Please help - I'm so scared.

[Guest guest]

Hello:

I just signed up to this list serve yesterday. I'm very afraid my 10 1/2 year

old daughter has OCD. As a matter of fact I'm sure she does. It all started

(to my knowledge) about a month ago. She is obssesed with making marks on

things and is constantly checking to she if she did or asking me if she did. It

happens hundreds of times a day.....She thinks her nails are marking things,

toes are marking things - almost any time she touches something on accident then

she thinks she made a mark.

She's also asked about if she touches her mouth with her fingers - is that bad?

She seems to be washing her hands more.

She's commented that she doesn't like it when the things on her dresser are

touching each other.

She's done some ritualistic things (i.e. making star patterns) because she feels

like if she doesn't something bad will happen.

I have a phone call into a counselor to try and set up an appointment next week.

She and her 7 year old brother left today to go camping with my mom and dad,

which is usually always a fun time for them. My husband and I are going away

with friends to a lodge and rafting down a river ~ our time away from the kids

this summer. I didn't want to tell my mom about it b/c I didn't want her to

worry......well now I guess that was a bad decision b/c my daughter just called

home (she is 2 hours away) and she was crying and wanting me to tell grandma

about the 'marking' thing b/c it was really getting annoying (as she puts it)

So I told my mom what was going on and I'm hoping that relieves some of her

stress and makes her feel better. I told her she could talk to grandma about it

anytime.

She is a very very intelligent girl and is congizant that these are irrational

thoughts but she cannot stop them. She hates this and it is driving her

crazy.....and me.......I'm a crying wreck.........

Please tell me how I can help her at this very early stage ~ should I cancel our

adult weekend and have my parents bring her back????

I'm so scared for her.....I want to make this go away...........please help

us........

Beth