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[Guest guest]

Hi, my name is Bobbi and I live in Northern California. I just got

back from the OCD Conference in Atlanta Georgia with my daughter

Molly 8, and my sister. My daughter hasn't officially been diagnosed

with OCD, because it comes and goes. I learned so much at the

conference and I feel positive that she has ocd. There are not many

specialists in my area, so the person that diagnosed her (not a

specialist)said it wasn't OCD because it comes and goes. I am now

looking for one, though out of the area, to take her too. Right now

she is happy and fine. She does ask to know every detail of the day

and how long until we do the next thing. She started last year with

worries. Worries about leaving a friend out, hurting someones

feelings, having a bad thought about someone, cussing, and holding

up what she called, " the bad finger " . Then I joined weight watchers

and she started having bad thoughts about me and my weight. She

thought it about it constantly and felt compelled to tell me her

thoughts. She would also cry about it alot and compare me to big

things and other people. I took her to her pediatrition who asked if

I had anyone in the family with ocd. I said no and was basically

kind of insulted. He suggested I give her time outs if she threw a

fit because she had to tell me the thought, give her more attention,

and get back to him. She got over it soon after that. Then this

year, around Easter, the worries about cussing and flipping people

off came out again. Then we had an episode about her touching the

counter where I had put meat out to thaw. Her Dad said something to

her about her needing to wash her hands because it could make her

sick. Then started the handwashing. I didn't think it was a problem

until her hands got chapped and red. She also would just look at

something and worry that she had touched it even though she hadn't.

Then she would have to wash her hands. She had to make up excuses to

go to the bathroom at school just so she could was her hands if she

saw another childs underwear or something for fear that she had

touched it. Then came the bad thoughts about other people.

Espeically handicapped or different people. She constantly asked me

for reasurance. I finally took her to a mental health councelor for

an evaluation. At that time she was better and had no symptoms. The

councelor thought it was just anxiety because I had helped her

through it and she got over it. In the mean time, I had been talking

to McInvale through emails. She really thought Molly had ocd

and that I should come to the conference in Atlanta. I was feeling

that she had it also, so I went. I learned so much and it was so

weird to see her symptoms in black in white on the handouts we got.

But, at the same time I felt a wave of dread. This is not what I

wanted it to be. I'm scared and i would really like some other

parents to talk to. I got the book, " what to do when your child has

ocd " and it is very helpful and informative. I can barely put it

down. I am trying not to obsess myself about it, because at the

moment, she is fine and it is not interfearing with our lives right

now. I plan to take her to a specialist for evaluation as soon as I

can. Thanks for listening. Bobbi