Re: just diagnosed - 5 yrs old girl - any advice

January 29, 2002

Hi and welcome! I'm not sure about others here, but basically the

first things I did was read/research! And about 4 months later found

this GREAT group!

It is a shock if the OCD is something that seemed to come along sort

of suddenly. That's the way I felt with my then 11-y/o son; he's 13

now. But then I thought about it and he actually had some minor OCD

behaviors all long, they just weren't a problem (like wanting his

letters to look perfect, erasing and rewriting them, tracing over

them, wanting some things a certain way, the reassurance questions -

nothing that really affected the whole family, like it does NOW).

Hopefully you'll be able to find a therapist that's knowledgeable

about OCD and treatment nearby. Have you checked out the OCD

foundation website, lots of info there too.

This is a great group, as I've already said and the moderators and

other parents are very knowledgeable and experienced about the

treatments and medications for OCD. This is a great place to learn

and to VENT when needed and to just tell about how things are going,

ask questions, etc. If there's a certain subject, say, " zoloft " that

you want to know about, you can search the archives and see what that

pulls up from past messages. I've used that a lot.

What kind of OCD behaviors does your daughter have? My son

is now 13 and in 7th grade. He began showing extreme OCD behaviors

at the beginning of 6th grade. And his has always been things he has

to do (or can't do) because it " has to feel right " and " to keep

something bad from happening. " Also, weird to me, his handwriting

complete changed. Still puzzles me!

Well, again welcome to this wonderful group and hope to hear lots

more from you!

- single mom to (13) with OCD and dysgraphia; (13-twin)

with a little separation anxiety; Randall (16) -

> Just as the Re: line says. My daughter was diagnosed last week, and

> we're still a little in shock. I am reading " Obsessive Compulsive

> Disorder, Help for Children and Adolesents " to try to get a better

> grasp on this. I imagine I'll do alot more reading too.

>

> Anything any of you might have done differently if you could go

back

> to where I am now?

January 29, 2002

Thanks

My daughter is only five. She had some symptoms as early as 1 though,

and we used to joke about my " little obsessive compulsive girl " . At

the time, I just thought it was her personality, but the results of

the testing show " severe " OCD with moderate to severe ADHD. I agree

with the OCD, but the ADHD seems a little far fetched in this case.

My daughter had a bout last fall where she kept repeating physical

actions, such as walking though doorwys repeatedly, tapping special

spots, rituals, etc. She also had some trouble completing work, and

often erased here colouring though the paper (She's only in

kindergarden!).

Oh well, my approach now is that there are alot worse things that

could happen to a person. If this is the worst, I'll count myself

(and herself) lucky.

> > Just as the Re: line says. My daughter was diagnosed last week,

and

> > we're still a little in shock. I am reading " Obsessive Compulsive

> > Disorder, Help for Children and Adolesents " to try to get a better

> > grasp on this. I imagine I'll do alot more reading too.

> >

> > Anything any of you might have done differently if you could go

> back

> > to where I am now?

January 30, 2002

Hi there, and welcome!

The good news is that having a diagnosis now is the best thing that

could happen to your daughter. We didn't have the correct diagnosis for 3

years after my daughter got sick (at age 4) and it was awful. Once we got the

diagnosis, therapy (cognitive behavioral therapy with a therapist trained and

experienced in anxiety disorders) and medication (first Paxil, then Luvox,

now Celexa which seems to be a miracle), our Annie is a relatively normal

kid. Her ADD (not really diagnosed until last year, and still unclear whether

it is ADD or just the reaction she has to the SSRIs) is her biggest issue

now, but we're making progress on that too.

You're at the hardest point, but have hope. Your daughter will be

much, much better before long.

Best wishes,

, in Nevada, mom to Annie (9 with OCD) and Ben (6, currently

with croup and on his way to the doctor in 2 minutes!)

January 30, 2002