Re: New OCD mom

[Guest guest]

Hi,

Welcome to the list, though my heart aches with yours that you have the

need. I am pretty new, too, my almost 15 year old son was diagnosed in

April after a sudden onset the previous fall. Well, I say sudden because

even though there were little things before that (what I thought were just

" normal " fears) it got really bad really fast. We had started him in

counseling in March with a Christian psychologist in our area because we

thought he mainly had anger and depression issues. By April he was running

away (not far away) and shunning most foods and his younger sister. One

night he was out of control and we took him to the ER. (By then we had been

placed on a waiting list for a psychiatrist but the first appointment was a

month and a half away. We felt we couldn't wait so went to ER.) The ER

doctor diagnosed him with depression and put him on Zoloft, a very low dose.

He had us follow up with our pediatrician since the psych appointment was so

far off.

The pediatrician did a thorough exam, between the nurse and him they spent

well over an hour with us. They were very concerned because his weight had

dropped to 83 lbs. and they were concerned about how he was acting. The

pediatrician actually diagnosed the OCD first. He increased the Zoloft a

bit, and had us come weekly for weigh-ins and to make sure he wasn't having

problems with the meds.

We finally went to the psychiatrist in mid-May. I thought it was going to

be like, " okay, he's fixed now " (wishful thinking, eh?) The psychiatrist

listened to his symptoms, asked a zillion questions and confirmed the OCD

diagnosis then stated that she was afraid he might be schizophrenic, too,

because some of his symptoms sounded like he was psychotic. She increased

the Zoloft again, and put him on Risperdal as well. Both meds have been

increased a few times since then, and he is still not quite at an optimal

dose for his size.

He is getting better about the foods, and is touching things with his bare

hands again. He is still shunning and hiding from his sister, growling and

spitting when he hears her voice or accidently sees her or a picture of her.

He told me the other night that there is something creepy living in the

basement, even drew me a picture of him/it, and he said that when he sees

his sister he sees something else creepy.

He thinks he has " evolved " to the state he's in and that it's better than

how he used to be. (NOT!!!) He was/is a sweet boy, very compassionate

towards people and animals, artistic, fun. He is now behaving like a

recluse, staying mostly in his room. He gets mad and yells at me if his

" criteria are not met " (i.e. if I don't keep his sister quiet and out of his

way. Poor girl.)

My take on the medications -- if they can help him get to a place where the

therapy can work then I thank God for them. I think that the Zoloft

probably saved him from suicide already (he says now he was suicidal in

April) We have had concerns about medicating him, but at least now we are

seeing glimpses of our boy, and we are hopeful that someday they won't be

needed.

We have not begun CBT yet, had some trouble finding someone locally who

specializes in it, but our psychologist has some experience with it and is

going to start with in August.

I have had a heart-achy day today, so know how you are feeling. But there

are good days too, and I am hopeful for a brighter forecast for your son and

mine and all the other dear children represented here.

Kim in IA

[Guest guest]

Hi , welcome!

I think the psychiatrist recommended medication to help with the

anxiety your son is feeling. A lot of times kids/people can't begin

therapy (CBT) very well until their anxiety has lessened. Beginning

medication doesn't mean your son will always have to take it.

I have a 15 yr old son, . He was diagnosed around age 11.5.

His OCD seemed sudden too, though like your son he'd had minor

symptoms/behaviors all along. had all these compulsions he

had to do. He is not one to ever talk about his OCD (still) but I

imagine some thoughts were also a problem. Anyway, he says all his

OCD has to do with the feeling that " something bad will happen to

him " and he has to get a " just right " feeling.

He is now on Celexa (the liquid, he still can't swallow pills). He's

done well on it, though now takes a nap for a couple hours each

afternoon, tiredness seems to hit him then.

With the OCD medications, it's all very " individual " as to what will

work for your son. Celexa has been great for , but other

children might bounce off the walls or get agitated or some other

side effects that indicate it's " not " the medication for them

(thought a lot of times the side effects subside after a week or

so). So there can be trial and error involved. For us, Celexa was

the first and luckily worked. If any family member has ever been on

any type antidepressant and it worked for them, that is sometimes an

indicator of what will work well for your child (so I've heard).

has always had a food texture problem so I can somewhat

identify with that, his isn't OCD related though. Now my 2 other

sons (hmmm....interestingly, not ...) have gone through phases

of feeling like they would choke; it was some " thing " at the back of

the throat they would occasionally get (white " dot " , not strep) and

they would complain for weeks. (doctor once said what it was the

first/only time I took my one son to see about it, but can't recall,

just that it was " OK " ; I thought perhaps it was a puberty thing)

Well, that's no help to you(!) but I can empathize a bit with the

choking fear. I know your son will get past all this with the right

therapy and medication. Things WILL get better, it's just very

confusing/stressing/heartbreaking, etc., when you're at the beginning

of all the diagnosing, therapy, medication, etc. But we've all been

there (or are there!).

Keep us updated on how things are going! The OCD Foundation website

is a great place or information if you haven't yet seen it at

http://www.ocfoundation.org

single mom, 3 sons

, 15, with OCD, dysgraphia and HFA/Aspergers

> Hi,

> I have a ten year old son who was just diagnosed with

> OCD and possible ADDHD. My ten year old has

> had a few minor symptoms of OCD over the past 2 and

> 1/2 years, that I

> did not realize was OCD at the time.  Mostly concerns

> about illness and food.   Then in May he began to have

> difficulty swallowing and after several doctor visits

> and tests it became apparent that nothing physically

> was wrong. He had a choking episode in May that

> frightened him and in turn had a lot of anxiety about

> choking. He than had a lot of difficulty swallowing

> any highly textured foods. He will not eat anything

> that he thinks he will choke on and has cut out 50% of

> the foods he would eat normally (no meat, nuts,

> crunchy veggies, popcorn and much more).  He chews for

[Guest guest]

Dear ,

I'm so sorry you and your son are going through this! I have a 12 year

old daughter with various OCD-related eating problems, somewhat similar to your

son's. Yes, medication has helped us tremendously and yes,

cognitive-behavioral therapy - specifically Exposure/Response Prevention - helps

tremendously.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is The Gold Standard for OCD treatment in

children, with or without medication. We have had to use medications for our

daughter

because she relapses so severely without them (and stops eating altogether).

But the CBT has helped her more than I can say. Find a therapist who is

experienced in treating OCD specifically and, if possible, in working with

children.

My daughter has a phobia about throwing up and has limited her eating for

years because the textures of certain food remind her of vomit. In addition,

the feeling in her stomach after she eats (of being full) reminds her of

nausea, so she now panics after every meal. This summer she has started to panic

at

the very thought of eating, both because she is afraid she'll overeat and

then vomit, and because she is terrified of gaining weight. We are blessed to

have a therapist (a psychologist with a Ph.D.) who is an expert in eating

disorders. It's important to have someone experienced enough to realize that

eating

disorders are very common in people with OCD - I've heard many stories of

people who couldn't find treatment for their children because they were told

that

they needed an eating disorders clinic, where they were told that they needed

an OCD specialist.

I think it's a good sign that your son realizes that a " piece of his

brain " remembers the choking incident. He realizes that this is something

irrational that his brain is telling him - that is the first step in treating

OCD

(recognizing that it is something external sending him 'junk mail'). A good

therapist can build on that and gradually get him chewing and swallowing scary

foods

again, and then he may be fine! Let him know that too - it's so scary for

kids to suddenly be so controlled by irrational obsessions.

Let us know how things go - I'd like to hear. Does the psychiatrist have

a suggestion for a good therapist? Where in California are you?

Best wishes,

in NV (Reno)

[Guest guest]

Dear ,

Thank you for your heartful encouragement. My 10 year old also has a fear of

throwing up. He also asks for reassurance about many of the foods he eats

and checks ingredients and dates on everything he eats. We live on the

North Coast of California south of San Francisco. The psychiatrist did rec

ommend two CBT therapists who work with children, one in Palo Alto and one

in Los Gatos. The first visit didn't go well, but I am hopeful about the next

one.

I will try and plan it so that we do something fun afterward.

Thanks,

> Dear ,

> I'm so sorry you and your son are going through this! I have a 12 year

> old daughter with various OCD-related eating problems, somewhat similar

to your

> son's. Yes, medication has helped us tremendously and yes,

> cognitive-behavioral therapy - specifically Exposure/Response Prevention -

helps tremendously.

> Cognitive behavioral therapy is The Gold Standard for OCD treatment in

> children, with or without medication. We have had to use medications for

our daughter

> because she relapses so severely without them (and stops eating

altogether).

> But the CBT has helped her more than I can say. Find a therapist who is

> experienced in treating OCD specifically and, if possible, in working with

children.

> My daughter has a phobia about throwing up and has limited her eating

for

> years because the textures of certain food remind her of vomit. In addition,

> the feeling in her stomach after she eats (of being full) reminds her of

> nausea, so she now panics after every meal. This summer she has started

to panic at

> the very thought of eating, both because she is afraid she'll overeat and

> then vomit, and because she is terrified of gaining weight. We are blessed

to

> have a therapist (a psychologist with a Ph.D.) who is an expert in eating

> disorders. It's important to have someone experienced enough to realize

that eating

> disorders are very common in people with OCD - I've heard many stories of

> people who couldn't find treatment for their children because they were told

that

> they needed an eating disorders clinic, where they were told that they

needed

> an OCD specialist.

> I think it's a good sign that your son realizes that a " piece of his

> brain " remembers the choking incident. He realizes that this is something

> irrational that his brain is telling him - that is the first step in treating

OCD

> (recognizing that it is something external sending him 'junk mail'). A good

> therapist can build on that and gradually get him chewing and swallowing

scary foods

> again, and then he may be fine! Let him know that too - it's so scary for

> kids to suddenly be so controlled by irrational obsessions.

> Let us know how things go - I'd like to hear. Does the psychiatrist have

> a suggestion for a good therapist? Where in California are you?

> Best wishes,

> in NV (Reno)

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi and welcome. My daughter is also 10 but experienced an abrupt

onset of severe OCD almost 6 years ago. So she now has a long history of

med experience and therapy experience behind her.

Yes to meds helping (in our case she trialed several before finding the

right one for her), and yes to therapy helping too. CBT/ERP was at least as

important to her recovery as SSRI medication, and many experts believe the

quickest route to relief and stability of symptoms is both approaches

combined. Some kids are successful with just therapy however, and some take

meds for awhile and then following successful therapy, can reduce or

eliminate medication.

My daughter is at camp this week, this is her second year, her OCD symptoms

have been low and stable for a long while now. OCD does not interfere in

her life or limit her choices in any significant way these days. There is

no reason to think your son will not also be in good shape with meds and

therapy, though I well remember the early days when my imagination would not

stretch this far...my daughter was so sick and impaired that it seemed

impossible that she could recover to any meaningful degree.

My child was 8 and 9 when in formal therapy and she did fine. A good child

therapist will be skilled in tailoring therapy to a child your son's age.

The motivation is to get back to normal life without constant interference

from OCD (not to say that " bribes " and rewards for the hard work in the

sessions don't help too!) Though therapy doesn't " cut out " the part of the

brain that remembers choking, obviously, it DOES help the brain put that

section " off line " so to speak and build new, healthier " paths " for thoughts

to take.

Given your son's abrupt onset, has his psychiatrist considered he may be a

PANDAS kid? (((Hugs))) having been through this, I know how frightening the

sudden change in your child can be, but things will get better from here on

out.

Take care,

Kathy R. in Indiana

----- Original Message -----

> Hi,

> I have a ten year old son who was just diagnosed with

> OCD and possible ADDHD. My ten year old has

> had a few minor symptoms of OCD over the past 2 and

> 1/2 years, that I

> did not realize was OCD at the time. Mostly concerns

> about illness and food. Then in May he began to have

> difficulty swallowing and after several doctor visits

> and tests it became apparent that nothing physically

> was wrong. He had a choking episode in May that

> frightened him and in turn had a lot of anxiety about

> choking. He than had a lot of difficulty swallowing

> any highly textured foods. He will not eat anything

> that he thinks he will choke on and has cut out 50% of

> the foods he would eat normally (no meat, nuts,

> crunchy veggies, popcorn and much more). He chews for

> a long time and will hold the food in the front of his

> mouth until he swallows it. A whole host of phobias

> and anxious behavior has besieged him. I am in total

> shock. This all seemed to happen so quickly. The

> child pyschiatrist wants to medicate him and start

> cognitive behavior therapy. Have any of your children

> been medicated? Did it help? Have any of your children

> had cognitive behavioral therapy? Did it help? How

> do you motivate a ten year old to work on a problem

> like this? He says he just wants the part of his

> brain cut out that remembers the choking incident. I

> am heart sick, I need support and hope.

> Sincerely,

> in California