Re: Obsession Only - Many Questions

[Guest guest]

Hi Tamara. I can't answer all of your questions, but I have experience with a

couple. I thought my daughter only had obsessions, but I was wrong. She had a

compulsion with her retainer, that she did at night, but I didn't know about

it until she didn't have to do it anymore. She also had a counting compulsion.

As a matter of fact, she would count all these things in her therapist's

office when she would try to get through her therapy time. Since she was doing

it

in her head we didn't know about it. She would also flee places when her

anxiety got to high, like restaurants and malls. There were others as well. We

just

didn't recognize them for what they were until she started making progress.

It could be the same with your son. Good luck, Kim

In a message dated 4/29/2006 2:26:53 PM Central Standard Time,

tamara_naranjo@... writes:

Do other parents in this group have a child with obsessions but no

compulsions?

- Is it possible that my son has hidden compulsions that he isn't admitting

to?

[Guest guest]

My 7 yr old son has OCD that are oriented around bad thoughts. Other

than his being afraid in public sometimes, you might not realize that

he has OCD. However, I have come to realize that his compulsions

(more mental in nature) are avoiding the situations that bring on his

bad thoughts and seeking reassurance.

Prozac is tough at first - they call it " activating " . However, any

concerns you have you should address with your doctor. Sometimes

grumpy and bad behavior is a result of the stress the kids

experience.

I have to believe that my son will have a fulfilling life. I can't

afford not to, although I always worry about his future. I have seen

him fare well on medication and smile and laugh and show his sweet

nature. The kids and grownups at school enjoy his company. Funny

you mentioned humor because he is quite a character at times and he

makes me smile everyday.

Read up and become educated about OCD. Visit this wonderful place

and an inperson group too for you and your son.

Best wishes,

Bonnie

>

> My 10 year old son was finally diagnosed with OCD this week -

obsessions

> only. After discovering he has trichotillomania several months ago

(noticed

> a big bald spot on his head), I started looking for help. After a

3 month

> waiting period, when his hair pulling had subsided, he started

seeing a very

> nice but inexperienced counselor. She told me she was about to

declare that

> he has no anxiety disorder when my own counselor said that it

sounds like he

> has OCD. At bedtime, when he's alone with me, he would often

pound his

> head, sob uncontrollably and say that he couldn't take the

pressure. A few

> weeks later he admitted that he heard constant voices in his head

(his own

> thoughts), telling him that he is stupid, ugly, etc. and second

guessing

> everything he thought and did. He also imagines bad things

happening to us,

> worries about crime and war . . . etc. The psychiatrist this week

said that

> he has OCD and gave him prozac.

>

> Questions:

> - Do other parents in this group have a child with obsessions but

no

> compulsions?

> - Is it possible that my son has hidden compulsions that he isn't

admitting

> to?

> - Are the obsessive thoughts possibly more disturbing if he has no

> compulsions to diffuse the bad thoughts?

> - Are kids with just obsessions likely to develop compulsions later?

> - Is there anyone in MA who takes their child to the pediatric OCD

dept. at

> Mass. General Hospital?/ Is it worth going out of the way to go

there?

> - With the prozac, right away, (this is the 4th day), he started

having

> difficulty controlling his behavior. He says he feels that any day

he is

> going to run out of his classroom, down the hall, out the door and

then keep

> running. Maybe this example is a obsession, but in general, he has

been

> argumentative and acting out of control in public. Is this a

normal

> reaction to starting medication, or a sign that a different

medication is in

> order?

> - Can people with OCD still have fulfilling, enjoyable lives? (I

suspect

> that having a sense of humor about it is helpful).

>

> I look forward to any insight, advice, etc.

> Thanks!

> Tamara in MA

>

[Guest guest]

My 7 yr old son has OCD that are oriented around bad thoughts. Other

than his being afraid in public sometimes, you might not realize that

he has OCD. However, I have come to realize that his compulsions

(more mental in nature) are avoiding the situations that bring on his

bad thoughts and seeking reassurance.

Prozac is tough at first - they call it " activating " . However, any

concerns you have you should address with your doctor. Sometimes

grumpy and bad behavior is a result of the stress the kids

experience.

I have to believe that my son will have a fulfilling life. I can't

afford not to, although I always worry about his future. I have seen

him fare well on medication and smile and laugh and show his sweet

nature. The kids and grownups at school enjoy his company. Funny

you mentioned humor because he is quite a character at times and he

makes me smile everyday.

Read up and become educated about OCD. Visit this wonderful place

and an inperson group too for you and your son.

Best wishes,

Bonnie

>

> My 10 year old son was finally diagnosed with OCD this week -

obsessions

> only. After discovering he has trichotillomania several months ago

(noticed

> a big bald spot on his head), I started looking for help. After a

3 month

> waiting period, when his hair pulling had subsided, he started

seeing a very

> nice but inexperienced counselor. She told me she was about to

declare that

> he has no anxiety disorder when my own counselor said that it

sounds like he

> has OCD. At bedtime, when he's alone with me, he would often

pound his

> head, sob uncontrollably and say that he couldn't take the

pressure. A few

> weeks later he admitted that he heard constant voices in his head

(his own

> thoughts), telling him that he is stupid, ugly, etc. and second

guessing

> everything he thought and did. He also imagines bad things

happening to us,

> worries about crime and war . . . etc. The psychiatrist this week

said that

> he has OCD and gave him prozac.

>

> Questions:

> - Do other parents in this group have a child with obsessions but

no

> compulsions?

> - Is it possible that my son has hidden compulsions that he isn't

admitting

> to?

> - Are the obsessive thoughts possibly more disturbing if he has no

> compulsions to diffuse the bad thoughts?

> - Are kids with just obsessions likely to develop compulsions later?

> - Is there anyone in MA who takes their child to the pediatric OCD

dept. at

> Mass. General Hospital?/ Is it worth going out of the way to go

there?

> - With the prozac, right away, (this is the 4th day), he started

having

> difficulty controlling his behavior. He says he feels that any day

he is

> going to run out of his classroom, down the hall, out the door and

then keep

> running. Maybe this example is a obsession, but in general, he has

been

> argumentative and acting out of control in public. Is this a

normal

> reaction to starting medication, or a sign that a different

medication is in

> order?

> - Can people with OCD still have fulfilling, enjoyable lives? (I

suspect

> that having a sense of humor about it is helpful).

>

> I look forward to any insight, advice, etc.

> Thanks!

> Tamara in MA

>

[Guest guest]

Tamara,

I live in CT , and I have a 9 yr old dd diagnosed with ocd and possible bipolar.

I am taking her there on Monday for a study to rule out a co-morbid diagnosis

of bipolar. It is free. Actually, they are paying us to go.You could call them

and find out if they have any studies on ocd. The doctors there are awesome!

I've done lots of research!!

hugs

Judy

T Naranjo <tamara_naranjo@...> wrote:

Is there anyone in MA who takes their child to the pediatric OCD dept. at

Mass. General Hospital?/ Is it worth going out of the way to go there?

[Guest guest]

Tamara,

I live in CT , and I have a 9 yr old dd diagnosed with ocd and possible bipolar.

I am taking her there on Monday for a study to rule out a co-morbid diagnosis

of bipolar. It is free. Actually, they are paying us to go.You could call them

and find out if they have any studies on ocd. The doctors there are awesome!

I've done lots of research!!

hugs

Judy

T Naranjo <tamara_naranjo@...> wrote:

Is there anyone in MA who takes their child to the pediatric OCD dept. at

Mass. General Hospital?/ Is it worth going out of the way to go there?

[Guest guest]

Hi Tamara! I have a son, age 17, with OCD.

You asked:

> - Do other parents in this group have a child with obsessions but

no compulsions? AND

> - Is it possible that my son has hidden compulsions that he isn't

admitting to?

**Well right now my son is dealing with scrupulosity/religious issues

and bad thoughts. This began earlier this year. So that seems like

what we are dealing with now. Although I know sometimes his

responses/compulsions are to pray. But my understanding is that even

though it seems there are only " thoughts " , there are also compulsions

although we may not recognize them (and the sufferer may not actually

realize what it is). Here's an excerpt from an article by Dr. Fred

Penzel on it:

" Morbid thoughts can be extremely unpleasant, ugly and debilitating,

but they are not unbeatable. One word of caution: we lack valid

treatment studies here, so I must draw on my own ten years of

clinical experience with OCD. I believe that morbid obsessions must

be treated behaviorally by gradual and direct confrontation via

exposure and response prevention (E & RP). The thoughts themselves are

easy to identify, however, many clinicians fail to spot the

compulsive avoidance maneuvers that people use to escape the

accompanying anxiety. Where these compulsions are happening out in

the open, e.g. questioning, praying or touching rituals, counting, or

simple physical avoidance, they are, again, possible to spot and

suppress. What are less easy to identify are the mental compulsions,

designed to neutralize the thought or ensure that the feared event

will not happen. If these are not also dealt with, the treatment will

not be a successful one. I have rarely seen someone have a morbid

thought without having some type of accompanying compulsion. Mental

compulsions may include thinking opposite or neutralizing thoughts,

images, words, numbers or prayers, or arranging thoughts in a special

order, to name a few. Despite the fact that you may be confronting

the thoughts, the mental compulsions will still be relieving the

anxiety, thus strengthening both the need to keep ritualizing, as

well as the belief in the thoughts. "

http://www.homestead.com/westsuffolkpsych/Treat_Morbid.html

Other articles are at:

http://www.homestead.com/westsuffolkpsych/Articles.html

You asked:

> - Are the obsessive thoughts possibly more disturbing if he has no

compulsions to diffuse the bad thoughts?

**Again, the article above and also others have said the same as the

article about compulsions/rituals that go with thoughts. But I

personally would agree with your thought above, it being more

disturbing anxiety-wise if there wasn't anything that diffused the

bad thoughts/anxiety.

> - Are kids with just obsessions likely to develop compulsions later?

**Don't know! I will say the first " go-round " with OCD with

was in 6th grade. And that was mostly rituals/compulsions, things I

could actually see. He did have some mental things going on, but I

don't know that there were *bad thoughts* at least nothing like now.

But I would watch him and it was like he had some *mental* thing

going on, would be concentrating on it, trying to get through it, etc.

> - With the prozac, right away, (this is the 4th day), he started

having difficulty controlling his behavior. He says he feels that

any day he is going to run out of his classroom, down the hall, out

the door and then keep running. Maybe this example is a obsession,

but in general, he has been argumentative and acting out of control

in public. Is this a normal reaction to starting medication, or a

sign that a different medication is in order?

**I've read it can take a week or so for initial side effects to

pass. If a child is putting themselves in danger or any of those

side effects are too difficult/bad, let the doctor know. They might

want to decrease the dosage or try another medication. Some kids

need to go up very slowly on medication; some adults too! And many

parents here have had to trial more than one medication for OCD until

they hit on *the* one that works for their child. Sometimes another

medication is added too.

> - Can people with OCD still have fulfilling, enjoyable lives? (I

suspect that having a sense of humor about it is helpful).

**YES!!!!

Hope this helps a bit!

-- In , " T Naranjo "

<tamara_naranjo@...> wrote:

>

> My 10 year old son was finally diagnosed with OCD this week -

obsessions

> only. After discovering he has trichotillomania several months ago

(noticed

> a big bald spot on his head), I started looking for help. After a

3 month

> waiting period, when his hair pulling had subsided, he started

seeing a very

declare that

> he has no anxiety disorder when my own counselor said that it

sounds like he

> has OCD. At bedtime, when he's alone with me, he would often

pound his

> head, sob uncontrollably and say that he couldn't take the

pressure. A few

> weeks later he admitted that he heard constant voices in his head

(his own

> thoughts), telling him that he is stupid, ugly, etc. and second

guessing

> everything he thought and did. He also imagines bad things

happening to us,

> worries about crime and war . . . etc. The psychiatrist this week

said that

> he has OCD and gave him prozac.

>

> Questions:

> - Do other parents in this group have a child with obsessions but

no

> compulsions?

> - Is it possible that my son has hidden compulsions that he isn't

admitting

> to?

> - Are the obsessive thoughts possibly more disturbing if he has no

> compulsions to diffuse the bad thoughts?

> - Are kids with just obsessions likely to develop compulsions later?

> - Is there anyone in MA who takes their child to the pediatric OCD

dept. at

> Mass. General Hospital?/ Is it worth going out of the way to go

there?

> - With the prozac, right away, (this is the 4th day), he started

having

> difficulty controlling his behavior. He says he feels that any day

he is

> going to run out of his classroom, down the hall, out the door and

then keep

> running. Maybe this example is a obsession, but in general, he has

been

> argumentative and acting out of control in public. Is this a

normal

> reaction to starting medication, or a sign that a different

medication is in

> order?

> - Can people with OCD still have fulfilling, enjoyable lives? (I

suspect

> that having a sense of humor about it is helpful).

>

> I look forward to any insight, advice, etc.

> Thanks!

> Tamara in MA

>

[Guest guest]

I'm supposed to be heading out the door, but I wanted to jump in and say

that we thought for a couple of years that my DD had obsessive thoughts

only until casually one day when I was talking to her about it for the

zillionth time and asked if she does anything specifically to avoid

vomiting (her terrible obsessive thought), she said, " Oh, you mean like

when my brain tells me to pick 2 shirts in the morning and then pick my

favorite, but I have to wear the other one or I'll throw up at school? "

WHAT? This has been going on the whole time and she JUST thought to

mention it? Then she said, " Oh, like how I have to go up the stairs 2

at a time or I'll throw up? " So, there really were some changes she was

making in her behavior based on the thoughts. You may want to poke

around a little, because they aren't always obvious ones.

Dina

[Guest guest]

Hi Tamara,

Sounds a lot like my 10 yr old son (diagnosed in Nov 2005). He has purely

obsessional thoughts that he is going to die (just drop dead for no reason). He

does no compulsions but I am convinced (as is his therapist) that he has OCD.

His psychiatrist says she feels it is more separation anxiety disorder but does

not rule out OCD. It has been so bad that he has not gone to school by himself

for over 6 months unless I am with him every day. It has been a long haul but

he too started Prozac not too long ago and is doing good on it, but he is also

on an anti-anxiety medication called Klonopin to calm his nerves. He was never

an anxious child before, very strong self esteem and not shy ever. But when

this all started he would cry and say that he was going to die, and he would

feel like a big failure for not being able to do the things he used to do, and

he would apologize excessively (sorry, sorry sorry), he started picking at his

fingers and skin on his fingers like he never once did before... and I felt like

he was a totally different child. I do not think he hides compulsions, I just

think he has these bad OCD thoughts that are bullying him around. When he

started medication he was on Zoloft but when he had thoughts of wanting to die

(like he'd be better off dead and super depressed), I called the psychiatrist

and told him I wanted him off that medicine asap...it is important to go with

your gut, and you know your child best. The psychiatrist didn't agree with

going off Zoloft so I switched psychiatrists and found someone who is on the

same page as me and listens and responds very quickly. You may have to try

different medications to find the right one.

After going thought this now for 7 months, coming to terms with the condition is

hard, but with the right help (ERP and CBT therapy) and medication, I finally

see light at the end of the tunnel...it's a really super long tunnel

though...GEEZ!!!!

I too wonder if he will lead a normal life later on...and now I am thankful for

the smaller things and I have really lowered my expectations of him, to take the

pressure off (both him and me).

Take care,

Jane ~ Torrance, CA

p.s. this list is awesome...very comforting...if you want to talk more let me

know...

Obsession Only - Many Questions

My 10 year old son was finally diagnosed with OCD this week - obsessions

only. After discovering he has trichotillomania several months ago (noticed

a big bald spot on his head), I started looking for help. After a 3 month

waiting period, when his hair pulling had subsided, he started seeing a very

nice but inexperienced counselor. She told me she was about to declare that

he has no anxiety disorder when my own counselor said that it sounds like he

has OCD. At bedtime, when he's alone with me, he would often pound his

head, sob uncontrollably and say that he couldn't take the pressure. A few

weeks later he admitted that he heard constant voices in his head (his own

thoughts), telling him that he is stupid, ugly, etc. and second guessing

everything he thought and did. He also imagines bad things happening to us,

worries about crime and war . . . etc. The psychiatrist this week said that

he has OCD and gave him prozac.

Questions:

- Do other parents in this group have a child with obsessions but no

compulsions?

- Is it possible that my son has hidden compulsions that he isn't admitting

to?

- Are the obsessive thoughts possibly more disturbing if he has no

compulsions to diffuse the bad thoughts?

- Are kids with just obsessions likely to develop compulsions later?

- Is there anyone in MA who takes their child to the pediatric OCD dept. at

Mass. General Hospital?/ Is it worth going out of the way to go there?

- With the prozac, right away, (this is the 4th day), he started having

difficulty controlling his behavior. He says he feels that any day he is

going to run out of his classroom, down the hall, out the door and then keep

running. Maybe this example is a obsession, but in general, he has been

argumentative and acting out of control in public. Is this a normal

reaction to starting medication, or a sign that a different medication is in

order?

- Can people with OCD still have fulfilling, enjoyable lives? (I suspect

that having a sense of humor about it is helpful).

I look forward to any insight, advice, etc.

Thanks!

Tamara in MA

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[Guest guest]

Hi Tamara,

Yes, I do take my dd to MGH at the childrens psych dept. We drive

45 min one way (when there is no traffic LOL). I think it is

definitely worth the drive. WE see Dr Trainor for CBT and Dr.

for med mgmt. I feel they are both well versed in

Children/OCD. We went through many doctors looking for help before

we found MGH. Feel free to email me offline. We also have a small

Parent support group that meets once a month - very helpful for

sharing resources and venting! You are welcome to join us!

in Foxboro, MA

>

> My 10 year old son was finally diagnosed with OCD this week -

obsessions

> only. After discovering he has trichotillomania several months

ago (noticed

> a big bald spot on his head), I started looking for help. After a

3 month

> waiting period, when his hair pulling had subsided, he started

seeing a very

> nice but inexperienced counselor. She told me she was about to

declare that

> he has no anxiety disorder when my own counselor said that it

sounds like he

> has OCD. At bedtime, when he's alone with me, he would often

pound his

> head, sob uncontrollably and say that he couldn't take the

pressure. A few

> weeks later he admitted that he heard constant voices in his head

(his own

> thoughts), telling him that he is stupid, ugly, etc. and second

guessing

> everything he thought and did. He also imagines bad things

happening to us,

> worries about crime and war . . . etc. The psychiatrist this week

said that

> he has OCD and gave him prozac.

>

> Questions:

> - Do other parents in this group have a child with obsessions but

no

> compulsions?

> - Is it possible that my son has hidden compulsions that he isn't

admitting

> to?

> - Are the obsessive thoughts possibly more disturbing if he has no

> compulsions to diffuse the bad thoughts?

> - Are kids with just obsessions likely to develop compulsions

later?

> - Is there anyone in MA who takes their child to the pediatric OCD

dept. at

> Mass. General Hospital?/ Is it worth going out of the way to go

there?

> - With the prozac, right away, (this is the 4th day), he started

having

> difficulty controlling his behavior. He says he feels that any

day he is

> going to run out of his classroom, down the hall, out the door and

then keep

> running. Maybe this example is a obsession, but in general, he

has been

> argumentative and acting out of control in public. Is this a

normal

> reaction to starting medication, or a sign that a different

medication is in

> order?

> - Can people with OCD still have fulfilling, enjoyable lives? (I

suspect

> that having a sense of humor about it is helpful).

>

> I look forward to any insight, advice, etc.

> Thanks!

> Tamara in MA

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Dina,

Thank you for sharing your daughter's experience with me. My son did admit

today that there are things that he does in his head. He said something

about tapping,

but he didn't want to elaborate. My own therapist, who used to exclusively

see children,

said that when dealing with kids, you sometimes have to assume the opposite

of what

they say. In other words, therapists should not take what kids say at face

value, because

they often hide what is really going on. I'm now surprised that my son's

psychiatrist said

that he has obsessions only, since didn't own up to any. Maybe

the treatment

is the same whether or not he has compulsions in his head.

Tamara

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Thank you for the recommendation. I live in Plymouth, and I'm discouraged

with the level of

knowledge my son's therapist has with OCD. I have so many questions about

OCD and the

medication my son is taking, but the psychiatrist is only in the counseling

center office

1 day a week. I will definitely contact MGH. It sounds like I couldn't do

any better, as far as quality of care and knowledge about pediatric anxiety

disorders. Thank you very much for inviting me to

join your support group. Do both parents go, or just moms? Do the kids stay

home? Is there another parent in the group who has a child with mainly

obsessions? Since has just opened up about his OCD, and so far

has not exhibited any compulsions (I assume he does have some in his head),

I wonder if I might feel that I can't contribute to the group. Then again,

this e-mail group has already been extremely helpful. Thanks again.

Tamara

[Guest guest]

Hi Tamara, There is another parent from the Plymouth area that

occasionally posts - maybe he will see this and can give you soime

ideas for where to get treatment in your area. When you call MGH - ask

for Dr. Kathleen Trainor! She is excellent.

As for the support group - it is open to parents of children with OCD

or related disorders. We meet the third wed of the month at 10:00 a.m.

at the Foxboro library. WE have had mom's and dad's, no kids yet, but

we wouldn't turn them away. The conversation is adult oriented though.

Feel free to call me or email me offline.

in MA

[Guest guest]

Hi Tamara, There is another parent from the Plymouth area that

occasionally posts - maybe he will see this and can give you soime

ideas for where to get treatment in your area. When you call MGH - ask

for Dr. Kathleen Trainor! She is excellent.

As for the support group - it is open to parents of children with OCD

or related disorders. We meet the third wed of the month at 10:00 a.m.

at the Foxboro library. WE have had mom's and dad's, no kids yet, but

we wouldn't turn them away. The conversation is adult oriented though.

Feel free to call me or email me offline.

in MA