, germs WAS Re: Re: hyperactive

[Guest guest]

Hi , you wrote:

>>does not

have " cleanliness compulsions " told us that the reason he has to

have mommy take his shoes, socks or pull-up off is because of

GERMS. I really just wanted to burst out in tears.

Boy I remember those early days when it seemed my then newly-5 yo daughter was

somehow reading a book on OCD behind my back and trying out the obsessions and

compulsions listed there for effect. I freaked too but in the end some stuck

and others just were passing through. I'm sorry I don't remember, is your son

taking an SSRI and/or are you adjusting his dose right now, by chance? I found

out that my daughter reacts to changes in her SSRI or dose by briefly having

almost all the common Os and Cs. These days I just expect germs or some other

new (for her) O or C to pop up transiently when we do this.

Next time this comes up, why not ask your son if you take off one shoe, will he

take off the other? Play games with dirty socks, be silly and juggle them or

whatever. Anything to demonstrate that these things are not disgusting and

germy and to be avoided at all costs, and to keep him touching and interacting

with the things that OCD is telling him to avoid. I particularly hated this

type of compulsion because untreated, down the road, it's limiting in so many

ways--can't go on an overnight because can't remove shoes without mom, etc. etc.

Take care,

Kathy R. in Indiana