagnose him, but I'd like to hear

your

> thoughts! Thanks for listening :-)

>

> Jane B.

>

>

> In a message dated 10/8/2005 8:31:14 AM Eastern Standard Time,

> writes:

> Hi , welcome to the group!!

>

> Did the psychologist talk about therapy also, after your son begins

> medication? Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with Exposure &

Response/ritual

> Prevention (ERP) is the main therapy for OCD. Check out the OCD

Foundation website

> for more info (if you haven't yet) at: http://ocfoundation.org

>

> Sometimes medication alone can greatly help with the OCD. But the

CBT is

> what will be the best tool to learn and eventually some people can

come off

> medication altogether with what they learn in therapy.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Jane,

I have some thoughts ( & questions) but I'm no expert!

You wrote:...in appearing to zone out while touching

his fingertips together and silently mouthing some kind of brief

monologue, usually with a little neck stretching or other subtle

motor acativity.

**That reminds me of ! He also did that - touching with his

fingertips (maybe together too...hard re recall), silent or low

mumbling, neck stretching (mouth stretching, eye...) and to zone out

a bit. This was WAY back that first year of OCD (6th grade).

With the blurting out, didn't do this. But I would hear some

low " mumbling " sometimes, and if I wasn't paying attention would ask

what he said, i.e, think he had spoken to me. I once asked him was

he saying " magic words " or something, he said " no. "

With the physical movements and the mumbling, I worried Tourettes was

also popping up. But these both eventually went away.

You wrote: If we're talking to him (before/during/ after) he always

seems to not hear us and everything has to be repeated.

**Typical OCD I guess, you've interrupted, messed him up, has to

repeat.

As to some of the other you wrote. had a LOT of touching

OCD. No tapping that I really recall. But if he touched something,

he might be touching it " forever " it seemed sometimes. I'd watch his

fingers/hand move around it. Heck, at one time if his elbow hit

something, it would be " stuck " until he got his OCD " right " - I think

the " just right " feelings came into play there maybe. LOL, I can

laugh now but definitely not back then in that OCD nightmare, but he

was almost like some superglue stick, didn't want him to touch or

bump ANYthing!

wouldn't talk about his OCD either. I often complained about

that here. Part of it with and perhaps your son MIGHT be

that with Aspergers and also NVLD, expressing all this can be hard

for them to do.

What I did with was just talk about OCD and the therapy for

it (we didn't have a therapist). Gave examples of thoughts,

obsessions, rituals, etc., and how therapy would work, what a

therapist might do. Such as the bossing back of OCD for his

touching, rituals, repetitive stuff, working on doing less, etc.; or

the playing it out in your mind again & again, keep thinking it, play

out the scene...until eventually the anxiety is gone, you're bored,

etc.; and I just gave examples I'd read in books or online and the

treatment for that particular OC, etc. AND of course that it all

takes TIME, whether a big step or a baby step, etc.

ANYWAY, I just wanted him to know so that he could *hopefully* apply

anything if he would, as he just was not willing to get specific

about anything. He once told me he had ALREADY told me about his

OCD - he had to do it or something bad would happen to him AND he had

to get a " just right " feeling. Yeah, that was what he told me when

OCD first showed up, though it was later he said that the two

occurred always together; that is, I thought it was " either/or " - a

feeling something bad would happen OR he had to get a just right

feeling. He told me they were always together. (any of that make

sense? I'm hurriedly typing here!)

So I think, as they are teens, that at least if they know what they

should do re this/that OCD problem, then that's a good thing.

Hopefully your son will eventually open up to a therapist, but even

if the therapist doesn't know the " thought " , they can advise for OCD

homework, at least I would think they could.

As to the nudity and apparent lack of inhibition (that the word??) -

I would set limits, period. Explain about appropriate &

inappropriate behavior around others, that OCD or no OCD, it's a no-

no; he could excuse himself in situations if needed. Also that

hygiene is required. I wouldn't worry too much that he'll get

obsessive about washing his hands too often, just don't play up the

hygiene reason too much/too detailed. Bathroom door HAS to be closed

for using or the shower, etc. Just rules that everyone follows. IF

something bad will happen if he closes the bathroom door (some OCD

thing, then he can push it to but not " click it " or something.

I wonder if it is the puberty playing in here too, not just OCD. And

even perhaps the puberty combined with medication. If he has never

acted inappropriately before, has always followed the " rules " like

others, then this happening now would make me wonder. I do know of

others who work on these very same areas, but they are much lower

functioning mentally.

Well I know I've rambled. But if some of this is recent changes, I'd

suspect the medication and even puberty/hormones. Work on the OCD

with therapist on the parts that aren't too *high* on the hierarchy,

set the *rules* about public behavior, nudity, etc., (rules that all

others follow at home/public), and we all know that behaviors don't

change overnite due to a rule, but it's just something to work on

daily with him, reminders, etc. If he really reacts badly to some of

this, then suspect OCD is involved (like can't have bathroom door

closed for example).

Well, that's my quarter (much more than 2 cents, LOL). And hurriedly

written, forgive typos, nonsense parts!

Let us know how things go with him, you, home & therapist!

>

> Hi All --

>

> You've heard from me before, but I'm reflecting on the overall

path of

> our son's situation. I wanted to check in to see if anyone has an

opinion about

[Guest guest]

Hi Jane,

I have some thoughts ( & questions) but I'm no expert!

You wrote:...in appearing to zone out while touching

his fingertips together and silently mouthing some kind of brief

monologue, usually with a little neck stretching or other subtle

motor acativity.

**That reminds me of ! He also did that - touching with his

fingertips (maybe together too...hard re recall), silent or low

mumbling, neck stretching (mouth stretching, eye...) and to zone out

a bit. This was WAY back that first year of OCD (6th grade).

With the blurting out, didn't do this. But I would hear some

low " mumbling " sometimes, and if I wasn't paying attention would ask

what he said, i.e, think he had spoken to me. I once asked him was

he saying " magic words " or something, he said " no. "

With the physical movements and the mumbling, I worried Tourettes was

also popping up. But these both eventually went away.

You wrote: If we're talking to him (before/during/ after) he always

seems to not hear us and everything has to be repeated.

**Typical OCD I guess, you've interrupted, messed him up, has to

repeat.

As to some of the other you wrote. had a LOT of touching

OCD. No tapping that I really recall. But if he touched something,

he might be touching it " forever " it seemed sometimes. I'd watch his

fingers/hand move around it. Heck, at one time if his elbow hit

something, it would be " stuck " until he got his OCD " right " - I think

the " just right " feelings came into play there maybe. LOL, I can

laugh now but definitely not back then in that OCD nightmare, but he

was almost like some superglue stick, didn't want him to touch or

bump ANYthing!

wouldn't talk about his OCD either. I often complained about

that here. Part of it with and perhaps your son MIGHT be

that with Aspergers and also NVLD, expressing all this can be hard

for them to do.

What I did with was just talk about OCD and the therapy for

it (we didn't have a therapist). Gave examples of thoughts,

obsessions, rituals, etc., and how therapy would work, what a

therapist might do. Such as the bossing back of OCD for his

touching, rituals, repetitive stuff, working on doing less, etc.; or

the playing it out in your mind again & again, keep thinking it, play

out the scene...until eventually the anxiety is gone, you're bored,

etc.; and I just gave examples I'd read in books or online and the

treatment for that particular OC, etc. AND of course that it all

takes TIME, whether a big step or a baby step, etc.

ANYWAY, I just wanted him to know so that he could *hopefully* apply

anything if he would, as he just was not willing to get specific

about anything. He once told me he had ALREADY told me about his

OCD - he had to do it or something bad would happen to him AND he had

to get a " just right " feeling. Yeah, that was what he told me when

OCD first showed up, though it was later he said that the two

occurred always together; that is, I thought it was " either/or " - a

feeling something bad would happen OR he had to get a just right

feeling. He told me they were always together. (any of that make

sense? I'm hurriedly typing here!)

So I think, as they are teens, that at least if they know what they

should do re this/that OCD problem, then that's a good thing.

Hopefully your son will eventually open up to a therapist, but even

if the therapist doesn't know the " thought " , they can advise for OCD

homework, at least I would think they could.

As to the nudity and apparent lack of inhibition (that the word??) -

I would set limits, period. Explain about appropriate &

inappropriate behavior around others, that OCD or no OCD, it's a no-

no; he could excuse himself in situations if needed. Also that

hygiene is required. I wouldn't worry too much that he'll get

obsessive about washing his hands too often, just don't play up the

hygiene reason too much/too detailed. Bathroom door HAS to be closed

for using or the shower, etc. Just rules that everyone follows. IF

something bad will happen if he closes the bathroom door (some OCD

thing, then he can push it to but not " click it " or something.

I wonder if it is the puberty playing in here too, not just OCD. And

even perhaps the puberty combined with medication. If he has never

acted inappropriately before, has always followed the " rules " like

others, then this happening now would make me wonder. I do know of

others who work on these very same areas, but they are much lower

functioning mentally.

Well I know I've rambled. But if some of this is recent changes, I'd

suspect the medication and even puberty/hormones. Work on the OCD

with therapist on the parts that aren't too *high* on the hierarchy,

set the *rules* about public behavior, nudity, etc., (rules that all

others follow at home/public), and we all know that behaviors don't

change overnite due to a rule, but it's just something to work on

daily with him, reminders, etc. If he really reacts badly to some of

this, then suspect OCD is involved (like can't have bathroom door

closed for example).

Well, that's my quarter (much more than 2 cents, LOL). And hurriedly

written, forgive typos, nonsense parts!

Let us know how things go with him, you, home & therapist!

>

> Hi All --

>

> You've heard from me before, but I'm reflecting on the overall

path of

> our son's situation. I wanted to check in to see if anyone has an

opinion about

[Guest guest]

P.S., another thought. For those times when you give him that " look "

when he's touching himself, and he stops but then forgets and starts

again (or whatever) - maybe he can find something to carry around with

him in his pocket (like some putty ball or something to squeeze) or a

rubberband around his wrist or something. He could take out the ball

or snap/play with the rubberband. Just thinking if he has his hands

busy, the non-thinking behavior he has of touching himself might occur

less if hands are busy elsewhere.