Re: Excessive worry in 8 1/2 year old son

[Guest guest]

:

You were the first email response I received from my contact with the group.

Thanks very much for sharing some of your story. I wish that the drugs for OCD

would show their effects as quickly as the Adderall does for the ADD, don't you?

I am becoming impatient with how long it takes to actually get the OCD under

control.

My biggest concern now is not really how inconvenient it is for the whole family

(though it does wear on all of us as you know), but how each " episode "

subsequently effects Luke. I've contacted a mental health hospital (Crittenton)

in our area. They have both an inpatient and outpatient treatment program. We

need more help than just the 15 minute psych visits we go to every few weeks. I

hope we can find a psychologist knowledgeable in this area.

One thing I have learned, you have to take the initiative as a parent to get the

best help for your child. I've been blessed with two very healthy boys until

these two diagnoses. I'm sure any parent dealing with an ill child for whatever

reason faces the same challenges. I'm a praying person, but usually find myself

resorting to that after I've tried everything else as I am a somewhat of a

control freak! Seriously though, I have found that trusting God for the outcome

of Luke's conditions and the health adult I want him to grow up to be, does take

a burden off me.

You hear parents say (before you have kids) that they would do anything for

their kids to keep them from harm. Isn't it the truth? When Luke is melting

down, I'd take it on myself 10 times over to spare him.

Thanks for allowing me to share, and thanks again for responding to my plea.

Keep in touch.

Warmly,

P.S. Is your daughter a part of the ocdkids support group? I signed Luke up

and am hopeful he can begin some internet friendships with kids who struggle

with his same or similar issues.

Re: Excessive worry in 8 1/2 year old son

Dear ,

Welcome to our group!! This group has been a life , or at least a

in Nevada

[Guest guest]

:

You were the first email response I received from my contact with the group.

Thanks very much for sharing some of your story. I wish that the drugs for OCD

would show their effects as quickly as the Adderall does for the ADD, don't you?

I am becoming impatient with how long it takes to actually get the OCD under

control.

My biggest concern now is not really how inconvenient it is for the whole family

(though it does wear on all of us as you know), but how each " episode "

subsequently effects Luke. I've contacted a mental health hospital (Crittenton)

in our area. They have both an inpatient and outpatient treatment program. We

need more help than just the 15 minute psych visits we go to every few weeks. I

hope we can find a psychologist knowledgeable in this area.

One thing I have learned, you have to take the initiative as a parent to get the

best help for your child. I've been blessed with two very healthy boys until

these two diagnoses. I'm sure any parent dealing with an ill child for whatever

reason faces the same challenges. I'm a praying person, but usually find myself

resorting to that after I've tried everything else as I am a somewhat of a

control freak! Seriously though, I have found that trusting God for the outcome

of Luke's conditions and the health adult I want him to grow up to be, does take

a burden off me.

You hear parents say (before you have kids) that they would do anything for

their kids to keep them from harm. Isn't it the truth? When Luke is melting

down, I'd take it on myself 10 times over to spare him.

Thanks for allowing me to share, and thanks again for responding to my plea.

Keep in touch.

Warmly,

P.S. Is your daughter a part of the ocdkids support group? I signed Luke up

and am hopeful he can begin some internet friendships with kids who struggle

with his same or similar issues.

Re: Excessive worry in 8 1/2 year old son

Dear ,

Welcome to our group!! This group has been a life , or at least a

in Nevada

[Guest guest]

:

You were the first email response I received from my contact with the group.

Thanks very much for sharing some of your story. I wish that the drugs for OCD

would show their effects as quickly as the Adderall does for the ADD, don't you?

I am becoming impatient with how long it takes to actually get the OCD under

control.

My biggest concern now is not really how inconvenient it is for the whole family

(though it does wear on all of us as you know), but how each " episode "

subsequently effects Luke. I've contacted a mental health hospital (Crittenton)

in our area. They have both an inpatient and outpatient treatment program. We

need more help than just the 15 minute psych visits we go to every few weeks. I

hope we can find a psychologist knowledgeable in this area.

One thing I have learned, you have to take the initiative as a parent to get the

best help for your child. I've been blessed with two very healthy boys until

these two diagnoses. I'm sure any parent dealing with an ill child for whatever

reason faces the same challenges. I'm a praying person, but usually find myself

resorting to that after I've tried everything else as I am a somewhat of a

control freak! Seriously though, I have found that trusting God for the outcome

of Luke's conditions and the health adult I want him to grow up to be, does take

a burden off me.

You hear parents say (before you have kids) that they would do anything for

their kids to keep them from harm. Isn't it the truth? When Luke is melting

down, I'd take it on myself 10 times over to spare him.

Thanks for allowing me to share, and thanks again for responding to my plea.

Keep in touch.

Warmly,

P.S. Is your daughter a part of the ocdkids support group? I signed Luke up

and am hopeful he can begin some internet friendships with kids who struggle

with his same or similar issues.

Re: Excessive worry in 8 1/2 year old son

Dear ,

Welcome to our group!! This group has been a life , or at least a

in Nevada

[Guest guest]

Chris:

Thanks so much for your prompt response to my email. I've done a lot of reading

in the medical literature about strep playing a part in sudden onset of OCD.

Have you researched that any? Not that knowing the cause necessarily would make

things any better, I just found that research/connection interesting.

Certainly, the more " they " know about OCD the better it will be for our

generations to come as it appears to be an inherited disorder.

After reading your email I went back to the OCFoundation site and gathered more

information. This is our first " diagnosis " of this condition in my family,

though I think I exhibited signs as a child too. Therefore, I'm hungry for as

much information as I can find. Thanks again for your support and good advice.

I'll be in touch.

Warmly,

P.S. Is your son a part of the ocdkids support group on line? I signed Luke up

and am hopeful he will be able to " chat " with other kids who struggle with the

same problems he does.

Re: Excessive worry in 8 1/2 year old son

Hi , welcome!

I'm a single mom to a 13 y/o son who was diagnosed at around age 11.9

with OCD. He has a twin brother, and I have a 17 y/o also.

My son has what I call a " just right " type of OCD, seems to have to

do " things " or touch things, even think things, until he does

it " just right. " A lot of it seems to me to be mental and also a

physical sensation. And a lot of it is guesswork on my part as he

won't say much about it, but like you I haven't found a lot to read

about 's OCD " type. " Though he has had some of the typical

OCD behaviors too.

I know other parents in this group have mentioned behaviors just like

and similar to your son's many times, and they'll probably respond to

your note too. And I know that some of the kids also have ADD, and

we recently had some posts about Adderall. I read my posts at the

yahoo website, I'm not sure how the " email " works if that's how you

subscribe. But at the yahoo website at http://groups.yahoo.com/

where I sign in to the OCD and Parenting group, you can search and

read all the archived notes; like search for " Adderall "

or " reassurance " , etc.

I can identify with the meltdowns, had them really bad

towards the beginning and rarely now (at least compared to " then!) I

was also at a loss on how to handle him.

The OCD foundation website is a great place to start. They can give

you the names of any OCD therapists in your area, there's a list of

books, OCD info, med info.... Here's the link:

http://www.ocfoundation.org/

Another good link that I like is also below. I find this site very

educational on OCD and other disorders:

http://www.tourettesyndrome.net/adhd.htm

And below is a link from the above website page that has good info:

http://www.pediatricneurology.com/adhd.htm

My OCDer had the excessive worries when he was younger but

until he came up with some OCD behaviors I was more familiar with and

I began learning about OCD, I didn't realize they were OCD-related.

So he basically always had " some " behaviors but just seemed to get

hit " overnight " with OCD at the beginning of 6th grade.

Gotta go make supper for the kids! Please let us know how things go

with your family and your son!

> This is my first email to your group. I'm not exactly sure to whom

I

> am writing, and if I have directed this to the wrong person(s),

> please forgive me and kindly redirect me.

>

> I'm the mother of an 8 1/2 year old son who suffers from OCD in the

> form of excessive worry/doubt. He seems to get in a cycle of worry

> at times and nothing any of us in the family say can calm the

anxiety

> he is feeling until he is in fact done feeling that particular

worry.

>

> Secondly, meltdowns. There is no pattern to when the meltdowns

occur

> that we can tell, which makes our home like a ticking time bomb.

The

> meltdowns occur in a situation where my son feels that something

> should go or be a certain way, but for whatever reason we are

unable

> to make things be like that for him. For example, if we have left

> the house and he will have forgotten something he wanted to take

> along and we are too far from home to go back, he will get upset

and

> escalate into a meltdown crying and screaming uncontrollably that

he

> must have the thing he left. These situations can take up to an

hour

> for him to come down from. Essentially he just wears out from

being

> so upset. We try being stern and understanding, or to explain or

> even bring to his attention that it is not his fault he is feeling

so

> compelled about the " thing " he is obsessing over, that it is the

OCD

> that is making him feel that way. Thus far, we're apparently not

> doing or saying the right things and therefore the entire household

> has to wait out the meltdown. Afterwards, my son is left exhausted

> and feeling guilty and ashamed for having been so out of control.

>

> These obsessive thoughts and intrusive thoughts that occur over and

> over, or the need to apologize or check things with me over and

over

> has been diagnosed as OCD by two different psychiatrists and our

> family physician. My son is being treated with 50 mg of Luvox in

the

> morning and another 50 mg at night. In addition, he has just been

> diagnosed with ADD - innattentive form, and therefore is also

taking

> 10 mg of Adderal XR every morning. The Adderal has helped so much

> with schoolwork and homework. However, I wonder if its stimulant

> effect might not be making his OCD symptoms worse.

>

> I would really like to get into some type of behavorial therapy for

> my son, but feel that we must at least try to get his symptoms

> somewhat under control with medication first.

>

> My questions are:

>

> 1. Are there behavorial therapists that deal with childhood OCD in

> the Kansas City area? Where might I begin to find such a therapist?

>

> 2. Is it likely that the Adderal has heightened the OCD symptoms?

>

> 3. Is it safe to continue to increase the Luvox, which is what the

> psychiatrist is recommending?

>

> 4. Is there any medication for children that can be taken at the

> time of these meltdowns or anxiety attacks? He is unreasonable and

> emotionally out of control during them. They drain him mentally,

> emotionally and physically.

>

> 5. Finally, can you direct me to some good literature regarding

this

> type of OCD. I read a lot about counting, hoarding and cleaning,

but

> not as much on the type of problems my son suffers with as I've

> described above.

>

> Any information/direction you can provide is appreciated. Thanks

for

> your consideration. My email address is: msmichelle@k...

>

> Sincerely,

>

>

[Guest guest]

Chris:

Thanks so much for your prompt response to my email. I've done a lot of reading

in the medical literature about strep playing a part in sudden onset of OCD.

Have you researched that any? Not that knowing the cause necessarily would make

things any better, I just found that research/connection interesting.

Certainly, the more " they " know about OCD the better it will be for our

generations to come as it appears to be an inherited disorder.

After reading your email I went back to the OCFoundation site and gathered more

information. This is our first " diagnosis " of this condition in my family,

though I think I exhibited signs as a child too. Therefore, I'm hungry for as

much information as I can find. Thanks again for your support and good advice.

I'll be in touch.

Warmly,

P.S. Is your son a part of the ocdkids support group on line? I signed Luke up

and am hopeful he will be able to " chat " with other kids who struggle with the

same problems he does.

Re: Excessive worry in 8 1/2 year old son

Hi , welcome!

I'm a single mom to a 13 y/o son who was diagnosed at around age 11.9

with OCD. He has a twin brother, and I have a 17 y/o also.

My son has what I call a " just right " type of OCD, seems to have to

do " things " or touch things, even think things, until he does

it " just right. " A lot of it seems to me to be mental and also a

physical sensation. And a lot of it is guesswork on my part as he

won't say much about it, but like you I haven't found a lot to read

about 's OCD " type. " Though he has had some of the typical

OCD behaviors too.

I know other parents in this group have mentioned behaviors just like

and similar to your son's many times, and they'll probably respond to

your note too. And I know that some of the kids also have ADD, and

we recently had some posts about Adderall. I read my posts at the

yahoo website, I'm not sure how the " email " works if that's how you

subscribe. But at the yahoo website at http://groups.yahoo.com/

where I sign in to the OCD and Parenting group, you can search and

read all the archived notes; like search for " Adderall "

or " reassurance " , etc.

I can identify with the meltdowns, had them really bad

towards the beginning and rarely now (at least compared to " then!) I

was also at a loss on how to handle him.

The OCD foundation website is a great place to start. They can give

you the names of any OCD therapists in your area, there's a list of

books, OCD info, med info.... Here's the link:

http://www.ocfoundation.org/

Another good link that I like is also below. I find this site very

educational on OCD and other disorders:

http://www.tourettesyndrome.net/adhd.htm

And below is a link from the above website page that has good info:

http://www.pediatricneurology.com/adhd.htm

My OCDer had the excessive worries when he was younger but

until he came up with some OCD behaviors I was more familiar with and

I began learning about OCD, I didn't realize they were OCD-related.

So he basically always had " some " behaviors but just seemed to get

hit " overnight " with OCD at the beginning of 6th grade.

Gotta go make supper for the kids! Please let us know how things go

with your family and your son!

> This is my first email to your group. I'm not exactly sure to whom

I

> am writing, and if I have directed this to the wrong person(s),

> please forgive me and kindly redirect me.

>

> I'm the mother of an 8 1/2 year old son who suffers from OCD in the

> form of excessive worry/doubt. He seems to get in a cycle of worry

> at times and nothing any of us in the family say can calm the

anxiety

> he is feeling until he is in fact done feeling that particular

worry.

>

> Secondly, meltdowns. There is no pattern to when the meltdowns

occur

> that we can tell, which makes our home like a ticking time bomb.

The

> meltdowns occur in a situation where my son feels that something

> should go or be a certain way, but for whatever reason we are

unable

> to make things be like that for him. For example, if we have left

> the house and he will have forgotten something he wanted to take

> along and we are too far from home to go back, he will get upset

and

> escalate into a meltdown crying and screaming uncontrollably that

he

> must have the thing he left. These situations can take up to an

hour

> for him to come down from. Essentially he just wears out from

being

> so upset. We try being stern and understanding, or to explain or

> even bring to his attention that it is not his fault he is feeling

so

> compelled about the " thing " he is obsessing over, that it is the

OCD

> that is making him feel that way. Thus far, we're apparently not

> doing or saying the right things and therefore the entire household

> has to wait out the meltdown. Afterwards, my son is left exhausted

> and feeling guilty and ashamed for having been so out of control.

>

> These obsessive thoughts and intrusive thoughts that occur over and

> over, or the need to apologize or check things with me over and

over

> has been diagnosed as OCD by two different psychiatrists and our

> family physician. My son is being treated with 50 mg of Luvox in

the

> morning and another 50 mg at night. In addition, he has just been

> diagnosed with ADD - innattentive form, and therefore is also

taking

> 10 mg of Adderal XR every morning. The Adderal has helped so much

> with schoolwork and homework. However, I wonder if its stimulant

> effect might not be making his OCD symptoms worse.

>

> I would really like to get into some type of behavorial therapy for

> my son, but feel that we must at least try to get his symptoms

> somewhat under control with medication first.

>

> My questions are:

>

> 1. Are there behavorial therapists that deal with childhood OCD in

> the Kansas City area? Where might I begin to find such a therapist?

>

> 2. Is it likely that the Adderal has heightened the OCD symptoms?

>

> 3. Is it safe to continue to increase the Luvox, which is what the

> psychiatrist is recommending?

>

> 4. Is there any medication for children that can be taken at the

> time of these meltdowns or anxiety attacks? He is unreasonable and

> emotionally out of control during them. They drain him mentally,

> emotionally and physically.

>

> 5. Finally, can you direct me to some good literature regarding

this

> type of OCD. I read a lot about counting, hoarding and cleaning,

but

> not as much on the type of problems my son suffers with as I've

> described above.

>

> Any information/direction you can provide is appreciated. Thanks

for

> your consideration. My email address is: msmichelle@k...

>

> Sincerely,

>

>

[Guest guest]

Chris:

Thanks so much for your prompt response to my email. I've done a lot of reading

in the medical literature about strep playing a part in sudden onset of OCD.

Have you researched that any? Not that knowing the cause necessarily would make

things any better, I just found that research/connection interesting.

Certainly, the more " they " know about OCD the better it will be for our

generations to come as it appears to be an inherited disorder.

After reading your email I went back to the OCFoundation site and gathered more

information. This is our first " diagnosis " of this condition in my family,

though I think I exhibited signs as a child too. Therefore, I'm hungry for as

much information as I can find. Thanks again for your support and good advice.

I'll be in touch.

Warmly,

P.S. Is your son a part of the ocdkids support group on line? I signed Luke up

and am hopeful he will be able to " chat " with other kids who struggle with the

same problems he does.

Re: Excessive worry in 8 1/2 year old son

Hi , welcome!

I'm a single mom to a 13 y/o son who was diagnosed at around age 11.9

with OCD. He has a twin brother, and I have a 17 y/o also.

My son has what I call a " just right " type of OCD, seems to have to

do " things " or touch things, even think things, until he does

it " just right. " A lot of it seems to me to be mental and also a

physical sensation. And a lot of it is guesswork on my part as he

won't say much about it, but like you I haven't found a lot to read

about 's OCD " type. " Though he has had some of the typical

OCD behaviors too.

I know other parents in this group have mentioned behaviors just like

and similar to your son's many times, and they'll probably respond to

your note too. And I know that some of the kids also have ADD, and

we recently had some posts about Adderall. I read my posts at the

yahoo website, I'm not sure how the " email " works if that's how you

subscribe. But at the yahoo website at http://groups.yahoo.com/

where I sign in to the OCD and Parenting group, you can search and

read all the archived notes; like search for " Adderall "

or " reassurance " , etc.

I can identify with the meltdowns, had them really bad

towards the beginning and rarely now (at least compared to " then!) I

was also at a loss on how to handle him.

The OCD foundation website is a great place to start. They can give

you the names of any OCD therapists in your area, there's a list of

books, OCD info, med info.... Here's the link:

http://www.ocfoundation.org/

Another good link that I like is also below. I find this site very

educational on OCD and other disorders:

http://www.tourettesyndrome.net/adhd.htm

And below is a link from the above website page that has good info:

http://www.pediatricneurology.com/adhd.htm

My OCDer had the excessive worries when he was younger but

until he came up with some OCD behaviors I was more familiar with and

I began learning about OCD, I didn't realize they were OCD-related.

So he basically always had " some " behaviors but just seemed to get

hit " overnight " with OCD at the beginning of 6th grade.

Gotta go make supper for the kids! Please let us know how things go

with your family and your son!

> This is my first email to your group. I'm not exactly sure to whom

I

> am writing, and if I have directed this to the wrong person(s),

> please forgive me and kindly redirect me.

>

> I'm the mother of an 8 1/2 year old son who suffers from OCD in the

> form of excessive worry/doubt. He seems to get in a cycle of worry

> at times and nothing any of us in the family say can calm the

anxiety

> he is feeling until he is in fact done feeling that particular

worry.

>

> Secondly, meltdowns. There is no pattern to when the meltdowns

occur

> that we can tell, which makes our home like a ticking time bomb.

The

> meltdowns occur in a situation where my son feels that something

> should go or be a certain way, but for whatever reason we are

unable

> to make things be like that for him. For example, if we have left

> the house and he will have forgotten something he wanted to take

> along and we are too far from home to go back, he will get upset

and

> escalate into a meltdown crying and screaming uncontrollably that

he

> must have the thing he left. These situations can take up to an

hour

> for him to come down from. Essentially he just wears out from

being

> so upset. We try being stern and understanding, or to explain or

> even bring to his attention that it is not his fault he is feeling

so

> compelled about the " thing " he is obsessing over, that it is the

OCD

> that is making him feel that way. Thus far, we're apparently not

> doing or saying the right things and therefore the entire household

> has to wait out the meltdown. Afterwards, my son is left exhausted

> and feeling guilty and ashamed for having been so out of control.

>

> These obsessive thoughts and intrusive thoughts that occur over and

> over, or the need to apologize or check things with me over and

over

> has been diagnosed as OCD by two different psychiatrists and our

> family physician. My son is being treated with 50 mg of Luvox in

the

> morning and another 50 mg at night. In addition, he has just been

> diagnosed with ADD - innattentive form, and therefore is also

taking

> 10 mg of Adderal XR every morning. The Adderal has helped so much

> with schoolwork and homework. However, I wonder if its stimulant

> effect might not be making his OCD symptoms worse.

>

> I would really like to get into some type of behavorial therapy for

> my son, but feel that we must at least try to get his symptoms

> somewhat under control with medication first.

>

> My questions are:

>

> 1. Are there behavorial therapists that deal with childhood OCD in

> the Kansas City area? Where might I begin to find such a therapist?

>

> 2. Is it likely that the Adderal has heightened the OCD symptoms?

>

> 3. Is it safe to continue to increase the Luvox, which is what the

> psychiatrist is recommending?

>

> 4. Is there any medication for children that can be taken at the

> time of these meltdowns or anxiety attacks? He is unreasonable and

> emotionally out of control during them. They drain him mentally,

> emotionally and physically.

>

> 5. Finally, can you direct me to some good literature regarding

this

> type of OCD. I read a lot about counting, hoarding and cleaning,

but

> not as much on the type of problems my son suffers with as I've

> described above.

>

> Any information/direction you can provide is appreciated. Thanks

for

> your consideration. My email address is: msmichelle@k...

>

> Sincerely,

>

>

[Guest guest]

:

Thanks for responding to my email. Yes, finding this group looks like it will

be a God-send. Sometimes in my family we refer to being kind or supportive to

another as being " Jesus with skin " to another. This group is like " Jesus with

email " ! I too want to get the Worry Hill book, but think I will invest in Dr.

Chansky's book first since everyone raves about it so.

Do you find it difficult to find much on OCD that deals with the excessive

worry/doubting/checking? Thus far Luke does not show signs of some of the more

well known OCD symptoms and I find it comforting when I know there are other

kids who ask their moms 100 questions a day and insist on reassurance or an

answer, or who are overly conscientious of every moral or immoral thing in their

midst. I'm going to look for as much as I can on this and will let you know if

I come up with anything. Perhaps the books you suggested with cover that - I've

order Dr. Chansky's online and should receive it soon.

We are in Missouri. I don't suppose you live anywhere near the Midwest do you?

I would love it if Luke had some friends who understood and shared his similar

struggles. I have signed him up on the ocdkids support group. Is your daughter

on there?

Finally, keep a close eye on the ADD. I mistook his lack of attention at school

to be associated with his OCD. His psychiatrist told me that co-morbidity

(having more than one of these types of conditions at a time) is more the norm

than the exception. It was not a surprise to her at all that Luke's teacher

helped assist us in making the ADD diagnosis. I can't believe the difference

Adderall has made with his OCD and his teacher just raves about how much better

Luke is doing at school. I have to think this will boost his self esteem.

Plus, unlike the OCD meds, the meds for ADD take effect within 20-30 minutes, so

you will be able to ascertain right away if a particular drug is helping or not.

Take care, and keep in touch.

Warmly,

Re: Excessive worry in 8 1/2 year old son

Dear ,

Welcome. I also have an 8 yr. old (daughter) who suffers from Ocd,

and falls into the excessive worry/doubt category, as well as dealing

with many fears, and intrusive thoughts. She also has that need to

tell/confess/apologize. We haven't had her diagnosed as ADD or ADHD,

though I sometimes wonder.

I second the others' responses regarding Dr. Chansky's book. It's

the best one I've read so far, and covers a wide variety of

symptoms. It's specifically directed to parents, too, so that's very

helpful. I also liked some parts of Fred Penzel's " Obsessive

Compulsive Disorders " and he has a particularly poignant section on

accepting our children, in which he mentions dealing with this sort

of thing in his own family.

I plan to order Dr. Aureen Pinto Wagner's " Up and Down the Worry

Hill " as I've heard good things about it, but haven't read it yet.

Welcome to this forum -- I'm also pretty new here, and am finding

wonderful support. It's so nice to know we're not alone, isn't it?

Blessings,

> I'm the mother of an 8 1/2 year old son who suffers from OCD in the

> form of excessive worry/doubt. He seems to get in a cycle of worry

> at times and nothing any of us in the family say can calm the

anxiety

> he is feeling until he is in fact done feeling that particular

worry.

>

> 5. Finally, can you direct me to some good literature regarding

this

> type of OCD. I read a lot about counting, hoarding and cleaning,

but

> not as much on the type of problems my son suffers with as I've

> described above.

[Guest guest]

:

Thanks for responding to my email. Yes, finding this group looks like it will

be a God-send. Sometimes in my family we refer to being kind or supportive to

another as being " Jesus with skin " to another. This group is like " Jesus with

email " ! I too want to get the Worry Hill book, but think I will invest in Dr.

Chansky's book first since everyone raves about it so.

Do you find it difficult to find much on OCD that deals with the excessive

worry/doubting/checking? Thus far Luke does not show signs of some of the more

well known OCD symptoms and I find it comforting when I know there are other

kids who ask their moms 100 questions a day and insist on reassurance or an

answer, or who are overly conscientious of every moral or immoral thing in their

midst. I'm going to look for as much as I can on this and will let you know if

I come up with anything. Perhaps the books you suggested with cover that - I've

order Dr. Chansky's online and should receive it soon.

We are in Missouri. I don't suppose you live anywhere near the Midwest do you?

I would love it if Luke had some friends who understood and shared his similar

struggles. I have signed him up on the ocdkids support group. Is your daughter

on there?

Finally, keep a close eye on the ADD. I mistook his lack of attention at school

to be associated with his OCD. His psychiatrist told me that co-morbidity

(having more than one of these types of conditions at a time) is more the norm

than the exception. It was not a surprise to her at all that Luke's teacher

helped assist us in making the ADD diagnosis. I can't believe the difference

Adderall has made with his OCD and his teacher just raves about how much better

Luke is doing at school. I have to think this will boost his self esteem.

Plus, unlike the OCD meds, the meds for ADD take effect within 20-30 minutes, so

you will be able to ascertain right away if a particular drug is helping or not.

Take care, and keep in touch.

Warmly,

Re: Excessive worry in 8 1/2 year old son

Dear ,

Welcome. I also have an 8 yr. old (daughter) who suffers from Ocd,

and falls into the excessive worry/doubt category, as well as dealing

with many fears, and intrusive thoughts. She also has that need to

tell/confess/apologize. We haven't had her diagnosed as ADD or ADHD,

though I sometimes wonder.

I second the others' responses regarding Dr. Chansky's book. It's

the best one I've read so far, and covers a wide variety of

symptoms. It's specifically directed to parents, too, so that's very

helpful. I also liked some parts of Fred Penzel's " Obsessive

Compulsive Disorders " and he has a particularly poignant section on

accepting our children, in which he mentions dealing with this sort

of thing in his own family.

I plan to order Dr. Aureen Pinto Wagner's " Up and Down the Worry

Hill " as I've heard good things about it, but haven't read it yet.

Welcome to this forum -- I'm also pretty new here, and am finding

wonderful support. It's so nice to know we're not alone, isn't it?

Blessings,

> I'm the mother of an 8 1/2 year old son who suffers from OCD in the

> form of excessive worry/doubt. He seems to get in a cycle of worry

> at times and nothing any of us in the family say can calm the

anxiety

> he is feeling until he is in fact done feeling that particular

worry.

>

> 5. Finally, can you direct me to some good literature regarding

this

> type of OCD. I read a lot about counting, hoarding and cleaning,

but

> not as much on the type of problems my son suffers with as I've

> described above.

[Guest guest]

Vivian:

Thanks for responding specifically to my questions. I am so glad to have found

this group.

Our son too was given Risperdal for the meltdowns/anxiety. However, he was

lethargic and starving all the time. He gained 10 pounds in just a couple of

months. He visits his Dad once a week and he is the one who really brought to

my attention this difference in Luke. You know how living with them day in and

day out it gets hard to look at the situation objectively? We discontinued the

Risperdal and he seems much more like his old self, except that, of course, the

anxiety returned. We are going to try to control this with higher doses of the

SSRI (Luvox), but it may be in his future to add some other anti-anxiety med if

meltdowns like this past weekend continue. He was just spent on Monday morning

after that episode. Have you had any similar problems with the Risperdal?

Your comment about " enabling " really hit home. I know I'm not making the

situation any better as hard as I try. We are on the lookout for a psychologist

who can help us with some behavioral management techniques.

I will look right into getting the Worried No More and have order Dr. Chansky's

book online. Thanks again for your help.

Take care.

Warmly,

P.S. Is your son in the ocdkids support group? I signed Luke up and am hopeful

he will be able to " chat " soon with other kids who suffer from similar problems

as he.

Re: Excessive worry in 8 1/2 year old son

Hi ,

Welcome. I thought I would address your # 4 and 5

question.

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a " chill pill " ! When

our son was uncontrollable he was given Risperdal for

his rages.

One of the best lines of defense for getting the OCD

under control is the behavior therapy. So many things

factor into the behavior. How we react to them, is one

that can be a big trigger that sets up patterns of

enabling. Which leads me to # 5. I think that Aureens

Pinto Wagners book Worried No More, and Tamar Chankeys

book are excellent. Herb Gravitz book New Help for

the Family was a good one also. If the emotional

meltdowns are really bad I would recommend Dr. Greenes

book the Explosive Child. Each one of those books have

been great. Especially Worried No More which is brand

new,(from Lighthouse Press) and Freeing your Child

From OCD by Chansky.

This group has been like a rock for me. I have used it

for venting when there was no one else to understand

what our family was going through, and recieved much

needed support.

Again Welcome,

Vivian

4. Is there any medication for children that can be

taken at the

time of these meltdowns or anxiety attacks? He is

unreasonable and

emotionally out of control during them. They drain

him mentally,

emotionally and physically.

5. Finally, can you direct me to some good literature

regarding this

type of OCD. I read a lot about counting, hoarding

and cleaning, but

not as much on the type of problems my son suffers

with as I've

described above.

--- madamsboyers wrote:

> This is my first email to your group. I'm not

> exactly sure to whom I

> am writing, and if I have directed this to the wrong

> person(s),

> please forgive me and kindly redirect me.

>

> I'm the mother of an 8 1/2 year old son who suffers

> from OCD in the

> form of excessive worry/doubt. He seems to get in a

> cycle of worry

> at times and nothing any of us in the family say can

> calm the anxiety

> he is feeling until he is in fact done feeling that

> particular worry.

>

> Secondly, meltdowns. There is no pattern to when

> the meltdowns occur

> that we can tell, which makes our home like a

> ticking time bomb. The

> meltdowns occur in a situation where my son feels

> that something

> should go or be a certain way, but for whatever

> reason we are unable

> to make things be like that for him. For example,

> if we have left

> the house and he will have forgotten something he

> wanted to take

> along and we are too far from home to go back, he

> will get upset and

> escalate into a meltdown crying and screaming

> uncontrollably that he

> must have the thing he left. These situations can

> take up to an hour

> for him to come down from. Essentially he just

> wears out from being

> so upset. We try being stern and understanding, or

> to explain or

> even bring to his attention that it is not his fault

> he is feeling so

> compelled about the " thing " he is obsessing over,

> that it is the OCD

> that is making him feel that way. Thus far, we're

> apparently not

> doing or saying the right things and therefore the

> entire household

> has to wait out the meltdown. Afterwards, my son is

> left exhausted

> and feeling guilty and ashamed for having been so

> out of control.

>

> These obsessive thoughts and intrusive thoughts that

> occur over and

> over, or the need to apologize or check things with

> me over and over

> has been diagnosed as OCD by two different

> psychiatrists and our

> family physician. My son is being treated with 50

> mg of Luvox in the

> morning and another 50 mg at night. In addition, he

> has just been

> diagnosed with ADD - innattentive form, and

> therefore is also taking

> 10 mg of Adderal XR every morning. The Adderal has

> helped so much

> with schoolwork and homework. However, I wonder if

> its stimulant

> effect might not be making his OCD symptoms worse.

>

> I would really like to get into some type of

> behavorial therapy for

> my son, but feel that we must at least try to get

> his symptoms

> somewhat under control with medication first.

>

> My questions are:

>

> 1. Are there behavorial therapists that deal with

> childhood OCD in

> the Kansas City area? Where might I begin to find

> such a therapist?

>

> 2. Is it likely that the Adderal has heightened the

> OCD symptoms?

>

> 3. Is it safe to continue to increase the Luvox,

> which is what the

> psychiatrist is recommending?

>

> 4. Is there any medication for children that can be

> taken at the

> time of these meltdowns or anxiety attacks? He is

> unreasonable and

> emotionally out of control during them. They drain

> him mentally,

> emotionally and physically.

>

> 5. Finally, can you direct me to some good

> literature regarding this

> type of OCD. I read a lot about counting, hoarding

> and cleaning, but

> not as much on the type of problems my son suffers

> with as I've

> described above.

>

> Any information/direction you can provide is

> appreciated. Thanks for

> your consideration. My email address is:

> msmichelle@....

>

> Sincerely,

>

>

>

>

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Vivian:

Thanks for responding specifically to my questions. I am so glad to have found

this group.

Our son too was given Risperdal for the meltdowns/anxiety. However, he was

lethargic and starving all the time. He gained 10 pounds in just a couple of

months. He visits his Dad once a week and he is the one who really brought to

my attention this difference in Luke. You know how living with them day in and

day out it gets hard to look at the situation objectively? We discontinued the

Risperdal and he seems much more like his old self, except that, of course, the

anxiety returned. We are going to try to control this with higher doses of the

SSRI (Luvox), but it may be in his future to add some other anti-anxiety med if

meltdowns like this past weekend continue. He was just spent on Monday morning

after that episode. Have you had any similar problems with the Risperdal?

Your comment about " enabling " really hit home. I know I'm not making the

situation any better as hard as I try. We are on the lookout for a psychologist

who can help us with some behavioral management techniques.

I will look right into getting the Worried No More and have order Dr. Chansky's

book online. Thanks again for your help.

Take care.

Warmly,

P.S. Is your son in the ocdkids support group? I signed Luke up and am hopeful

he will be able to " chat " soon with other kids who suffer from similar problems

as he.

Re: Excessive worry in 8 1/2 year old son

Hi ,

Welcome. I thought I would address your # 4 and 5

question.

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a " chill pill " ! When

our son was uncontrollable he was given Risperdal for

his rages.

One of the best lines of defense for getting the OCD

under control is the behavior therapy. So many things

factor into the behavior. How we react to them, is one

that can be a big trigger that sets up patterns of

enabling. Which leads me to # 5. I think that Aureens

Pinto Wagners book Worried No More, and Tamar Chankeys

book are excellent. Herb Gravitz book New Help for

the Family was a good one also. If the emotional

meltdowns are really bad I would recommend Dr. Greenes

book the Explosive Child. Each one of those books have

been great. Especially Worried No More which is brand

new,(from Lighthouse Press) and Freeing your Child

From OCD by Chansky.

This group has been like a rock for me. I have used it

for venting when there was no one else to understand

what our family was going through, and recieved much

needed support.

Again Welcome,

Vivian

4. Is there any medication for children that can be

taken at the

time of these meltdowns or anxiety attacks? He is

unreasonable and

emotionally out of control during them. They drain

him mentally,

emotionally and physically.

5. Finally, can you direct me to some good literature

regarding this

type of OCD. I read a lot about counting, hoarding

and cleaning, but

not as much on the type of problems my son suffers

with as I've

described above.

--- madamsboyers wrote:

> This is my first email to your group. I'm not

> exactly sure to whom I

> am writing, and if I have directed this to the wrong

> person(s),

> please forgive me and kindly redirect me.

>

> I'm the mother of an 8 1/2 year old son who suffers

> from OCD in the

> form of excessive worry/doubt. He seems to get in a

> cycle of worry

> at times and nothing any of us in the family say can

> calm the anxiety

> he is feeling until he is in fact done feeling that

> particular worry.

>

> Secondly, meltdowns. There is no pattern to when

> the meltdowns occur

> that we can tell, which makes our home like a

> ticking time bomb. The

> meltdowns occur in a situation where my son feels

> that something

> should go or be a certain way, but for whatever

> reason we are unable

> to make things be like that for him. For example,

> if we have left

> the house and he will have forgotten something he

> wanted to take

> along and we are too far from home to go back, he

> will get upset and

> escalate into a meltdown crying and screaming

> uncontrollably that he

> must have the thing he left. These situations can

> take up to an hour

> for him to come down from. Essentially he just

> wears out from being

> so upset. We try being stern and understanding, or

> to explain or

> even bring to his attention that it is not his fault

> he is feeling so

> compelled about the " thing " he is obsessing over,

> that it is the OCD

> that is making him feel that way. Thus far, we're

> apparently not

> doing or saying the right things and therefore the

> entire household

> has to wait out the meltdown. Afterwards, my son is

> left exhausted

> and feeling guilty and ashamed for having been so

> out of control.

>

> These obsessive thoughts and intrusive thoughts that

> occur over and

> over, or the need to apologize or check things with

> me over and over

> has been diagnosed as OCD by two different

> psychiatrists and our

> family physician. My son is being treated with 50

> mg of Luvox in the

> morning and another 50 mg at night. In addition, he

> has just been

> diagnosed with ADD - innattentive form, and

> therefore is also taking

> 10 mg of Adderal XR every morning. The Adderal has

> helped so much

> with schoolwork and homework. However, I wonder if

> its stimulant

> effect might not be making his OCD symptoms worse.

>

> I would really like to get into some type of

> behavorial therapy for

> my son, but feel that we must at least try to get

> his symptoms

> somewhat under control with medication first.

>

> My questions are:

>

> 1. Are there behavorial therapists that deal with

> childhood OCD in

> the Kansas City area? Where might I begin to find

> such a therapist?

>

> 2. Is it likely that the Adderal has heightened the

> OCD symptoms?

>

> 3. Is it safe to continue to increase the Luvox,

> which is what the

> psychiatrist is recommending?

>

> 4. Is there any medication for children that can be

> taken at the

> time of these meltdowns or anxiety attacks? He is

> unreasonable and

> emotionally out of control during them. They drain

> him mentally,

> emotionally and physically.

>

> 5. Finally, can you direct me to some good

> literature regarding this

> type of OCD. I read a lot about counting, hoarding

> and cleaning, but

> not as much on the type of problems my son suffers

> with as I've

> described above.

>

> Any information/direction you can provide is

> appreciated. Thanks for

> your consideration. My email address is:

> msmichelle@....

>

> Sincerely,

>

>

>

>

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Vivian:

Thanks for responding specifically to my questions. I am so glad to have found

this group.

Our son too was given Risperdal for the meltdowns/anxiety. However, he was

lethargic and starving all the time. He gained 10 pounds in just a couple of

months. He visits his Dad once a week and he is the one who really brought to

my attention this difference in Luke. You know how living with them day in and

day out it gets hard to look at the situation objectively? We discontinued the

Risperdal and he seems much more like his old self, except that, of course, the

anxiety returned. We are going to try to control this with higher doses of the

SSRI (Luvox), but it may be in his future to add some other anti-anxiety med if

meltdowns like this past weekend continue. He was just spent on Monday morning

after that episode. Have you had any similar problems with the Risperdal?

Your comment about " enabling " really hit home. I know I'm not making the

situation any better as hard as I try. We are on the lookout for a psychologist

who can help us with some behavioral management techniques.

I will look right into getting the Worried No More and have order Dr. Chansky's

book online. Thanks again for your help.

Take care.

Warmly,

P.S. Is your son in the ocdkids support group? I signed Luke up and am hopeful

he will be able to " chat " soon with other kids who suffer from similar problems

as he.

Re: Excessive worry in 8 1/2 year old son

Hi ,

Welcome. I thought I would address your # 4 and 5

question.

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a " chill pill " ! When

our son was uncontrollable he was given Risperdal for

his rages.

One of the best lines of defense for getting the OCD

under control is the behavior therapy. So many things

factor into the behavior. How we react to them, is one

that can be a big trigger that sets up patterns of

enabling. Which leads me to # 5. I think that Aureens

Pinto Wagners book Worried No More, and Tamar Chankeys

book are excellent. Herb Gravitz book New Help for

the Family was a good one also. If the emotional

meltdowns are really bad I would recommend Dr. Greenes

book the Explosive Child. Each one of those books have

been great. Especially Worried No More which is brand

new,(from Lighthouse Press) and Freeing your Child

From OCD by Chansky.

This group has been like a rock for me. I have used it

for venting when there was no one else to understand

what our family was going through, and recieved much

needed support.

Again Welcome,

Vivian

4. Is there any medication for children that can be

taken at the

time of these meltdowns or anxiety attacks? He is

unreasonable and

emotionally out of control during them. They drain

him mentally,

emotionally and physically.

5. Finally, can you direct me to some good literature

regarding this

type of OCD. I read a lot about counting, hoarding

and cleaning, but

not as much on the type of problems my son suffers

with as I've

described above.

--- madamsboyers wrote:

> This is my first email to your group. I'm not

> exactly sure to whom I

> am writing, and if I have directed this to the wrong

> person(s),

> please forgive me and kindly redirect me.

>

> I'm the mother of an 8 1/2 year old son who suffers

> from OCD in the

> form of excessive worry/doubt. He seems to get in a

> cycle of worry

> at times and nothing any of us in the family say can

> calm the anxiety

> he is feeling until he is in fact done feeling that

> particular worry.

>

> Secondly, meltdowns. There is no pattern to when

> the meltdowns occur

> that we can tell, which makes our home like a

> ticking time bomb. The

> meltdowns occur in a situation where my son feels

> that something

> should go or be a certain way, but for whatever

> reason we are unable

> to make things be like that for him. For example,

> if we have left

> the house and he will have forgotten something he

> wanted to take

> along and we are too far from home to go back, he

> will get upset and

> escalate into a meltdown crying and screaming

> uncontrollably that he

> must have the thing he left. These situations can

> take up to an hour

> for him to come down from. Essentially he just

> wears out from being

> so upset. We try being stern and understanding, or

> to explain or

> even bring to his attention that it is not his fault

> he is feeling so

> compelled about the " thing " he is obsessing over,

> that it is the OCD

> that is making him feel that way. Thus far, we're

> apparently not

> doing or saying the right things and therefore the

> entire household

> has to wait out the meltdown. Afterwards, my son is

> left exhausted

> and feeling guilty and ashamed for having been so

> out of control.

>

> These obsessive thoughts and intrusive thoughts that

> occur over and

> over, or the need to apologize or check things with

> me over and over

> has been diagnosed as OCD by two different

> psychiatrists and our

> family physician. My son is being treated with 50

> mg of Luvox in the

> morning and another 50 mg at night. In addition, he

> has just been

> diagnosed with ADD - innattentive form, and

> therefore is also taking

> 10 mg of Adderal XR every morning. The Adderal has

> helped so much

> with schoolwork and homework. However, I wonder if

> its stimulant

> effect might not be making his OCD symptoms worse.

>

> I would really like to get into some type of

> behavorial therapy for

> my son, but feel that we must at least try to get

> his symptoms

> somewhat under control with medication first.

>

> My questions are:

>

> 1. Are there behavorial therapists that deal with

> childhood OCD in

> the Kansas City area? Where might I begin to find

> such a therapist?

>

> 2. Is it likely that the Adderal has heightened the

> OCD symptoms?

>

> 3. Is it safe to continue to increase the Luvox,

> which is what the

> psychiatrist is recommending?

>

> 4. Is there any medication for children that can be

> taken at the

> time of these meltdowns or anxiety attacks? He is

> unreasonable and

> emotionally out of control during them. They drain

> him mentally,

> emotionally and physically.

>

> 5. Finally, can you direct me to some good

> literature regarding this

> type of OCD. I read a lot about counting, hoarding

> and cleaning, but

> not as much on the type of problems my son suffers

> with as I've

> described above.

>

> Any information/direction you can provide is

> appreciated. Thanks for

> your consideration. My email address is:

> msmichelle@....

>

> Sincerely,

>

>

>

>

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Teddi:

Wow, I can't believe your pediatrician is taking such a stance on your concerns.

I would really recommend you having your son evaluated by a psychiatrist who

specifically works with children. Your son's questioning/anxiety reminds me so

much of Luke. Also, Yale University has a test you can take on line to assess

the degree of severity at which your son may be suffering from OCD. I can't

remember the exact sight, but I think you could search the web for it pretty

easily (i.e. " Yale OCD test " ). This test if compromised of the DSM IV criteria

that is used by doctors to diagnosis OCD.

I hope this helps. I think you are going to have to take a more aggressive

stand on your son's behalf since it doesn't appear you are getting much support

from the pediatrician. Good luck, and let us know how things go.

Warmly,

Re: Excessive worry in 8 1/2 year old son

Hello everyone,

I have been reading many of your letters Please help. Any advice is greatly

appreciated.

Teddi

Vivian Stembridge wrote:

Hi ,

Welcome. I thought I would address your # 4 and 5

question.

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a " chill pill " ! When

our son was uncontrollable he was given Risperdal for

his rages.

One of the best lines of defense for getting the OCD

under control is the behavior therapy. So many things

factor into the behavior. How we react to them, is one

that can be a big trigger that sets up patterns of

enabling. Which leads me to # 5. I think that Aureens

Pinto Wagners book Worried No More, and Tamar Chankeys

book are excellent. Herb Gravitz book New Help for

the Family was a good one also. If the emotional

meltdowns are really bad I would recommend Dr. Greenes

book the Explosive Child. Each one of those books have

been great. Especially Worried No More which is brand

new,(from Lighthouse Press) and Freeing your Child

From OCD by Chansky.

This group has been like a rock for me. I have used it

for venting when there was no one else to understand

what our family was going through, and recieved much

needed support.

Again Welcome,

Vivian

4. Is there any medication for children that can be

taken at the

time of these meltdowns or anxiety attacks? He is

unreasonable and

emotionally out of control during them. They drain

him mentally,

emotionally and physically.

5. Finally, can you direct me to some good literature

regarding this

type of OCD. I read a lot about counting, hoarding

and cleaning, but

not as much on the type of problems my son suffers

with as I've

described above.

--- madamsboyers wrote:

> This is my first email to your group. I'm not

> exactly sure to whom I

> am writing, and if I have directed this to the wrong

> person(s),

> please forgive me and kindly redirect me.

>

> I'm the mother of an 8 1/2 year old son who suffers

> from OCD in the

> form of excessive worry/doubt. He seems to get in a

> cycle of worry

> at times and nothing any of us in the family say can

> calm the anxiety

> he is feeling until he is in fact done feeling that

> particular worry.

>

> Secondly, meltdowns. There is no pattern to when

> the meltdowns occur

> that we can tell, which makes our home like a

> ticking time bomb. The

> meltdowns occur in a situation where my son feels

> that something

> should go or be a certain way, but for whatever

> reason we are unable

> to make things be like that for him. For example,

> if we have left

> the house and he will have forgotten something he

> wanted to take

> along and we are too far from home to go back, he

> will get upset and

> escalate into a meltdown crying and screaming

> uncontrollably that he

> must have the thing he left. These situations can

> take up to an hour

> for him to come down from. Essentially he just

> wears out from being

> so upset. We try being stern and understanding, or

> to explain or

> even bring to his attention that it is not his fault

> he is feeling so

> compelled about the " thing " he is obsessing over,

> that it is the OCD

> that is making him feel that way. Thus far, we're

> apparently not

> doing or saying the right things and therefore the

> entire household

> has to wait out the meltdown. Afterwards, my son is

> left exhausted

> and feeling guilty and ashamed for having been so

> out of control.

>

> These obsessive thoughts and intrusive thoughts that

> occur over and

> over, or the need to apologize or check things with

> me over and over

> has been diagnosed as OCD by two different

> psychiatrists and our

> family physician. My son is being treated with 50

> mg of Luvox in the

> morning and another 50 mg at night. In addition, he

> has just been

> diagnosed with ADD - innattentive form, and

> therefore is also taking

> 10 mg of Adderal XR every morning. The Adderal has

> helped so much

> with schoolwork and homework. However, I wonder if

> its stimulant

> effect might not be making his OCD symptoms worse.

>

> I would really like to get into some type of

> behavorial therapy for

> my son, but feel that we must at least try to get

> his symptoms

> somewhat under control with medication first.

>

> My questions are:

>

> 1. Are there behavorial therapists that deal with

> childhood OCD in

> the Kansas City area? Where might I begin to find

> such a therapist?

>

> 2. Is it likely that the Adderal has heightened the

> OCD symptoms?

>

> 3. Is it safe to continue to increase the Luvox,

> which is what the

> psychiatrist is recommending?

>

> 4. Is there any medication for children that can be

> taken at the

> time of these meltdowns or anxiety attacks? He is

> unreasonable and

> emotionally out of control during them. They drain

> him mentally,

> emotionally and physically.

>

> 5. Finally, can you direct me to some good

> literature regarding this

> type of OCD. I read a lot about counting, hoarding

> and cleaning, but

> not as much on the type of problems my son suffers

> with as I've

> described above.

>

> Any information/direction you can provide is

> appreciated. Thanks for

> your consideration. My email address is:

> msmichelle@....

>

> Sincerely,

>

>

>

>

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Teddi:

Wow, I can't believe your pediatrician is taking such a stance on your concerns.

I would really recommend you having your son evaluated by a psychiatrist who

specifically works with children. Your son's questioning/anxiety reminds me so

much of Luke. Also, Yale University has a test you can take on line to assess

the degree of severity at which your son may be suffering from OCD. I can't

remember the exact sight, but I think you could search the web for it pretty

easily (i.e. " Yale OCD test " ). This test if compromised of the DSM IV criteria

that is used by doctors to diagnosis OCD.

I hope this helps. I think you are going to have to take a more aggressive

stand on your son's behalf since it doesn't appear you are getting much support

from the pediatrician. Good luck, and let us know how things go.

Warmly,

Re: Excessive worry in 8 1/2 year old son

Hello everyone,

I have been reading many of your letters Please help. Any advice is greatly

appreciated.

Teddi

Vivian Stembridge wrote:

Hi ,

Welcome. I thought I would address your # 4 and 5

question.

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a " chill pill " ! When

our son was uncontrollable he was given Risperdal for

his rages.

One of the best lines of defense for getting the OCD

under control is the behavior therapy. So many things

factor into the behavior. How we react to them, is one

that can be a big trigger that sets up patterns of

enabling. Which leads me to # 5. I think that Aureens

Pinto Wagners book Worried No More, and Tamar Chankeys

book are excellent. Herb Gravitz book New Help for

the Family was a good one also. If the emotional

meltdowns are really bad I would recommend Dr. Greenes

book the Explosive Child. Each one of those books have

been great. Especially Worried No More which is brand

new,(from Lighthouse Press) and Freeing your Child

From OCD by Chansky.

This group has been like a rock for me. I have used it

for venting when there was no one else to understand

what our family was going through, and recieved much

needed support.

Again Welcome,

Vivian

4. Is there any medication for children that can be

taken at the

time of these meltdowns or anxiety attacks? He is

unreasonable and

emotionally out of control during them. They drain

him mentally,

emotionally and physically.

5. Finally, can you direct me to some good literature

regarding this

type of OCD. I read a lot about counting, hoarding

and cleaning, but

not as much on the type of problems my son suffers

with as I've

described above.

--- madamsboyers wrote:

> This is my first email to your group. I'm not

> exactly sure to whom I

> am writing, and if I have directed this to the wrong

> person(s),

> please forgive me and kindly redirect me.

>

> I'm the mother of an 8 1/2 year old son who suffers

> from OCD in the

> form of excessive worry/doubt. He seems to get in a

> cycle of worry

> at times and nothing any of us in the family say can

> calm the anxiety

> he is feeling until he is in fact done feeling that

> particular worry.

>

> Secondly, meltdowns. There is no pattern to when

> the meltdowns occur

> that we can tell, which makes our home like a

> ticking time bomb. The

> meltdowns occur in a situation where my son feels

> that something

> should go or be a certain way, but for whatever

> reason we are unable

> to make things be like that for him. For example,

> if we have left

> the house and he will have forgotten something he

> wanted to take

> along and we are too far from home to go back, he

> will get upset and

> escalate into a meltdown crying and screaming

> uncontrollably that he

> must have the thing he left. These situations can

> take up to an hour

> for him to come down from. Essentially he just

> wears out from being

> so upset. We try being stern and understanding, or

> to explain or

> even bring to his attention that it is not his fault

> he is feeling so

> compelled about the " thing " he is obsessing over,

> that it is the OCD

> that is making him feel that way. Thus far, we're

> apparently not

> doing or saying the right things and therefore the

> entire household

> has to wait out the meltdown. Afterwards, my son is

> left exhausted

> and feeling guilty and ashamed for having been so

> out of control.

>

> These obsessive thoughts and intrusive thoughts that

> occur over and

> over, or the need to apologize or check things with

> me over and over

> has been diagnosed as OCD by two different

> psychiatrists and our

> family physician. My son is being treated with 50

> mg of Luvox in the

> morning and another 50 mg at night. In addition, he

> has just been

> diagnosed with ADD - innattentive form, and

> therefore is also taking

> 10 mg of Adderal XR every morning. The Adderal has

> helped so much

> with schoolwork and homework. However, I wonder if

> its stimulant

> effect might not be making his OCD symptoms worse.

>

> I would really like to get into some type of

> behavorial therapy for

> my son, but feel that we must at least try to get

> his symptoms

> somewhat under control with medication first.

>

> My questions are:

>

> 1. Are there behavorial therapists that deal with

> childhood OCD in

> the Kansas City area? Where might I begin to find

> such a therapist?

>

> 2. Is it likely that the Adderal has heightened the

> OCD symptoms?

>

> 3. Is it safe to continue to increase the Luvox,

> which is what the

> psychiatrist is recommending?

>

> 4. Is there any medication for children that can be

> taken at the

> time of these meltdowns or anxiety attacks? He is

> unreasonable and

> emotionally out of control during them. They drain

> him mentally,

> emotionally and physically.

>

> 5. Finally, can you direct me to some good

> literature regarding this

> type of OCD. I read a lot about counting, hoarding

> and cleaning, but

> not as much on the type of problems my son suffers

> with as I've

> described above.

>

> Any information/direction you can provide is

> appreciated. Thanks for

> your consideration. My email address is:

> msmichelle@....

>

> Sincerely,

>

>

>

>

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Teddi:

Wow, I can't believe your pediatrician is taking such a stance on your concerns.

I would really recommend you having your son evaluated by a psychiatrist who

specifically works with children. Your son's questioning/anxiety reminds me so

much of Luke. Also, Yale University has a test you can take on line to assess

the degree of severity at which your son may be suffering from OCD. I can't

remember the exact sight, but I think you could search the web for it pretty

easily (i.e. " Yale OCD test " ). This test if compromised of the DSM IV criteria

that is used by doctors to diagnosis OCD.

I hope this helps. I think you are going to have to take a more aggressive

stand on your son's behalf since it doesn't appear you are getting much support

from the pediatrician. Good luck, and let us know how things go.

Warmly,

Re: Excessive worry in 8 1/2 year old son

Hello everyone,

I have been reading many of your letters Please help. Any advice is greatly

appreciated.

Teddi

Vivian Stembridge wrote:

Hi ,

Welcome. I thought I would address your # 4 and 5

question.

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a " chill pill " ! When

our son was uncontrollable he was given Risperdal for

his rages.

One of the best lines of defense for getting the OCD

under control is the behavior therapy. So many things

factor into the behavior. How we react to them, is one

that can be a big trigger that sets up patterns of

enabling. Which leads me to # 5. I think that Aureens

Pinto Wagners book Worried No More, and Tamar Chankeys

book are excellent. Herb Gravitz book New Help for

the Family was a good one also. If the emotional

meltdowns are really bad I would recommend Dr. Greenes

book the Explosive Child. Each one of those books have

been great. Especially Worried No More which is brand

new,(from Lighthouse Press) and Freeing your Child

From OCD by Chansky.

This group has been like a rock for me. I have used it

for venting when there was no one else to understand

what our family was going through, and recieved much

needed support.

Again Welcome,

Vivian

4. Is there any medication for children that can be

taken at the

time of these meltdowns or anxiety attacks? He is

unreasonable and

emotionally out of control during them. They drain

him mentally,

emotionally and physically.

5. Finally, can you direct me to some good literature

regarding this

type of OCD. I read a lot about counting, hoarding

and cleaning, but

not as much on the type of problems my son suffers

with as I've

described above.

--- madamsboyers wrote:

> This is my first email to your group. I'm not

> exactly sure to whom I

> am writing, and if I have directed this to the wrong

> person(s),

> please forgive me and kindly redirect me.

>

> I'm the mother of an 8 1/2 year old son who suffers

> from OCD in the

> form of excessive worry/doubt. He seems to get in a

> cycle of worry

> at times and nothing any of us in the family say can

> calm the anxiety

> he is feeling until he is in fact done feeling that

> particular worry.

>

> Secondly, meltdowns. There is no pattern to when

> the meltdowns occur

> that we can tell, which makes our home like a

> ticking time bomb. The

> meltdowns occur in a situation where my son feels

> that something

> should go or be a certain way, but for whatever

> reason we are unable

> to make things be like that for him. For example,

> if we have left

> the house and he will have forgotten something he

> wanted to take

> along and we are too far from home to go back, he

> will get upset and

> escalate into a meltdown crying and screaming

> uncontrollably that he

> must have the thing he left. These situations can

> take up to an hour

> for him to come down from. Essentially he just

> wears out from being

> so upset. We try being stern and understanding, or

> to explain or

> even bring to his attention that it is not his fault

> he is feeling so

> compelled about the " thing " he is obsessing over,

> that it is the OCD

> that is making him feel that way. Thus far, we're

> apparently not

> doing or saying the right things and therefore the

> entire household

> has to wait out the meltdown. Afterwards, my son is

> left exhausted

> and feeling guilty and ashamed for having been so

> out of control.

>

> These obsessive thoughts and intrusive thoughts that

> occur over and

> over, or the need to apologize or check things with

> me over and over

> has been diagnosed as OCD by two different

> psychiatrists and our

> family physician. My son is being treated with 50

> mg of Luvox in the

> morning and another 50 mg at night. In addition, he

> has just been

> diagnosed with ADD - innattentive form, and

> therefore is also taking

> 10 mg of Adderal XR every morning. The Adderal has

> helped so much

> with schoolwork and homework. However, I wonder if

> its stimulant

> effect might not be making his OCD symptoms worse.

>

> I would really like to get into some type of

> behavorial therapy for

> my son, but feel that we must at least try to get

> his symptoms

> somewhat under control with medication first.

>

> My questions are:

>

> 1. Are there behavorial therapists that deal with

> childhood OCD in

> the Kansas City area? Where might I begin to find

> such a therapist?

>

> 2. Is it likely that the Adderal has heightened the

> OCD symptoms?

>

> 3. Is it safe to continue to increase the Luvox,

> which is what the

> psychiatrist is recommending?

>

> 4. Is there any medication for children that can be

> taken at the

> time of these meltdowns or anxiety attacks? He is

> unreasonable and

> emotionally out of control during them. They drain

> him mentally,

> emotionally and physically.

>

> 5. Finally, can you direct me to some good

> literature regarding this

> type of OCD. I read a lot about counting, hoarding

> and cleaning, but

> not as much on the type of problems my son suffers

> with as I've

> described above.

>

> Any information/direction you can provide is

> appreciated. Thanks for

> your consideration. My email address is:

> msmichelle@....

>

> Sincerely,

>

>

>

>

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Dear ,

Welcome to our group!! This group has been a life , or at least a

sanity, saver for me at times. I have a nine and a half year old girl with

OCD, and like your son, she has recently been diagnosed with ADHD, primarily

inattentive. She is on Celexa for the OCD and 10 mg Adderall XR for the ADD.

The Adderall has helped tremendously with school and homework, and being able

to read and do the things she loves to do, but it HAS definetly increased the

OCD symptoms. Her psych. resisted trying a stimulant for a long time because

he was afraid this might happen (we tried Provigil for a year with moderate

success). I really feel for you - I know first hand how frustrating it is to

have two disorders and to never seem to have both under control at the same

time.

As far as Luvox, yes it's probably safe to increase the dosage. It

takes a high dose of antidepressants to affect OCD, especially for kids who

metabolize meds faster than adults.

One book which is invaluable for people like us is " Freeing your

child from OCD " by Tamar Chansky, who is (bless her soul) one of the

professional advisors to this list. Also the OCFoundation (on the web) has

lots and lots of good advice on medication and can also direct you to a good

therapist in your area.

The meltdowns you describe are, unfortunately, often part and parcel

of uncontrolled OCD. We are all familiar with them, to varying degrees. My

daughter tends to just be nasty and door-slammy rather than having full-blown

tantrums, but the cause is the same. In fact, we can always judge how her OCD

is doing by her irritability level.

Good luck to you, and write often - there are wonderful people on

this list with years of experience and lots of advice and encouragement!

in Nevada

[Guest guest]

Hi , welcome!

I'm a single mom to a 13 y/o son who was diagnosed at around age 11.9

with OCD. He has a twin brother, and I have a 17 y/o also.

My son has what I call a " just right " type of OCD, seems to have to

do " things " or touch things, even think things, until he does

it " just right. " A lot of it seems to me to be mental and also a

physical sensation. And a lot of it is guesswork on my part as he

won't say much about it, but like you I haven't found a lot to read

about 's OCD " type. " Though he has had some of the typical

OCD behaviors too.

I know other parents in this group have mentioned behaviors just like

and similar to your son's many times, and they'll probably respond to

your note too. And I know that some of the kids also have ADD, and

we recently had some posts about Adderall. I read my posts at the

yahoo website, I'm not sure how the " email " works if that's how you

subscribe. But at the yahoo website at http://groups.yahoo.com/

where I sign in to the OCD and Parenting group, you can search and

read all the archived notes; like search for " Adderall "

or " reassurance " , etc.

I can identify with the meltdowns, had them really bad

towards the beginning and rarely now (at least compared to " then!) I

was also at a loss on how to handle him.

The OCD foundation website is a great place to start. They can give

you the names of any OCD therapists in your area, there's a list of

books, OCD info, med info.... Here's the link:

http://www.ocfoundation.org/

Another good link that I like is also below. I find this site very

educational on OCD and other disorders:

http://www.tourettesyndrome.net/adhd.htm

And below is a link from the above website page that has good info:

http://www.pediatricneurology.com/adhd.htm

My OCDer had the excessive worries when he was younger but

until he came up with some OCD behaviors I was more familiar with and

I began learning about OCD, I didn't realize they were OCD-related.

So he basically always had " some " behaviors but just seemed to get

hit " overnight " with OCD at the beginning of 6th grade.

Gotta go make supper for the kids! Please let us know how things go

with your family and your son!

> This is my first email to your group. I'm not exactly sure to whom

I

> am writing, and if I have directed this to the wrong person(s),

> please forgive me and kindly redirect me.

>

> I'm the mother of an 8 1/2 year old son who suffers from OCD in the

> form of excessive worry/doubt. He seems to get in a cycle of worry

> at times and nothing any of us in the family say can calm the

anxiety

> he is feeling until he is in fact done feeling that particular

worry.

>

> Secondly, meltdowns. There is no pattern to when the meltdowns

occur

> that we can tell, which makes our home like a ticking time bomb.

The

> meltdowns occur in a situation where my son feels that something

> should go or be a certain way, but for whatever reason we are

unable

> to make things be like that for him. For example, if we have left

> the house and he will have forgotten something he wanted to take

> along and we are too far from home to go back, he will get upset

and

> escalate into a meltdown crying and screaming uncontrollably that

he

> must have the thing he left. These situations can take up to an

hour

> for him to come down from. Essentially he just wears out from

being

> so upset. We try being stern and understanding, or to explain or

> even bring to his attention that it is not his fault he is feeling

so

> compelled about the " thing " he is obsessing over, that it is the

OCD

> that is making him feel that way. Thus far, we're apparently not

> doing or saying the right things and therefore the entire household

> has to wait out the meltdown. Afterwards, my son is left exhausted

> and feeling guilty and ashamed for having been so out of control.

>

> These obsessive thoughts and intrusive thoughts that occur over and

> over, or the need to apologize or check things with me over and

over

> has been diagnosed as OCD by two different psychiatrists and our

> family physician. My son is being treated with 50 mg of Luvox in

the

> morning and another 50 mg at night. In addition, he has just been

> diagnosed with ADD - innattentive form, and therefore is also

taking

> 10 mg of Adderal XR every morning. The Adderal has helped so much

> with schoolwork and homework. However, I wonder if its stimulant

> effect might not be making his OCD symptoms worse.

>

> I would really like to get into some type of behavorial therapy for

> my son, but feel that we must at least try to get his symptoms

> somewhat under control with medication first.

>

> My questions are:

>

> 1. Are there behavorial therapists that deal with childhood OCD in

> the Kansas City area? Where might I begin to find such a therapist?

>

> 2. Is it likely that the Adderal has heightened the OCD symptoms?

>

> 3. Is it safe to continue to increase the Luvox, which is what the

> psychiatrist is recommending?

>

> 4. Is there any medication for children that can be taken at the

> time of these meltdowns or anxiety attacks? He is unreasonable and

> emotionally out of control during them. They drain him mentally,

> emotionally and physically.

>

> 5. Finally, can you direct me to some good literature regarding

this

> type of OCD. I read a lot about counting, hoarding and cleaning,

but

> not as much on the type of problems my son suffers with as I've

> described above.

>

> Any information/direction you can provide is appreciated. Thanks

for

> your consideration. My email address is: msmichelle@k...

>

> Sincerely,

>

>

[Guest guest]

Dear ,

Welcome. I also have an 8 yr. old (daughter) who suffers from Ocd,

and falls into the excessive worry/doubt category, as well as dealing

with many fears, and intrusive thoughts. She also has that need to

tell/confess/apologize. We haven't had her diagnosed as ADD or ADHD,

though I sometimes wonder.

I second the others' responses regarding Dr. Chansky's book. It's

the best one I've read so far, and covers a wide variety of

symptoms. It's specifically directed to parents, too, so that's very

helpful. I also liked some parts of Fred Penzel's " Obsessive

Compulsive Disorders " and he has a particularly poignant section on

accepting our children, in which he mentions dealing with this sort

of thing in his own family.

I plan to order Dr. Aureen Pinto Wagner's " Up and Down the Worry

Hill " as I've heard good things about it, but haven't read it yet.

Welcome to this forum -- I'm also pretty new here, and am finding

wonderful support. It's so nice to know we're not alone, isn't it?

Blessings,

> I'm the mother of an 8 1/2 year old son who suffers from OCD in the

> form of excessive worry/doubt. He seems to get in a cycle of worry

> at times and nothing any of us in the family say can calm the

anxiety

> he is feeling until he is in fact done feeling that particular

worry.

>

> 5. Finally, can you direct me to some good literature regarding

this

> type of OCD. I read a lot about counting, hoarding and cleaning,

but

> not as much on the type of problems my son suffers with as I've

> described above.

[Guest guest]

My 9yr old with Tourettes/OCD and ADHD has been on many med cocktails. His OCD

gives him the most trouble. ADHD a close second. We tried him on Adderall

several times, because didn't want to use Ritalin with Tourettes(tics). Each

time we tried with adderall, he thru the worst tantrums. He still has tantrums,

but not as often or as severe when we switch to Ritalin. His OCD still is not

under control. He is on Luvox (was on Prozac). He takes 100 mg a day. I would

have no problem trying to increase Luvox to see if any more improvement after so

many weeks. It is a long, long, road of trial and error. If you can, keep a

short med diary of major things you noticed that day and on what meds with any

exceptions (lack of sleep, event that overstimulated...) This helps to look

back on. Don't ignore your gut feelings either. No one knows your kid the way

you do.(Even though it can be pretty confusing with the disorder waxing and

waning and the effect of meds throughout.)The hard part is to calm down enough

(not panic) to make rational judgements. Pray, read for info, find the best

doctor you can find in your area, and try to relax and enjoy your kids when you

can. Don't constantly look at them as a problem to solve. You won't be able to

solve this. Yes, maybe you can make it better by monitoring meds, therapy,

school.... but don't waste all your precious time with the kids by worrying and

trying to make all the problems go away. Good luck, All of you are in my

prayers. Cheryl

madamsboyers wrote: This is my first email to your

group. I'm not exactly sure to whom I

am writing, and if I have directed this to the wrong person(s),

please forgive me and kindly redirect me.

I'm the mother of an 8 1/2 year old son who suffers from OCD in the

form of excessive worry/doubt. He seems to get in a cycle of worry

at times and nothing any of us in the family say can calm the anxiety

he is feeling until he is in fact done feeling that particular worry.

Secondly, meltdowns. There is no pattern to when the meltdowns occur

that we can tell, which makes our home like a ticking time bomb. The

meltdowns occur in a situation where my son feels that something

should go or be a certain way, but for whatever reason we are unable

to make things be like that for him. For example, if we have left

the house and he will have forgotten something he wanted to take

along and we are too far from home to go back, he will get upset and

escalate into a meltdown crying and screaming uncontrollably that he

must have the thing he left. These situations can take up to an hour

for him to come down from. Essentially he just wears out from being

so upset. We try being stern and understanding, or to explain or

even bring to his attention that it is not his fault he is feeling so

compelled about the " thing " he is obsessing over, that it is the OCD

that is making him feel that way. Thus far, we're apparently not

doing or saying the right things and therefore the entire household

has to wait out the meltdown. Afterwards, my son is left exhausted

and feeling guilty and ashamed for having been so out of control.

These obsessive thoughts and intrusive thoughts that occur over and

over, or the need to apologize or check things with me over and over

has been diagnosed as OCD by two different psychiatrists and our

family physician. My son is being treated with 50 mg of Luvox in the

morning and another 50 mg at night. In addition, he has just been

diagnosed with ADD - innattentive form, and therefore is also taking

10 mg of Adderal XR every morning. The Adderal has helped so much

with schoolwork and homework. However, I wonder if its stimulant

effect might not be making his OCD symptoms worse.

I would really like to get into some type of behavorial therapy for

my son, but feel that we must at least try to get his symptoms

somewhat under control with medication first.

My questions are:

1. Are there behavorial therapists that deal with childhood OCD in

the Kansas City area? Where might I begin to find such a therapist?

2. Is it likely that the Adderal has heightened the OCD symptoms?

3. Is it safe to continue to increase the Luvox, which is what the

psychiatrist is recommending?

4. Is there any medication for children that can be taken at the

time of these meltdowns or anxiety attacks? He is unreasonable and

emotionally out of control during them. They drain him mentally,

emotionally and physically.

5. Finally, can you direct me to some good literature regarding this

type of OCD. I read a lot about counting, hoarding and cleaning, but

not as much on the type of problems my son suffers with as I've

described above.

Any information/direction you can provide is appreciated. Thanks for

your consideration. My email address is: msmichelle@....

Sincerely,

[Guest guest]

My 9yr old with Tourettes/OCD and ADHD has been on many med cocktails. His OCD

gives him the most trouble. ADHD a close second. We tried him on Adderall

several times, because didn't want to use Ritalin with Tourettes(tics). Each

time we tried with adderall, he thru the worst tantrums. He still has tantrums,

but not as often or as severe when we switch to Ritalin. His OCD still is not

under control. He is on Luvox (was on Prozac). He takes 100 mg a day. I would

have no problem trying to increase Luvox to see if any more improvement after so

many weeks. It is a long, long, road of trial and error. If you can, keep a

short med diary of major things you noticed that day and on what meds with any

exceptions (lack of sleep, event that overstimulated...) This helps to look

back on. Don't ignore your gut feelings either. No one knows your kid the way

you do.(Even though it can be pretty confusing with the disorder waxing and

waning and the effect of meds throughout.)The hard part is to calm down enough

(not panic) to make rational judgements. Pray, read for info, find the best

doctor you can find in your area, and try to relax and enjoy your kids when you

can. Don't constantly look at them as a problem to solve. You won't be able to

solve this. Yes, maybe you can make it better by monitoring meds, therapy,

school.... but don't waste all your precious time with the kids by worrying and

trying to make all the problems go away. Good luck, All of you are in my

prayers. Cheryl

madamsboyers wrote: This is my first email to your

group. I'm not exactly sure to whom I

am writing, and if I have directed this to the wrong person(s),

please forgive me and kindly redirect me.

I'm the mother of an 8 1/2 year old son who suffers from OCD in the

form of excessive worry/doubt. He seems to get in a cycle of worry

at times and nothing any of us in the family say can calm the anxiety

he is feeling until he is in fact done feeling that particular worry.

Secondly, meltdowns. There is no pattern to when the meltdowns occur

that we can tell, which makes our home like a ticking time bomb. The

meltdowns occur in a situation where my son feels that something

should go or be a certain way, but for whatever reason we are unable

to make things be like that for him. For example, if we have left

the house and he will have forgotten something he wanted to take

along and we are too far from home to go back, he will get upset and

escalate into a meltdown crying and screaming uncontrollably that he

must have the thing he left. These situations can take up to an hour

for him to come down from. Essentially he just wears out from being

so upset. We try being stern and understanding, or to explain or

even bring to his attention that it is not his fault he is feeling so

compelled about the " thing " he is obsessing over, that it is the OCD

that is making him feel that way. Thus far, we're apparently not

doing or saying the right things and therefore the entire household

has to wait out the meltdown. Afterwards, my son is left exhausted

and feeling guilty and ashamed for having been so out of control.

These obsessive thoughts and intrusive thoughts that occur over and

over, or the need to apologize or check things with me over and over

has been diagnosed as OCD by two different psychiatrists and our

family physician. My son is being treated with 50 mg of Luvox in the

morning and another 50 mg at night. In addition, he has just been

diagnosed with ADD - innattentive form, and therefore is also taking

10 mg of Adderal XR every morning. The Adderal has helped so much

with schoolwork and homework. However, I wonder if its stimulant

effect might not be making his OCD symptoms worse.

I would really like to get into some type of behavorial therapy for

my son, but feel that we must at least try to get his symptoms

somewhat under control with medication first.

My questions are:

1. Are there behavorial therapists that deal with childhood OCD in

the Kansas City area? Where might I begin to find such a therapist?

2. Is it likely that the Adderal has heightened the OCD symptoms?

3. Is it safe to continue to increase the Luvox, which is what the

psychiatrist is recommending?

4. Is there any medication for children that can be taken at the

time of these meltdowns or anxiety attacks? He is unreasonable and

emotionally out of control during them. They drain him mentally,

emotionally and physically.

5. Finally, can you direct me to some good literature regarding this

type of OCD. I read a lot about counting, hoarding and cleaning, but

not as much on the type of problems my son suffers with as I've

described above.

Any information/direction you can provide is appreciated. Thanks for

your consideration. My email address is: msmichelle@....

Sincerely,

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Welcome. I thought I would address your # 4 and 5

question.

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a " chill pill " ! When

our son was uncontrollable he was given Risperdal for

his rages.

One of the best lines of defense for getting the OCD

under control is the behavior therapy. So many things

factor into the behavior. How we react to them, is one

that can be a big trigger that sets up patterns of

enabling. Which leads me to # 5. I think that Aureens

Pinto Wagners book Worried No More, and Tamar Chankeys

book are excellent. Herb Gravitz book New Help for

the Family was a good one also. If the emotional

meltdowns are really bad I would recommend Dr. Greenes

book the Explosive Child. Each one of those books have

been great. Especially Worried No More which is brand

new,(from Lighthouse Press) and Freeing your Child

From OCD by Chansky.

This group has been like a rock for me. I have used it

for venting when there was no one else to understand

what our family was going through, and recieved much

needed support.

Again Welcome,

Vivian

4. Is there any medication for children that can be

taken at the

time of these meltdowns or anxiety attacks? He is

unreasonable and

emotionally out of control during them. They drain

him mentally,

emotionally and physically.

5. Finally, can you direct me to some good literature

regarding this

type of OCD. I read a lot about counting, hoarding

and cleaning, but

not as much on the type of problems my son suffers

with as I've

described above.

--- madamsboyers wrote:

> This is my first email to your group. I'm not

> exactly sure to whom I

> am writing, and if I have directed this to the wrong

> person(s),

> please forgive me and kindly redirect me.

>

> I'm the mother of an 8 1/2 year old son who suffers

> from OCD in the

> form of excessive worry/doubt. He seems to get in a

> cycle of worry

> at times and nothing any of us in the family say can

> calm the anxiety

> he is feeling until he is in fact done feeling that

> particular worry.

>

> Secondly, meltdowns. There is no pattern to when

> the meltdowns occur

> that we can tell, which makes our home like a

> ticking time bomb. The

> meltdowns occur in a situation where my son feels

> that something

> should go or be a certain way, but for whatever

> reason we are unable

> to make things be like that for him. For example,

> if we have left

> the house and he will have forgotten something he

> wanted to take

> along and we are too far from home to go back, he

> will get upset and

> escalate into a meltdown crying and screaming

> uncontrollably that he

> must have the thing he left. These situations can

> take up to an hour

> for him to come down from. Essentially he just

> wears out from being

> so upset. We try being stern and understanding, or

> to explain or

> even bring to his attention that it is not his fault

> he is feeling so

> compelled about the " thing " he is obsessing over,

> that it is the OCD

> that is making him feel that way. Thus far, we're

> apparently not

> doing or saying the right things and therefore the

> entire household

> has to wait out the meltdown. Afterwards, my son is

> left exhausted

> and feeling guilty and ashamed for having been so

> out of control.

>

> These obsessive thoughts and intrusive thoughts that

> occur over and

> over, or the need to apologize or check things with

> me over and over

> has been diagnosed as OCD by two different

> psychiatrists and our

> family physician. My son is being treated with 50

> mg of Luvox in the

> morning and another 50 mg at night. In addition, he

> has just been

> diagnosed with ADD - innattentive form, and

> therefore is also taking

> 10 mg of Adderal XR every morning. The Adderal has

> helped so much

> with schoolwork and homework. However, I wonder if

> its stimulant

> effect might not be making his OCD symptoms worse.

>

> I would really like to get into some type of

> behavorial therapy for

> my son, but feel that we must at least try to get

> his symptoms

> somewhat under control with medication first.

>

> My questions are:

>

> 1. Are there behavorial therapists that deal with

> childhood OCD in

> the Kansas City area? Where might I begin to find

> such a therapist?

>

> 2. Is it likely that the Adderal has heightened the

> OCD symptoms?

>

> 3. Is it safe to continue to increase the Luvox,

> which is what the

> psychiatrist is recommending?

>

> 4. Is there any medication for children that can be

> taken at the

> time of these meltdowns or anxiety attacks? He is

> unreasonable and

> emotionally out of control during them. They drain

> him mentally,

> emotionally and physically.

>

> 5. Finally, can you direct me to some good

> literature regarding this

> type of OCD. I read a lot about counting, hoarding

> and cleaning, but

> not as much on the type of problems my son suffers

> with as I've

> described above.

>

> Any information/direction you can provide is

> appreciated. Thanks for

> your consideration. My email address is:

> msmichelle@....

>

> Sincerely,

>

>

>

>

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Hello everyone,

I have been reading many of your letters today and I can relate to so many of

you. This is the first time I am making contact with this group. I'm the mother

of an 7 1/2 year old son who I believe suffers from OCD in the form of excessive

worry/doubt, apologizing, washing hands, and seeking contant reasurance " is that

ok mommy? " He gets so distressed about little things. He cries about just about

anything that upsets him. I attended a local ocd support group last week and

they recommended this group. For years I thought that my son was just

" dramatic " . When his little hands started to bleed because of the constant

washing, I thought that there was something wrong. I have spoken to my son's

pediatrician twice recentley about the severe repetition and anxiety my son is

experiencing. He said that I should not put the wagon before the wheel. That he

does not have ocd. That the anxiety (life) is causing all the repetition, not

the repetition causing anxiety. He believes that it is normal for a young child

with changes in his life (death of great grandma, new school and new baby) to

respond by repetion. He asked me to not address the issues that my son brings

up, but to only talk about the feelings. I should ignore the issue or current

" thing " that my son is stuck on. He said I should say things and distract him

with things that make him feel good. Do whatever possible to not feed into the

anxiety. I have been trying this method all week, but my son makes remarks about

being ignored when I do not respond to his unresonable and irrational

statements. I hate to lable my son with ocd and to excuse his behaviors. How

does one really know if it is truly ocd? Please help. Any advice is greatly

appreciated.

Teddi

Vivian Stembridge wrote:

Hi ,

Welcome. I thought I would address your # 4 and 5

question.

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a " chill pill " ! When

our son was uncontrollable he was given Risperdal for

his rages.

One of the best lines of defense for getting the OCD

under control is the behavior therapy. So many things

factor into the behavior. How we react to them, is one

that can be a big trigger that sets up patterns of

enabling. Which leads me to # 5. I think that Aureens

Pinto Wagners book Worried No More, and Tamar Chankeys

book are excellent. Herb Gravitz book New Help for

the Family was a good one also. If the emotional

meltdowns are really bad I would recommend Dr. Greenes

book the Explosive Child. Each one of those books have

been great. Especially Worried No More which is brand

new,(from Lighthouse Press) and Freeing your Child

From OCD by Chansky.

This group has been like a rock for me. I have used it

for venting when there was no one else to understand

what our family was going through, and recieved much

needed support.

Again Welcome,

Vivian

4. Is there any medication for children that can be

taken at the

time of these meltdowns or anxiety attacks? He is

unreasonable and

emotionally out of control during them. They drain

him mentally,

emotionally and physically.

5. Finally, can you direct me to some good literature

regarding this

type of OCD. I read a lot about counting, hoarding

and cleaning, but

not as much on the type of problems my son suffers

with as I've

described above.

--- madamsboyers wrote:

> This is my first email to your group. I'm not

> exactly sure to whom I

> am writing, and if I have directed this to the wrong

> person(s),

> please forgive me and kindly redirect me.

>

> I'm the mother of an 8 1/2 year old son who suffers

> from OCD in the

> form of excessive worry/doubt. He seems to get in a

> cycle of worry

> at times and nothing any of us in the family say can

> calm the anxiety

> he is feeling until he is in fact done feeling that

> particular worry.

>

> Secondly, meltdowns. There is no pattern to when

> the meltdowns occur

> that we can tell, which makes our home like a

> ticking time bomb. The

> meltdowns occur in a situation where my son feels

> that something

> should go or be a certain way, but for whatever

> reason we are unable

> to make things be like that for him. For example,

> if we have left

> the house and he will have forgotten something he

> wanted to take

> along and we are too far from home to go back, he

> will get upset and

> escalate into a meltdown crying and screaming

> uncontrollably that he

> must have the thing he left. These situations can

> take up to an hour

> for him to come down from. Essentially he just

> wears out from being

> so upset. We try being stern and understanding, or

> to explain or

> even bring to his attention that it is not his fault

> he is feeling so

> compelled about the " thing " he is obsessing over,

> that it is the OCD

> that is making him feel that way. Thus far, we're

> apparently not

> doing or saying the right things and therefore the

> entire household

> has to wait out the meltdown. Afterwards, my son is

> left exhausted

> and feeling guilty and ashamed for having been so

> out of control.

>

> These obsessive thoughts and intrusive thoughts that

> occur over and

> over, or the need to apologize or check things with

> me over and over

> has been diagnosed as OCD by two different

> psychiatrists and our

> family physician. My son is being treated with 50

> mg of Luvox in the

> morning and another 50 mg at night. In addition, he

> has just been

> diagnosed with ADD - innattentive form, and

> therefore is also taking

> 10 mg of Adderal XR every morning. The Adderal has

> helped so much

> with schoolwork and homework. However, I wonder if

> its stimulant

> effect might not be making his OCD symptoms worse.

>

> I would really like to get into some type of

> behavorial therapy for

> my son, but feel that we must at least try to get

> his symptoms

> somewhat under control with medication first.

>

> My questions are:

>

> 1. Are there behavorial therapists that deal with

> childhood OCD in

> the Kansas City area? Where might I begin to find

> such a therapist?

>

> 2. Is it likely that the Adderal has heightened the

> OCD symptoms?

>

> 3. Is it safe to continue to increase the Luvox,

> which is what the

> psychiatrist is recommending?

>

> 4. Is there any medication for children that can be

> taken at the

> time of these meltdowns or anxiety attacks? He is

> unreasonable and

> emotionally out of control during them. They drain

> him mentally,

> emotionally and physically.

>

> 5. Finally, can you direct me to some good

> literature regarding this

> type of OCD. I read a lot about counting, hoarding

> and cleaning, but

> not as much on the type of problems my son suffers

> with as I've

> described above.

>

> Any information/direction you can provide is

> appreciated. Thanks for

> your consideration. My email address is:

> msmichelle@....

>

> Sincerely,

>

>

>

>

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Hi Teddi!

My now 11 year old son was a major hand-washer too! And, he was (and

still is to some extent) a major " reassurance seeker. " Last year,

before medication, it would go something like this: " Mom, am I ever

going to get sick? Are you sure? How do you know? Will I get a

germ? Am I going to throw up?... " He asked these 'sick/throw-up'

questions all day long, till I thought I would go insane!

When he was 5, OCD hit overnight and it started like this: " Mom, do

you love me? Do you love me, Mom? Mom-- do you love me? " over and

over again. It made me feel so horrible! Not knowing ANYTHING about

OCD, I thought I had damaged his self-esteem somehow!! Then, I

thought he had a hearing problem and I took him to a hearing

specialist!! His OCD got worse every year until he showering way

too long every morning, making him chronically late for school, and

also wiping so much in the bathroom that he was bleeding and raw! I

had no idea what I was dealing with (I had never seen this kind of

behavior before) so I set out to find some answers and read

every 'disorder' book I could find. I was so desperate for answers,

friends and relatives started to tell me that *I* was the one with

the problem because I obsessed with OCD! *shrugs* When we love

someone, we do what it takes to get the answers we need.

's anxiety started at age 5, right after we moved to a new house

(only 10 miles away), and it got progessively worse with each year. I

finally caved in and took him to a psychiatrist at age 9. I wish I

had done so earlier because children are easier to treat the younger

they are. 's OCD was so progressive by the time we sought

treatment, medication was needed BEFORE we tried therapy because it

would have been a waste of time while he was so extremely anxious.

We got him calmed down on meds, and started CBT/ERP.

This group has helped me tremendously, especially with dealing with

the reassurance questions. I have learned that the more I answered

his questions - the worse it gets. I thought I was calming him down

and trying to make him feel more secure- nope. What we are actually

doing when we answer an irrational, OCD question is *feeding the

fear* and giving it more power. Try to slowly back out of answering

the *irrational* questions (that you've answered 100 times) by

saying, " I'll answer that question once and ONLY once. " Then, walk

away. Later, with the help of a trained CBT therapist, you may want

to try a behavior chart where the goal is not asking reassurance

questions (or 'fear questions'). The child gets rewarded when he's

had a reassurance-free day!

Remember, OCD isn't your fault, nor your child's fault. It's simply

a chemical imbalance. The way it was explained to me is that the

child has the OCD gene, and something stressful in our environment

triggers it (and that could be anything). Please don't beat yourself

up. OCD didn't happen because you worked outside of the home, or was

a stay-at-home mom, or because you're a bad parent, or you fought

with your husband, or he fell off your bed when he was a baby, or you

breast fed him too long, or you didn't breast feed him, or he had a

bad babysitter, .... or any other thing our minds can come up with.

OCD is no one's fault.

Kathy, as always, gave you some great advise about having your son

assessed by a *child psychiatrist* instead of his pediatrician.

Heck, I've met some trained therapists that have no idea how to treat

OCD! I called my county mental health once to inquire about an OCD

support group, and the woman that answered the phone said, " What's

OCD? " I said, " Umm, this IS the mental health department, right? "

Geez...

Stay strong, stay educated, and get plenty of 'me time!'

Joni

P.S. is now on Risperdal for his moodiness and meltdowns (this

medication has almost eliminated those horrible rages!) and,

Anafranil for the OCD. He was on Luvox for the OCD for several

months, but the medication lost it's effectiveness over time, and

pooped out. The Anafranil seems to be working at this writing

and has had a great week. He even got married this week!!

It was so funny-- he came home BEAMING and said that " " loves

him and the entire 4th grade was going to marry them on the

playground! It was so cute! Not long ago, my son didn't have any

friends and was so tortured by OCD, I didn't think he'd ever get

better. And now... he's the stud of the playground....

>

> Hello everyone,

> I have been reading many of your letters today and I can relate to

so many of you. This is the first time I am making contact with this

group. I'm the mother of an 7 1/2 year old son who I believe suffers

from OCD in the form of excessive worry/doubt, apologizing, washing

hands, and seeking contant reasurance " is that ok mommy? " He gets so

distressed about little things.

[Guest guest]

Hi Teddi!

My now 11 year old son was a major hand-washer too! And, he was (and

still is to some extent) a major " reassurance seeker. " Last year,

before medication, it would go something like this: " Mom, am I ever

going to get sick? Are you sure? How do you know? Will I get a

germ? Am I going to throw up?... " He asked these 'sick/throw-up'

questions all day long, till I thought I would go insane!

When he was 5, OCD hit overnight and it started like this: " Mom, do

you love me? Do you love me, Mom? Mom-- do you love me? " over and

over again. It made me feel so horrible! Not knowing ANYTHING about

OCD, I thought I had damaged his self-esteem somehow!! Then, I

thought he had a hearing problem and I took him to a hearing

specialist!! His OCD got worse every year until he showering way

too long every morning, making him chronically late for school, and

also wiping so much in the bathroom that he was bleeding and raw! I

had no idea what I was dealing with (I had never seen this kind of

behavior before) so I set out to find some answers and read

every 'disorder' book I could find. I was so desperate for answers,

friends and relatives started to tell me that *I* was the one with

the problem because I obsessed with OCD! *shrugs* When we love

someone, we do what it takes to get the answers we need.

's anxiety started at age 5, right after we moved to a new house

(only 10 miles away), and it got progessively worse with each year. I

finally caved in and took him to a psychiatrist at age 9. I wish I

had done so earlier because children are easier to treat the younger

they are. 's OCD was so progressive by the time we sought

treatment, medication was needed BEFORE we tried therapy because it

would have been a waste of time while he was so extremely anxious.

We got him calmed down on meds, and started CBT/ERP.

This group has helped me tremendously, especially with dealing with

the reassurance questions. I have learned that the more I answered

his questions - the worse it gets. I thought I was calming him down

and trying to make him feel more secure- nope. What we are actually

doing when we answer an irrational, OCD question is *feeding the

fear* and giving it more power. Try to slowly back out of answering

the *irrational* questions (that you've answered 100 times) by

saying, " I'll answer that question once and ONLY once. " Then, walk

away. Later, with the help of a trained CBT therapist, you may want

to try a behavior chart where the goal is not asking reassurance

questions (or 'fear questions'). The child gets rewarded when he's

had a reassurance-free day!

Remember, OCD isn't your fault, nor your child's fault. It's simply

a chemical imbalance. The way it was explained to me is that the

child has the OCD gene, and something stressful in our environment

triggers it (and that could be anything). Please don't beat yourself

up. OCD didn't happen because you worked outside of the home, or was

a stay-at-home mom, or because you're a bad parent, or you fought

with your husband, or he fell off your bed when he was a baby, or you

breast fed him too long, or you didn't breast feed him, or he had a

bad babysitter, .... or any other thing our minds can come up with.

OCD is no one's fault.

Kathy, as always, gave you some great advise about having your son

assessed by a *child psychiatrist* instead of his pediatrician.

Heck, I've met some trained therapists that have no idea how to treat

OCD! I called my county mental health once to inquire about an OCD

support group, and the woman that answered the phone said, " What's

OCD? " I said, " Umm, this IS the mental health department, right? "

Geez...

Stay strong, stay educated, and get plenty of 'me time!'

Joni

P.S. is now on Risperdal for his moodiness and meltdowns (this

medication has almost eliminated those horrible rages!) and,

Anafranil for the OCD. He was on Luvox for the OCD for several

months, but the medication lost it's effectiveness over time, and

pooped out. The Anafranil seems to be working at this writing

and has had a great week. He even got married this week!!

It was so funny-- he came home BEAMING and said that " " loves

him and the entire 4th grade was going to marry them on the

playground! It was so cute! Not long ago, my son didn't have any

friends and was so tortured by OCD, I didn't think he'd ever get

better. And now... he's the stud of the playground....

>

> Hello everyone,

> I have been reading many of your letters today and I can relate to

so many of you. This is the first time I am making contact with this

group. I'm the mother of an 7 1/2 year old son who I believe suffers

from OCD in the form of excessive worry/doubt, apologizing, washing

hands, and seeking contant reasurance " is that ok mommy? " He gets so

distressed about little things.

[Guest guest]

:

I'm and new to the group. I agree that ADD and OCD can be easily

mistaken. In fact, I kept attributing Luke's inattention at school to his OCD

until just a few months ago when the psychiatrist diagnosed him with ADD (based

on teacher input, ours, etc.). Wow, the Adderall made a world of difference.

But certainly if your daughter is overall able to focus and follow the

directions in the classroom it's likely that the " inattention " on occasion does

relate to some obsession.

Interesting information regarding the decongestants. Isn't it amazing how

everyone's body reacts differently to medication. Though we haven't been on

Paxil, my husband has been on it for depression in the past. He reported a sort

of " could care less " attitude. He didn't feel he had his usual interest in

things. For him it was not a good choice. Also, keep an eye on the sleepiness

and weight gain. Luke gained 10 pounds in about 2 months time after being on

Risperdal for anxiety (which the doctor prescribed in addition to Zoloft when

Zoloft alone was not controlling the OCD). He was hungry all the time. We have

since changed meds since Zoloft at 200 mg wasn't doing the trick and we were so

unhappy with the side effects from Risperdal.

It's good to know you are not alone, isn't it? I find myself shaking my head in

agreement when I read some of your emails. Good luck with your daughter.

Warmly,

P.S. My son Luke recently joined the OCDkids support group and has enjoyed

hearing from other kids in the group. Is your daughter a part of this online

service?

Re: Excessive worry in 8 1/2 year old son

Hello everyone,

I haven't posted in a while because I took on a mid-year teaching job (7th

grade!) and I'm simply operating in survival mode right now. But I read your

posts as often as I can--they are a Godsend.

I was just reading about those of you who commenting on the relationships

between stimulant treatment for ADD/ADHD and the exacerbation of OCD symptoms.

This is so interesting to me, because I have noticed a similar relationship with

decongestants! Maia was a congested kid from early on in her life. I noticed

early on that she never slept well when she was taking a decongestant. We tried

all kinds. Poor thing--she needed it terribly. But the sleep problems

increased, and I finally connected the decongestant to her night terrors.

Needless to say, I discontinued the decongestants (didn't seem to matter which

kind) for many years. Well just last fall we moved from Austin to Lubbock (TX),

and were very surprised to find her fall allergies were worse here. We had run

out of her regular medicines (which weren't doing much good), and out of

desperation, I had her try one with a decongestant. It had been so many

years--we decided to se! e what would happen. (Maia is 10 now. Hasn

't had decongestants since she was about 3). Within two weeks she was in an

OCD crisis! That was when I e-mailed the group for help last November. It

took a few days for things to " click " --but within 2 days of discontinuing the

decongestant, she was reporting much relief from her OCD symptoms. (She becomes

compulsive about balance and symmetry, as well as constantly needing

reassurance. Of course, other things pop up now and then, but balance and

symmetry seem to be the " core " for her).

Anyhow, I have been wondering about ADD--we screened for it with Maia's

psychiatrist's guidance--but now I realize that even if ADD becomes an issue for

her, we will have difficulty with medication management. Maia has mild ADD

symptoms, perhaps, that show up at home--but they're hard to sort out from

normal pre-teen stuff. Nothing seems to be showing up at school. Though I

wonder about OCD being mistaken for ADD in some cases--since my daughter becomes

compulsive about symmetry, she can get caught up in balancing the punctuation

marks on her paper. If she's wrapped up in this, she will not be paying

attention to the teacher--which could be perceived as ADD behavior...

I do have a question for the group, though. Maia has been on Paxil 30 mg.

daily for a year and a half now, with very positive results. I have been

reading Chansky and research ERP options in our area (very slowly, I'm afraid),

and would like to get Maia started this summer. However, she's still fairly

resistant to the idea of ERP. We did go through the first steps

(self-inventory) early in her diagnosis--but the Paxil then kicked in and she

was no longer motivated to " do the hard work. " I suspect she is afraid to go any

further. What I'm worried about is that her motivation for many things seems to

have slid over the last year. She has always been a good student--and still

does well in school. But not because she puts any extra work into it! I have to

really set limits about homework, etc.--and she'll test them every night. And

she's been accepted into the GT program, which she was excited about. But she

doesn't reall! y seem to care for it--and won't put any effort into

the projects. We used to do art projects a lot at home, too--and I see an

increase in her inability to imagine getting started and in failing to follow

through. Is this ADD stuff? Or an effect of the SSRI? In addition, I notice that

Maia's appetite has increased tremendously, and she's beginning to put on extra

weight. I just wonder if these three things could be related.

Thank you all for letting me " listen in " all these months. Everything has

been helpful in guiding Maia, keeping my sanity, and maintaining hope in our

family.

R.

See Dave s Band live or win a signed guitar

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[Guest guest]

:

I'm and new to the group. I agree that ADD and OCD can be easily

mistaken. In fact, I kept attributing Luke's inattention at school to his OCD

until just a few months ago when the psychiatrist diagnosed him with ADD (based

on teacher input, ours, etc.). Wow, the Adderall made a world of difference.

But certainly if your daughter is overall able to focus and follow the

directions in the classroom it's likely that the " inattention " on occasion does

relate to some obsession.

Interesting information regarding the decongestants. Isn't it amazing how

everyone's body reacts differently to medication. Though we haven't been on

Paxil, my husband has been on it for depression in the past. He reported a sort

of " could care less " attitude. He didn't feel he had his usual interest in

things. For him it was not a good choice. Also, keep an eye on the sleepiness

and weight gain. Luke gained 10 pounds in about 2 months time after being on

Risperdal for anxiety (which the doctor prescribed in addition to Zoloft when

Zoloft alone was not controlling the OCD). He was hungry all the time. We have

since changed meds since Zoloft at 200 mg wasn't doing the trick and we were so

unhappy with the side effects from Risperdal.

It's good to know you are not alone, isn't it? I find myself shaking my head in

agreement when I read some of your emails. Good luck with your daughter.

Warmly,

P.S. My son Luke recently joined the OCDkids support group and has enjoyed

hearing from other kids in the group. Is your daughter a part of this online

service?

Re: Excessive worry in 8 1/2 year old son

Hello everyone,

I haven't posted in a while because I took on a mid-year teaching job (7th

grade!) and I'm simply operating in survival mode right now. But I read your

posts as often as I can--they are a Godsend.

I was just reading about those of you who commenting on the relationships

between stimulant treatment for ADD/ADHD and the exacerbation of OCD symptoms.

This is so interesting to me, because I have noticed a similar relationship with

decongestants! Maia was a congested kid from early on in her life. I noticed

early on that she never slept well when she was taking a decongestant. We tried

all kinds. Poor thing--she needed it terribly. But the sleep problems

increased, and I finally connected the decongestant to her night terrors.

Needless to say, I discontinued the decongestants (didn't seem to matter which

kind) for many years. Well just last fall we moved from Austin to Lubbock (TX),

and were very surprised to find her fall allergies were worse here. We had run

out of her regular medicines (which weren't doing much good), and out of

desperation, I had her try one with a decongestant. It had been so many

years--we decided to se! e what would happen. (Maia is 10 now. Hasn

't had decongestants since she was about 3). Within two weeks she was in an

OCD crisis! That was when I e-mailed the group for help last November. It

took a few days for things to " click " --but within 2 days of discontinuing the

decongestant, she was reporting much relief from her OCD symptoms. (She becomes

compulsive about balance and symmetry, as well as constantly needing

reassurance. Of course, other things pop up now and then, but balance and

symmetry seem to be the " core " for her).

Anyhow, I have been wondering about ADD--we screened for it with Maia's

psychiatrist's guidance--but now I realize that even if ADD becomes an issue for

her, we will have difficulty with medication management. Maia has mild ADD

symptoms, perhaps, that show up at home--but they're hard to sort out from

normal pre-teen stuff. Nothing seems to be showing up at school. Though I

wonder about OCD being mistaken for ADD in some cases--since my daughter becomes

compulsive about symmetry, she can get caught up in balancing the punctuation

marks on her paper. If she's wrapped up in this, she will not be paying

attention to the teacher--which could be perceived as ADD behavior...

I do have a question for the group, though. Maia has been on Paxil 30 mg.

daily for a year and a half now, with very positive results. I have been

reading Chansky and research ERP options in our area (very slowly, I'm afraid),

and would like to get Maia started this summer. However, she's still fairly

resistant to the idea of ERP. We did go through the first steps

(self-inventory) early in her diagnosis--but the Paxil then kicked in and she

was no longer motivated to " do the hard work. " I suspect she is afraid to go any

further. What I'm worried about is that her motivation for many things seems to

have slid over the last year. She has always been a good student--and still

does well in school. But not because she puts any extra work into it! I have to

really set limits about homework, etc.--and she'll test them every night. And

she's been accepted into the GT program, which she was excited about. But she

doesn't reall! y seem to care for it--and won't put any effort into

the projects. We used to do art projects a lot at home, too--and I see an

increase in her inability to imagine getting started and in failing to follow

through. Is this ADD stuff? Or an effect of the SSRI? In addition, I notice that

Maia's appetite has increased tremendously, and she's beginning to put on extra

weight. I just wonder if these three things could be related.

Thank you all for letting me " listen in " all these months. Everything has

been helpful in guiding Maia, keeping my sanity, and maintaining hope in our

family.

R.

See Dave s Band live or win a signed guitar

http://r.lycos.com/r/bmgfly_mail_dmb/http://win.ipromotions.com/lycos_020201/spl\

ash.asp