Re: New with questions, is it OCD?

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Sorry to say this but it does sound like OCD. My son, now 18 at the

age of 7 developed spitting.It happened after the neighbours sprayed

weed killer and he thought he had swallowed some. He spat so much his

chin was red raw. It went on for weeks and I can't remember but we

somehow bribed him to stop. He has started spitting again lately but

not as much. Also he started pulling one ear when he was about 10 as

he thought his ears were't even(they were) This lasted a few

months.This sounds similar to the blinking. Get some help now.A

teenage OCD sufferer is a nightmare so get some help while he is young,

Kerrie

[Guest guest]

Hi Kerri,

I was afraid of that. I'm not in denial but I didn't want to jump to conclusions

either. I always thought of OCD as someone who is constantly doing the same

thing over and over again. That doesn't seem to be Tyler's problem. However, he

DOES repeat everything he says in a whisper after he says it. I completely

forgot about that. I need to write these things down.

Also, he does wipe his mouth to a point he leaves a rash there too.

Thanks for your help.

Re: New with questions, is it OCD?

Hi ,

Sorry to say this but it does sound like OCD. My son, now 18 at the

age of 7 developed spitting.It happened after the neighbours sprayed

weed killer and he thought he had swallowed some. He spat so much his

chin was red raw. It went on for weeks and I can't remember but we

somehow bribed him to stop. He has started spitting again lately but

not as much. Also he started pulling one ear when he was about 10 as

he thought his ears were't even(they were) This lasted a few

months.This sounds similar to the blinking. Get some help now.A

teenage OCD sufferer is a nightmare so get some help while he is young,

Kerrie

Our list archives, bookmarks, files, and chat feature may be accessed at:

/ .

Our list advisors are Gail B. , Ed.D., Tamar Chansky, Ph.D.(

http://www.worrywisekids.org ), Dan Geller, M.D.,Aureen Pinto Wagner, Ph.D., (

http://www.lighthouse-press.com ). Our list moderators are Birkhan,

Castle, Fowler, Kathy Hammes, Joye, Kathy Mac, Gail

Pesses, and Kathy . Subscription issues or suggestions may be

addressed to Louis Harkins, list owner, at louisharkins@... ,

louisharkins@... , louisharkins@... .

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I also think it sounds like OCD with the germs. And that probably

carries over to wanting his own room so his brothers won't

bother/touch his stuff. Although, I'm a single mom, 3 sons of my

own, and they can all be possessive about " their stuff " and others

bothering it. But I would think with your son, that germs/touching

play a part also.

OCD can certainly make tempers flare too.

With the blinking, that could possibly be OCD. My son, now 17, did

that WAY back in 6th grade when his OCD began. He had some blinking

(that looked deliberate) and then some other facial

expressions/contortions, even some other physical movements. I

knew " OCD " was there due to rituals/ compulsions, but I wasn't sure

if the facial things were OCD or perhaps tics. At any rate, they

stopped so I didn't ever come to a conclusion on that. At that

point, we had all kinds of new things popping up all the time, some

going away, etc.

OCD varies with people, though so many get the more commonly known

contamination/germ fears or needing things in in their

place/straight (like Monk on TV), etc.

Have you yet had a chance to start looking around your area for

anyone experienced with treating OCD?

single mom, 3 sons

, 17, with OCD, dysgraphia and Aspergers/autism

>

> Hello. My name is . I'm new to the list. My son has not been

diagnosed with OCD but after reading some of the things on it, I was

amazed at how many of the symptoms sound familiar. However, I'm not

100% convinced. I'd like to ask your advice and opinions before I

take him to the doctor. I hope that's alright? I don't want him

thinking there's something wrong with him if there isn't.

[Guest guest]

When you talked about him not wanting an adult face my first thought

was to ask you if he doesn't like things " to change " - then you went

on and said he doesn't like things to change.

I think the face thing is just disturbing to him because of the big

change it brings - luckily it will happen gradually enough that it

probably won't end up bothering him - imagine if it happened

overnight!

About his room - my son (14 and on lexapro for a year and a half)

came to me with a sticky noted furniture catalog, a sketch of the way

his room is laid out now and one of how he'd like it to be, ideas for

paint, carpeting and organization . . .

This from the boy who's room I haven't been allowed to clean for

years and years - I went in and did it now and then anyway, but he

really hated it. He said he liked it that way - it was comforting.

When I reminded him that his room is the way it is because I haven't

been allowed to touch it for years, he got a thoughtful look on his

face, and said, " oh, yeah, that's right, I forgot I used to not let

anyone touch anything. " It was all ocd - and he's already forgotten.

Now, sometimes when someone sits on his bed he gets

the 'contaminated' feeling and washes all his bedding - things still

get contaminated, but nearly to the extent they used to - and not

nearly with the extreme emotional reaction it used to inspire.

If you feel an inpenetrable wall of resistance slam up when you try

to talk to him about this or that thing he's doing . . . it's

probably ocd. If every parental trick and tool can't get him to do

or not do something . . . it's probably ocd.

>

> Hello. My name is . I'm new to the list. My son has not been

diagnosed with OCD but after reading some of the things on it, I was

amazed at how many of the symptoms sound familiar. However, I'm not

100% convinced. I'd like to ask your advice and opinions before I

take him to the doctor. I hope that's alright? I don't want him

thinking there's something wrong with him if there isn't.

>

> My son is 8 years old. He has always been afraid of kissing people

(even us!) on the lips. Since he was 4 he would pucker his lips and

turn his cheek for us to kiss him. He'll kiss us on the cheeks but

then he'll wipe his mouth after a few times to wipe the " germs " off.

Now his fear of germs have gotten so bad. He will just be sitting

there and all of a sudden spit then wipe his mouth clean. He does

this obsessively. When I ask him to stop spitting he yells, " I can't!

Germs! I don't like germs! " He has a huge temper problem and gets

angry with us very easily. He will say things like, " I hate my life.

I wish my life was over. " and it tears me up so much to hear this

from him (especially at his age). I'm so afraid that if I don't check

into this deeper he will become suicidal in the future.

>

> Also, we have noticed that he blinks a lot, like he has something

in his eye. It's very frequent. The teachers called me on it asking

if he had his eyes checked at all. He needs glasses for reading but

the eye doctor said it's not serious enough to actually get the

glasses yet. We did anyway. He continues to " blink " obsessively.

>

> He has never said he thinks he's ugly, but he has expressed his

fear of getting ugly. He doesn't want to grow up and get a " grown-up

face " . I'm not sure what he meant by that. I figure he doesn't want

hair on his face(?)

>

> Also, about the routine having to be the same every day. He's not

like this. Although, when he plays with his friends everything has to

be " his " way. Certain things belong in certain spots and they don't

move unless he says it's okay. We went through this whole thing about

being " bossy " and he insists that " That's the way it has to be " .

>

> We are a larger family, four children (all boys), my husband and I

and a dog. We have a small 4 bedroom home. The 4th bedroom is

downstairs and we were using it as a workout room. We had two boys in

one room and two in another. He recently asked if he could have the

room downstairs because he wants privacy and his brother to stop

touching his stuff.

>

> Most of these things I wasn't really concerned about. I'm not sure

what to make of them. Is he just being a kid? Or is it something

else? Our main concern is the germ phobia... to the extent it is.

>

> (30)

> Ontario, Canada

>

>

[Guest guest]

The kissing on the lips thing I can understand, but in

my family it's hugs and kisses on the cheek. Actually,

my daughter doesn't even feel comfortable with hugs

and kisses on the cheek and she definitely doesn't

have OCD.

> > My son is 8 years old. He has always been afraid

> of kissing people

> (even us!) on the lips. Since he was 4 he would

> pucker his lips and

> turn his cheek for us to kiss him. He'll kiss us on

> the cheeks but

> then he'll wipe his mouth after a few times to wipe

> the " germs " off.

The germ worries do sound OCD-like to me. My

unprofessional guess is that your son may have some

mild OCD (or potential OCD) at this point. I'd

recommend you go to the library and take a look at

some books on OCD and treatment (Tamar Chansky's book

is a good one).

> Now his fear of germs have gotten so bad. He will

> just be sitting

> there and all of a sudden spit then wipe his mouth

> clean. He does

> this obsessively. When I ask him to stop spitting he

> yells, " I can't!

> Germs! I don't like germs! " > >

A possible tic. Do you remember when this started? Has

it been going on for a long time? General tics are not

unusual in young boys and often go away. But sometimes

they don't so it's something to watch.

> > Also, we have noticed that he blinks a lot, like

> he has something

> in his eye. It's very frequent.> >

I think, even if you feel all of this is pretty mild

and a professional evaluation isn't needed, you should

still consider reading some books on OCD and Cognitive

Behavioral Therapy. Learning how to deal with mild

obsessiveness (using cognitive behavioral therapy and

ERP) will only help keep it from becoming a problem.

Chances are, it may never get worse than what it

currently is, but just in case it does, you'd be much

better off learning about it now. I wish I would have

caught my son's OCD at a much earlier stage. It would

have made this all much easier.

Best of luck to you!

Tess

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Dear ,

My son started the OCD when he was 5 on the day following his 5 year

vaccinations. He was wiping his mouth (maybe 500 times per day) and also

spitting (more than 500 times a day) but those turned out to be tics. He also

got OCD at the same time which basically started with worrying about germs,

washing hands, avoiding touching things with his hands, being very picky about

the utensils being clean, etc. He is doing pretty well now as he has had about 4

months of weekly CBT-ERP therapy then about 7 months of monthly visits. He is

also on penicillin all the time as he was PANDAS related.

>

> From: " Buggaboo " <mttzdl01@...>

> Date: 2006/02/09 Thu AM 10:30:41 EST

> < >

> Subject: Re: Re: New with questions, is it OCD?

>

> Hi Kerri,

> I was afraid of that. I'm not in denial but I didn't want to jump to

conclusions either. I always thought of OCD as someone who is constantly doing

the same thing over and over again. That doesn't seem to be Tyler's problem.

However, he DOES repeat everything he says in a whisper after he says it. I

completely forgot about that. I need to write these things down.

> Also, he does wipe his mouth to a point he leaves a rash there too.

> Thanks for your help.

>

> Re: New with questions, is it OCD?

>

>

> Hi ,

> Sorry to say this but it does sound like OCD. My son, now 18 at the

> age of 7 developed spitting.It happened after the neighbours sprayed

> weed killer and he thought he had swallowed some. He spat so much his

> chin was red raw. It went on for weeks and I can't remember but we

> somehow bribed him to stop. He has started spitting again lately but

> not as much. Also he started pulling one ear when he was about 10 as

> he thought his ears were't even(they were) This lasted a few

> months.This sounds similar to the blinking. Get some help now.A

> teenage OCD sufferer is a nightmare so get some help while he is young,

> Kerrie

>

>

>

>

>

> Our list archives, bookmarks, files, and chat feature may be accessed at:

/ .

> Our list advisors are Gail B. , Ed.D., Tamar Chansky, Ph.D.(

http://www.worrywisekids.org ), Dan Geller, M.D.,Aureen Pinto Wagner, Ph.D., (

http://www.lighthouse-press.com ). Our list moderators are Birkhan,

Castle, Fowler, Kathy Hammes, Joye, Kathy Mac, Gail

Pesses, and Kathy . Subscription issues or suggestions may be

addressed to Louis Harkins, list owner, at louisharkins@... ,

louisharkins@... , louisharkins@... .

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Not yet. I have been told that I may have to go out of town. Doctors are limited

where we are. I'm going to ask my family doctor if he can point us in the right

direction.

Re: New with questions, is it OCD?

Have you yet had a chance to start looking around your area for anyone

experienced with treating OCD?

[Guest guest]

Hi , this sounds like my son. I'm very new to this, can you tell me what

CBT-ERP therapy is? PANDAS?

Re: New with questions, is it OCD?

>

>

> Hi ,

> Sorry to say this but it does sound like OCD. My son, now 18 at the

> age of 7 developed spitting.It happened after the neighbours sprayed

> weed killer and he thought he had swallowed some. He spat so much his

> chin was red raw. It went on for weeks and I can't remember but we

> somehow bribed him to stop. He has started spitting again lately but

> not as much. Also he started pulling one ear when he was about 10 as

> he thought his ears were't even(they were) This lasted a few

> months.This sounds similar to the blinking. Get some help now.A

> teenage OCD sufferer is a nightmare so get some help while he is young,

> Kerrie

>

>

>

>

>

> Our list archives, bookmarks, files, and chat feature may be accessed at:

/ .

> Our list advisors are Gail B. , Ed.D., Tamar Chansky, Ph.D.(

http://www.worrywisekids.org ), Dan Geller, M.D.,Aureen Pinto Wagner, Ph.D., (

http://www.lighthouse-press.com ). Our list moderators are Birkhan,

Castle, Fowler, Kathy Hammes, Joye, Kathy Mac, Gail

Pesses, and Kathy . Subscription issues or suggestions may be

addressed to Louis Harkins, list owner, at louisharkins@... ,

louisharkins@... , louisharkins@... .

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi , this sounds like my son. I'm very new to this, can you tell me what

CBT-ERP therapy is? PANDAS?

Re: New with questions, is it OCD?

>

>

> Hi ,

> Sorry to say this but it does sound like OCD. My son, now 18 at the

> age of 7 developed spitting.It happened after the neighbours sprayed

> weed killer and he thought he had swallowed some. He spat so much his

> chin was red raw. It went on for weeks and I can't remember but we

> somehow bribed him to stop. He has started spitting again lately but

> not as much. Also he started pulling one ear when he was about 10 as

> he thought his ears were't even(they were) This lasted a few

> months.This sounds similar to the blinking. Get some help now.A

> teenage OCD sufferer is a nightmare so get some help while he is young,

> Kerrie

>

>

>

>

>

> Our list archives, bookmarks, files, and chat feature may be accessed at:

/ .

> Our list advisors are Gail B. , Ed.D., Tamar Chansky, Ph.D.(

http://www.worrywisekids.org ), Dan Geller, M.D.,Aureen Pinto Wagner, Ph.D., (

http://www.lighthouse-press.com ). Our list moderators are Birkhan,

Castle, Fowler, Kathy Hammes, Joye, Kathy Mac, Gail

Pesses, and Kathy . Subscription issues or suggestions may be

addressed to Louis Harkins, list owner, at louisharkins@... ,

louisharkins@... , louisharkins@... .

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Torrettes is something I'm definately going to ask about also. The spitting, the

blinking, the repeatative phrases and words, etc.

Re: New with questions, is it OCD?

,

I believe your son definitely has OCD. You should treat it

immediately because from what I've read, the sooner OCD is treated,

the better chance one has of managing it in the future. My son was

only 9 when he was diagnosed (really, by me who brought it to the

Dr's attention who definitely agreed). I immediately became very

proactive in helping him. I read everything I could possibly find

on the subject (still do). And along with his therapist, I heavily

engaged him in E & RP therapy which was very successful. Your son

must be in terrible pain if he says he hates his life. He needs to

understand what he has and that there are others who have it too,

and that there's nothing wrong with him, and that he will get

better. This alone will help him feel better. And the therapy and

meds will do wonders. Regarding the blinking, that may be OCD or it

may be Torrettes. Most of these diagnoses are " comorbid " meaning

you have more than one. For example, Torrettes is very common with

OCD or ADHD, or vice versa. Good luck to you.

Barbara

>

> Hello. My name is . I'm new to the list. My son has not been

diagnosed with OCD but after reading some of the things on it, I was

amazed at how many of the symptoms sound familiar. However, I'm not

100% convinced. I'd like to ask your advice and opinions before I

take him to the doctor. I hope that's alright? I don't want him

thinking there's something wrong with him if there isn't.

>

> My son is 8 years old. He has always been afraid of kissing people

(even us!) on the lips. Since he was 4 he would pucker his lips and

turn his cheek for us to kiss him. He'll kiss us on the cheeks but

then he'll wipe his mouth after a few times to wipe the " germs " off.

Now his fear of germs have gotten so bad. He will just be sitting

there and all of a sudden spit then wipe his mouth clean. He does

this obsessively. When I ask him to stop spitting he yells, " I

can't! Germs! I don't like germs! " He has a huge temper problem and

gets angry with us very easily. He will say things like, " I hate my

life. I wish my life was over. " and it tears me up so much to hear

this from him (especially at his age). I'm so afraid that if I don't

check into this deeper he will become suicidal in the future.

>

> Also, we have noticed that he blinks a lot, like he has something

in his eye. It's very frequent. The teachers called me on it asking

if he had his eyes checked at all. He needs glasses for reading but

the eye doctor said it's not serious enough to actually get the

glasses yet. We did anyway. He continues to " blink " obsessively.

>

> He has never said he thinks he's ugly, but he has expressed his

fear of getting ugly. He doesn't want to grow up and get a " grown-up

face " . I'm not sure what he meant by that. I figure he doesn't want

hair on his face(?)

>

> Also, about the routine having to be the same every day. He's not

like this. Although, when he plays with his friends everything has

to be " his " way. Certain things belong in certain spots and they

don't move unless he says it's okay. We went through this whole

thing about being " bossy " and he insists that " That's the way it has

to be " .

>

> We are a larger family, four children (all boys), my husband and I

and a dog. We have a small 4 bedroom home. The 4th bedroom is

downstairs and we were using it as a workout room. We had two boys

in one room and two in another. He recently asked if he could have

the room downstairs because he wants privacy and his brother to stop

touching his stuff.

>

> Most of these things I wasn't really concerned about. I'm not sure

what to make of them. Is he just being a kid? Or is it something

else? Our main concern is the germ phobia... to the extent it is.

>

> (30)

> Ontario, Canada

>

>

[Guest guest]

Dear ,

Pandas is kind of a sub-group of OCD - it is pediatric autoimmune neurologic

disorder (hopefully I got that right). Kids who have a sudden onset of OCD

symptoms as opposed to a gradual onset of symptoms may be PANDAS kids. It is a

theory that the immune system may overreact to a strep infection and the

antibodies more or less attack the brain (similar to rheumatic fever where the

antibodies attack the heart as a complication of strep) and result is OCD and

TICs usually along with some other symptoms. It is still not a widely accepted

theory however a number of well known universities are researching it. They tell

a bit about it on the NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) website.

CBT-ERP is cognitive behavior therapy with exposure response prevention. It is

the main therapy that can control OCD. It is not like talk talk talk therapy. It

is specific exposures to the fears that help to retrain the brain. Some people

also need medicines like Luvox,Prozac, etc in addition to the therapy. Unless

very severe, the best approach is to try the therapy first.

>

> From: " Buggaboo " <mttzdl01@...>

> Date: 2006/02/10 Fri PM 09:48:17 EST

> < >

> Subject: Re: Re: Re: New with questions, is it OCD?

>

> Hi , this sounds like my son. I'm very new to this, can you tell me what

CBT-ERP therapy is? PANDAS?

> Re: New with questions, is it OCD?

> >

> >

> > Hi ,

> > Sorry to say this but it does sound like OCD. My son, now 18 at the

> > age of 7 developed spitting.It happened after the neighbours sprayed

> > weed killer and he thought he had swallowed some. He spat so much his

> > chin was red raw. It went on for weeks and I can't remember but we

> > somehow bribed him to stop. He has started spitting again lately but

> > not as much. Also he started pulling one ear when he was about 10 as

> > he thought his ears were't even(they were) This lasted a few

> > months.This sounds similar to the blinking. Get some help now.A

> > teenage OCD sufferer is a nightmare so get some help while he is young,

> > Kerrie

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > Our list archives, bookmarks, files, and chat feature may be accessed

at: / .

> > Our list advisors are Gail B. , Ed.D., Tamar Chansky, Ph.D.(

http://www.worrywisekids.org ), Dan Geller, M.D.,Aureen Pinto Wagner, Ph.D., (

http://www.lighthouse-press.com ). Our list moderators are Birkhan,

Castle, Fowler, Kathy Hammes, Joye, Kathy Mac, Gail

Pesses, and Kathy . Subscription issues or suggestions may be

addressed to Louis Harkins, list owner, at louisharkins@... ,

louisharkins@... , louisharkins@... .

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Dear ,

Pandas is kind of a sub-group of OCD - it is pediatric autoimmune neurologic

disorder (hopefully I got that right). Kids who have a sudden onset of OCD

symptoms as opposed to a gradual onset of symptoms may be PANDAS kids. It is a

theory that the immune system may overreact to a strep infection and the

antibodies more or less attack the brain (similar to rheumatic fever where the

antibodies attack the heart as a complication of strep) and result is OCD and

TICs usually along with some other symptoms. It is still not a widely accepted

theory however a number of well known universities are researching it. They tell

a bit about it on the NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) website.

CBT-ERP is cognitive behavior therapy with exposure response prevention. It is

the main therapy that can control OCD. It is not like talk talk talk therapy. It

is specific exposures to the fears that help to retrain the brain. Some people

also need medicines like Luvox,Prozac, etc in addition to the therapy. Unless

very severe, the best approach is to try the therapy first.

>

> From: " Buggaboo " <mttzdl01@...>

> Date: 2006/02/10 Fri PM 09:48:17 EST

> < >

> Subject: Re: Re: Re: New with questions, is it OCD?

>

> Hi , this sounds like my son. I'm very new to this, can you tell me what

CBT-ERP therapy is? PANDAS?

> Re: New with questions, is it OCD?

> >

> >

> > Hi ,

> > Sorry to say this but it does sound like OCD. My son, now 18 at the

> > age of 7 developed spitting.It happened after the neighbours sprayed

> > weed killer and he thought he had swallowed some. He spat so much his

> > chin was red raw. It went on for weeks and I can't remember but we

> > somehow bribed him to stop. He has started spitting again lately but

> > not as much. Also he started pulling one ear when he was about 10 as

> > he thought his ears were't even(they were) This lasted a few

> > months.This sounds similar to the blinking. Get some help now.A

> > teenage OCD sufferer is a nightmare so get some help while he is young,

> > Kerrie

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > Our list archives, bookmarks, files, and chat feature may be accessed

at: / .

> > Our list advisors are Gail B. , Ed.D., Tamar Chansky, Ph.D.(

http://www.worrywisekids.org ), Dan Geller, M.D.,Aureen Pinto Wagner, Ph.D., (

http://www.lighthouse-press.com ). Our list moderators are Birkhan,

Castle, Fowler, Kathy Hammes, Joye, Kathy Mac, Gail

Pesses, and Kathy . Subscription issues or suggestions may be

addressed to Louis Harkins, list owner, at louisharkins@... ,

louisharkins@... , louisharkins@... .

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Thanks so much , for clearing that up for me.

Re: New with questions, is it OCD?

> >

> >

> > Hi ,

> > Sorry to say this but it does sound like OCD. My son, now 18 at the

> > age of 7 developed spitting.It happened after the neighbours sprayed

> > weed killer and he thought he had swallowed some. He spat so much his

> > chin was red raw. It went on for weeks and I can't remember but we

> > somehow bribed him to stop. He has started spitting again lately but

> > not as much. Also he started pulling one ear when he was about 10 as

> > he thought his ears were't even(they were) This lasted a few

> > months.This sounds similar to the blinking. Get some help now.A

> > teenage OCD sufferer is a nightmare so get some help while he is

young,

> > Kerrie

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > Our list archives, bookmarks, files, and chat feature may be accessed

at: / .

> > Our list advisors are Gail B. , Ed.D., Tamar Chansky, Ph.D.(

http://www.worrywisekids.org ), Dan Geller, M.D.,Aureen Pinto Wagner, Ph.D., (

http://www.lighthouse-press.com ). Our list moderators are Birkhan,

Castle, Fowler, Kathy Hammes, Joye, Kathy Mac, Gail

Pesses, and Kathy . Subscription issues or suggestions may be

addressed to Louis Harkins, list owner, at louisharkins@... ,

louisharkins@... , louisharkins@... .

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >