Intro and question

January 31, 2005

Hi Amy, and welcome!

I hope I can reassure you that you are probably not headed for further

diagnoses along the lines of anxiety disorders. My daughter was first diagnosed

with social anxiety disorder at 6, followed quickly by OCD. Then at 9 she was

diagnosed with ADHD and at 10 with Tourette's Syndrome. At that point I asked

whether we were done yet?! No, not quite. She now also has a diagnosis of

depression. But all of these disorders commonly go together and she has, as her

psychiatrist likes to say, " a syndrome. "

When Annie was 11 she told her therapist that she always heard things and

heard people saying her name when no one had. I was a little freaked out by

this, as was she. She was sure she had schizophrenia. We were very reassured to

learn that this is very, very common around 11 - it's actually a

developmental stage that kids go through. They also commonly " see " things

fleetingly, like

out of the corner of their eyes. The therapist described it as " hearing

things out of the corner of their ears. " So I wouldn't worry unless it becomes

really bad (for example, she hears people talking to her and she is convinced

they

are real and starts answering them).

You didn't mention whether your daughter is currently being treated for

her OCD. Untreated OCD will continue to develop and thrive, but with good

treatment it can be reduced to nothing but " background noise " in her life. The

best

treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy, specifically exposure and response

prevention, and, for some people, medication in the form of an

antidepressant. If you haven't done so, please check out the information on the

OCFoundation.org website. It's chock full of good stuff!

Best wishes,

in NV

January 31, 2005

Hi Amy, and welcome!

I hope I can reassure you that you are probably not headed for further

diagnoses along the lines of anxiety disorders. My daughter was first diagnosed

with social anxiety disorder at 6, followed quickly by OCD. Then at 9 she was

diagnosed with ADHD and at 10 with Tourette's Syndrome. At that point I asked

whether we were done yet?! No, not quite. She now also has a diagnosis of

depression. But all of these disorders commonly go together and she has, as her

psychiatrist likes to say, " a syndrome. "

When Annie was 11 she told her therapist that she always heard things and

heard people saying her name when no one had. I was a little freaked out by

this, as was she. She was sure she had schizophrenia. We were very reassured to

learn that this is very, very common around 11 - it's actually a

developmental stage that kids go through. They also commonly " see " things

fleetingly, like

out of the corner of their eyes. The therapist described it as " hearing

things out of the corner of their ears. " So I wouldn't worry unless it becomes

really bad (for example, she hears people talking to her and she is convinced

they

are real and starts answering them).

You didn't mention whether your daughter is currently being treated for

her OCD. Untreated OCD will continue to develop and thrive, but with good

treatment it can be reduced to nothing but " background noise " in her life. The

best

treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy, specifically exposure and response

prevention, and, for some people, medication in the form of an

antidepressant. If you haven't done so, please check out the information on the

OCFoundation.org website. It's chock full of good stuff!

Best wishes,

in NV

January 31, 2005

In a message dated 1/31/2005 10:26:19 AM Pacific Standard Time,

k777thorpe@... writes:

......I just

spend too much time wondering if I heard the telephone or the baby

calling me. I have no idea if everyone does this?

*******I don't know, but I certainly remember that both my husband and I

continued to hear our son scream regularly months after he had quit being a

full-time colicky screamer (his whole first year). It was like ringing in our

ears.

Probably PTSD!

January 31, 2005

In a message dated 1/31/2005 10:26:19 AM Pacific Standard Time,

k777thorpe@... writes:

......I just

spend too much time wondering if I heard the telephone or the baby

calling me. I have no idea if everyone does this?

*******I don't know, but I certainly remember that both my husband and I

continued to hear our son scream regularly months after he had quit being a

full-time colicky screamer (his whole first year). It was like ringing in our

ears.

Probably PTSD!

January 31, 2005

>

> Hello,

>

> I am new to this list. I am the mother of three girls. The oldest

> has several diagnosis in the anxiety catagory one is OCD. She is

11

> years old, attends public school in the fifth grade. My other

> children one 5 the other 3. The 5 year old seems very hyper, but

> not diagnosed. The 3 year old shows symptoms similar to the oldest

> at about the same age we noticed hers.

>

> My oldest daughter was first diagnosed with seperation anxiety at 6

> yrs. old, then generalized anxiety with panic at 7 1/2 yrs old.

> When she was in the 3rd grade she was put into a partial hospital

> program with a PTSD diagnosis, and OCD symptoms. At 10 yrs. old

she

> was given the OCD diagnosis and we were told she was not PTSD.

>

> Our question is...Are we headed down a road of progression to a

> different type of mental illness or are we seeing her OCD

developing

> further. She does at times express hearing things in rooms of the

> house when no one is in them, she also has asked what we said when

> no one was talking. This concerns us and we want to explore if

this

> is common amongst OCD, or is this something we should take more

> seriously?

>

> Thanks for any information you are willing to share!

>

> Amy

Amy,

I'm relatively new to ocd in general - My son, displaying symptoms

since at least 3, never heard things....that I know of (I'll ask him

tonight, but I'm a little afraid to hear, " yes, all the time, have

for all my life. " - )

I'll throw my 2 cents in with my own hearing quirks. I 'fill in'

sounds. A slight sound heard (the furnace, a distant tv) is filled

in in my head to something similar/familiar...then, if I'm not

careful, I think I heard the 'familiar sound'. Used to make me jumpy

when I was a kid, now I don't pay much attention to it.....I just

spend too much time wondering if I heard the telephone or the baby

calling me. I have no idea if everyone does this?

I also have a bad habit of sort of saving up everything I've heard in

the past half hour or so. We have a big family and it can get pretty

busy (noise wise). So, at some point I may be sorting through all

the things I heard and people said and I'll answer someone, or ask

them to repeat what they said....problem is they said it a long time

ago and they think I'm a bit nuts. I have no idea if everyone does

this, either?

So, there are two odd yet not " disorderly " explanations for 'hearing

things'.

January 31, 2005

Amy,

My son, too, started out with separation anxiety, which really was the beginning

of OCD. He would become anxious when having to say goodbye, and then he

developed a long ritual with so many hugs and so many kisses and so many

" goodbyes " before we could actually leave. OCD can change over time, but it's

still what it is...OCD. My son's themes have changed at times. He went from

the anxiety with goodbyes to fear he wanted to harm me to now-having to confess

EVERYTHING, even silly things. Medication controls it very well, and he lives

virtually a normal life. As for the possible auditory hallucinations you're

describing, that is not an OCD trait, but it doesn't sound like you're convinced

that she is indeed hearing voices. Am I right? Kids with OCD and anxiety tend

to be in a hyperalert state, which can appear somewhat like you're describing.

I can see (if she was possibly hallucinating early on) why they misdiagnosed her

with PTSD. Many of the parents on this site have kids with 2 or more other

diagnoses besides OCD. I guess that question can't be answered easily. OCD

itself doesn't truly change into something else, but it can exist with other

anxiety disorders and other mental health problems. I'm sorry if that doesn't

help you. I am just thinking that the possible auditory hallucinations need to

be explored a little further. Some kids report they have a voice in their head,

and if taken the wrong way, it may seem like a symptom of psychosis, but it's

not....also maybe a simple hearing test might be in order. Just a thought.

in Southern IL

intro and question

Hello,

I am new to this list. I am the mother of three girls. The oldest

has several diagnosis in the anxiety catagory one is OCD. She is 11

years old, attends public school in the fifth grade. My other

children one 5 the other 3. The 5 year old seems very hyper, but

not diagnosed. The 3 year old shows symptoms similar to the oldest

at about the same age we noticed hers.

My oldest daughter was first diagnosed with seperation anxiety at 6

yrs. old, then generalized anxiety with panic at 7 1/2 yrs old.

When she was in the 3rd grade she was put into a partial hospital

program with a PTSD diagnosis, and OCD symptoms. At 10 yrs. old she

was given the OCD diagnosis and we were told she was not PTSD.

Our question is...Are we headed down a road of progression to a

different type of mental illness or are we seeing her OCD developing

further. She does at times express hearing things in rooms of the

house when no one is in them, she also has asked what we said when

no one was talking. This concerns us and we want to explore if this

is common amongst OCD, or is this something we should take more

seriously?

Thanks for any information you are willing to share!

Amy

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January 31, 2005