OCD and thoughts of harming

[Guest guest]

Yes, my son has this kind of OCD. When it first started, he was about your

daughter's age, and I had no idea (even with a background in psychiatric

nursing) that OCD was what it was. He had the exact same thoughts-thoughts he

wanted to kill me with a knife, and seeing a knife or being near a knife sent

him into a total meltdown. I wasn't exactly sure what was going on. I knew he

loved me, but I wasn't sure he wouldn't act on it, so I resorted to putting away

all the knives where he could not reach them, etc. Later I have learned the

actual act would most likely never occur, but it was very scary. It's a more

common type of OCD than you might think, but it is truly no DIFFERENT than the

other types of OCD-the washing, counting, etc. It just manifests itself that

way. My son definitely expressed suicidal thoughts, which in a 7 year-old, I

know is extremely horrific. They just cannot stand the thought of having these

feelings and would rather die than feel so " evil " . I didn't react " correctly "

at first-I told him that broke my heart-that he wanted to stab me, and that made

it all so much worse, but I wasn't truly aware what was going on, and it was so

personal to me.....I educated myself, eventually getting help from a therapist,

who basically just did behavioral modification-thought stopping exercises.

Though the therapy might have " put a bandaid on it " , it did not really truly

help the incidence of his thoughts, and my son was still suffering on a daily

basis. I think it just helped him to cope with the having the thoughts.

Medication has been the answer for my son-he is on Luvox 75 mg and doing

wonderful. Usually the best treatment is combination between medication and

therapy. You'll get answers on this site about natural therapy, psychotherapy,

medications-different things work for different children, but the point is,

there can be relief from OCD.

in Southern IL

OCD and thoughts of harming

I am new to this. Just wondering if there is anyone else out there

with similar situation. My daughter is 7 years old and was just

diagnosed with OCD two months ago. She gets thoughts of killing me,

her dad, and her 22 month-old brother. she feels she is a bad

person for having those thoughts and thinks she should not be with

us. Sometimes just seeing a knife will give her thoughts of

stabbing. She is seeing a psychiatrist who prescribed prozac 5 mg,

which she has been taking for two months. Her thoughts seem to just

increase. I am in the process of changing her psychiatrist because

I thought she needed a doctor that specializes in OCD. She gets

suicidal thoughts, which terrify me. Not sure if she needs to be

hospitalized, but also scared to death at what they will do to her

at a psychiatric hospital. Looking for others who can relate and

share experiences.

Our list archives, bookmarks, files, and chat feature may be accessed at:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group// .

Our list advisors are Gail B. , Ed.D., Tamar Chansky, Ph.D., Aureen Pinto

Wagner, Ph.D., and Dan Geller, M.D. Our list moderators are Birkhan,

Castle, Fowler, Kathy Hammes, Joye, Kathy Mac, Gail

Pesses, and Kathy . Subscription issues or suggestions may be

addressed to Louis Harkins, list owner, at louisharkins@... ,

louisharkins@... , louisharkins@... .

[Guest guest]

Yes, my son has this kind of OCD. When it first started, he was about your

daughter's age, and I had no idea (even with a background in psychiatric

nursing) that OCD was what it was. He had the exact same thoughts-thoughts he

wanted to kill me with a knife, and seeing a knife or being near a knife sent

him into a total meltdown. I wasn't exactly sure what was going on. I knew he

loved me, but I wasn't sure he wouldn't act on it, so I resorted to putting away

all the knives where he could not reach them, etc. Later I have learned the

actual act would most likely never occur, but it was very scary. It's a more

common type of OCD than you might think, but it is truly no DIFFERENT than the

other types of OCD-the washing, counting, etc. It just manifests itself that

way. My son definitely expressed suicidal thoughts, which in a 7 year-old, I

know is extremely horrific. They just cannot stand the thought of having these

feelings and would rather die than feel so " evil " . I didn't react " correctly "

at first-I told him that broke my heart-that he wanted to stab me, and that made

it all so much worse, but I wasn't truly aware what was going on, and it was so

personal to me.....I educated myself, eventually getting help from a therapist,

who basically just did behavioral modification-thought stopping exercises.

Though the therapy might have " put a bandaid on it " , it did not really truly

help the incidence of his thoughts, and my son was still suffering on a daily

basis. I think it just helped him to cope with the having the thoughts.

Medication has been the answer for my son-he is on Luvox 75 mg and doing

wonderful. Usually the best treatment is combination between medication and

therapy. You'll get answers on this site about natural therapy, psychotherapy,

medications-different things work for different children, but the point is,

there can be relief from OCD.

in Southern IL

OCD and thoughts of harming

I am new to this. Just wondering if there is anyone else out there

with similar situation. My daughter is 7 years old and was just

diagnosed with OCD two months ago. She gets thoughts of killing me,

her dad, and her 22 month-old brother. she feels she is a bad

person for having those thoughts and thinks she should not be with

us. Sometimes just seeing a knife will give her thoughts of

stabbing. She is seeing a psychiatrist who prescribed prozac 5 mg,

which she has been taking for two months. Her thoughts seem to just

increase. I am in the process of changing her psychiatrist because

I thought she needed a doctor that specializes in OCD. She gets

suicidal thoughts, which terrify me. Not sure if she needs to be

hospitalized, but also scared to death at what they will do to her

at a psychiatric hospital. Looking for others who can relate and

share experiences.

Our list archives, bookmarks, files, and chat feature may be accessed at:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group// .

Our list advisors are Gail B. , Ed.D., Tamar Chansky, Ph.D., Aureen Pinto

Wagner, Ph.D., and Dan Geller, M.D. Our list moderators are Birkhan,

Castle, Fowler, Kathy Hammes, Joye, Kathy Mac, Gail

Pesses, and Kathy . Subscription issues or suggestions may be

addressed to Louis Harkins, list owner, at louisharkins@... ,

louisharkins@... , louisharkins@... .

[Guest guest]

Yes, my son has this kind of OCD. When it first started, he was about your

daughter's age, and I had no idea (even with a background in psychiatric

nursing) that OCD was what it was. He had the exact same thoughts-thoughts he

wanted to kill me with a knife, and seeing a knife or being near a knife sent

him into a total meltdown. I wasn't exactly sure what was going on. I knew he

loved me, but I wasn't sure he wouldn't act on it, so I resorted to putting away

all the knives where he could not reach them, etc. Later I have learned the

actual act would most likely never occur, but it was very scary. It's a more

common type of OCD than you might think, but it is truly no DIFFERENT than the

other types of OCD-the washing, counting, etc. It just manifests itself that

way. My son definitely expressed suicidal thoughts, which in a 7 year-old, I

know is extremely horrific. They just cannot stand the thought of having these

feelings and would rather die than feel so " evil " . I didn't react " correctly "

at first-I told him that broke my heart-that he wanted to stab me, and that made

it all so much worse, but I wasn't truly aware what was going on, and it was so

personal to me.....I educated myself, eventually getting help from a therapist,

who basically just did behavioral modification-thought stopping exercises.

Though the therapy might have " put a bandaid on it " , it did not really truly

help the incidence of his thoughts, and my son was still suffering on a daily

basis. I think it just helped him to cope with the having the thoughts.

Medication has been the answer for my son-he is on Luvox 75 mg and doing

wonderful. Usually the best treatment is combination between medication and

therapy. You'll get answers on this site about natural therapy, psychotherapy,

medications-different things work for different children, but the point is,

there can be relief from OCD.

in Southern IL

OCD and thoughts of harming

I am new to this. Just wondering if there is anyone else out there

with similar situation. My daughter is 7 years old and was just

diagnosed with OCD two months ago. She gets thoughts of killing me,

her dad, and her 22 month-old brother. she feels she is a bad

person for having those thoughts and thinks she should not be with

us. Sometimes just seeing a knife will give her thoughts of

stabbing. She is seeing a psychiatrist who prescribed prozac 5 mg,

which she has been taking for two months. Her thoughts seem to just

increase. I am in the process of changing her psychiatrist because

I thought she needed a doctor that specializes in OCD. She gets

suicidal thoughts, which terrify me. Not sure if she needs to be

hospitalized, but also scared to death at what they will do to her

at a psychiatric hospital. Looking for others who can relate and

share experiences.

Our list archives, bookmarks, files, and chat feature may be accessed at:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group// .

Our list advisors are Gail B. , Ed.D., Tamar Chansky, Ph.D., Aureen Pinto

Wagner, Ph.D., and Dan Geller, M.D. Our list moderators are Birkhan,

Castle, Fowler, Kathy Hammes, Joye, Kathy Mac, Gail

Pesses, and Kathy . Subscription issues or suggestions may be

addressed to Louis Harkins, list owner, at louisharkins@... ,

louisharkins@... , louisharkins@... .

[Guest guest]

Thank you all for responding. During this distressing time, it is

of comfort to know that there are young children who are doing okay

who have had similar symptoms. It is very encouraging.

My other question is how much should I make her teacher aware of

what is going on. As of now, the school only knows that my daughter

has an anxiety disorder. So far, the medication is not working. She

gets these thoughts everyday and a few times they have been so

severe. One time the thought was so strong, that she actually went

into the kitchen and took a table knife and held it as she actually

thought of hurting herself with it. Needless to say, we hid all the

knives. I have read many times that these acts will never occur, but

I really wonder sometimes. One other time, while having dinner, we

saw her playing around with her fork, placing it on her stomach.

Her thoughts were telling her to stab herself with the fork. While

I can monitor her when she is at home, I worry about when she is at

school. Academically, she is one of the top students in her class,

but I worry about the few times when the thoughts are so strong and

she cannot handle it. I am taking her to a new psychiatrist next

week, one that specializes in OCD and she has already recommended a

good therapist for CBT. So hopefully, we are on the right track and

will get the right medication for her.

Another issue I would like to put out there is that I have been told

by relatives that my daughter is being harassed by the devil, since

these thoughts are so evil. Her thoughts also tell her to kill God

and not to pray. The most recent was to cut her baby brother into

pieces and drink his blood.

Chryl

Chryl

[Guest guest]

NO, I would never tell her what some of my relatives are saying

about being harrassed.

But, thanks for all your advice. We do talk alot. I try to

reinforce everytime that these thoughts are not her real thoughts.

My daughter, too, gets thoughts of walking in front of cars. It just

breaks my heart that she has to do through this at such a young age.

My daughter inherited OCD from me. I did not know I had OCD and

never even heard of it until this happened to my daughter two months

ago and I did some research. After reading some of the symptoms, I

realize that I fall under many of them. Such as checking things,

over and over. I just thought I was being paranoid. Or having to

do something a specific way until it felt comfortable. And

especially after my last pregnancy, I had some suicidal thoughts,

such as driving my car onto oncoming trafic or running into the side

rails. Although those type of thoughts seemed to have diminished

recently. I still do a lot of checking, but not as often as I use

to since I now know that its OCD. The doctor said I have mild OCD.

> Oh, don't tell her that her relatives think she is being

harassed by

> the devil, that will really upset her. This will only cause

another set of

> OCD thoughts and symptoms to appear.

>

> My mother-in-law says the same thing about both of my boys

and

> myself and I will never tell them what she has said. When I was a

child I

> was also afraid of religion after watching the movie the Exorcist.

I became

> frightened of possession-terrible images to the point I thought

that I was

> crazy. Later in life after I began my medicine and the images and

OCD

> symptoms disappeared I knew that this was a chemical disease and I

was not

> being harassed by the devil.

>

> My suggestion would be to talk about her feelings and

thoughts. Make

> the thoughts turn into something silly. Talk about them to the

point where

> they don't seem to distress her and make her understand that these

aren't

> really her true thoughts that her brain is just misfiring. Trust

me when you

> talk to her and reassure her and she gets the correct medicine she

will feel

> much better.

>

> As far as picking up the kitchen knife and so on usually

people with

> OCD symptoms don't act on these thoughts but sometimes they will

do foolish

> things which could cause them to get hurt. My son at his worst

would step in

> front of cars or ride his bike in front of them. He could have

really hurt

> himself. He also hit himself with rocks and pinched himself which

caused

> bruises. I would keep a close eye on her and have a talk about

what would

> happen if she left and how you and your family would feel. Tell

her that

> when these feelings come and she can't seem to control them to

talk to you.

> She might come to you quite often so never ever get aggravated

with her or

> raise your voice. Try to be reassuring. I realize sitting here you

can say

> that you wouldn't yell or lose your temper but sometimes we would

like just

> to tell our children to stop thinking about it. I was always told

to snap

> out of it but sometimes you can't and this is when you become

depressed and

> feel hopeless.

>

> Also as far as my family goes we seem to be on a cycle with

our OCD.

> Symptoms get much worse in the Fall and early Spring with a short

depressive

> episode occurring in the summer. Severe Symptoms usually last no

longer than

> two weeks and this is while we are on medication.

>

>

>

>

>

>

> > From: chrylcasim

> > Reply To:

> > Sent: Friday, November 19, 2004 1:41 PM

> > To:

> > Subject: OCD and thoughts of harming

> >

> >

> > Thank you all for responding. During this distressing time, it

is

> > of comfort to know that there are young children who are doing

okay

> > who have had similar symptoms. It is very encouraging.

> >

> > My other question is how much should I make her teacher aware of

> > what is going on. As of now, the school only knows that my

daughter

> > has an anxiety disorder. So far, the medication is not

working. She

> > gets these thoughts everyday and a few times they have been so

> > severe. One time the thought was so strong, that she actually

went

> > into the kitchen and took a table knife and held it as she

actually

> > thought of hurting herself with it. Needless to say, we hid

all the

> > knives. I have read many times that these acts will never occur,

but

> > I really wonder sometimes. One other time, while having dinner,

we

> > saw her playing around with her fork, placing it on her

stomach.

> > Her thoughts were telling her to stab herself with the fork.

While

> > I can monitor her when she is at home, I worry about when she is

at

> > school. Academically, she is one of the top students in her

class,

> > but I worry about the few times when the thoughts are so strong

and

> > she cannot handle it. I am taking her to a new psychiatrist

next

> > week, one that specializes in OCD and she has already

recommended a

> > good therapist for CBT. So hopefully, we are on the right

track and

> > will get the right medication for her.

> >

> > Another issue I would like to put out there is that I have been

told

> > by relatives that my daughter is being harassed by the devil,

since

> > these thoughts are so evil. Her thoughts also tell her to

kill God

> > and not to pray. The most recent was to cut her baby brother

into

> > pieces and drink his blood.

> >

> > Chryl

> >

> > Chryl

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > Our list archives, bookmarks, files, and chat feature may be

accessed at:

> > http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group// .

> > Our list advisors are Gail B. , Ed.D., Tamar Chansky,

Ph.D., Aureen

> > Pinto Wagner, Ph.D., and Dan Geller, M.D. Our list moderators

are

> > Birkhan, Castle, Fowler, Kathy Hammes, Joye,

Kathy

> > Mac, Gail Pesses, and Kathy . Subscription

issues or

> > suggestions may be addressed to Louis Harkins, list owner, at

> > louisharkins@y... , louisharkins@h... ,

> > louisharkins@g... .

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

NO, I would never tell her what some of my relatives are saying

about being harrassed.

But, thanks for all your advice. We do talk alot. I try to

reinforce everytime that these thoughts are not her real thoughts.

My daughter, too, gets thoughts of walking in front of cars. It just

breaks my heart that she has to do through this at such a young age.

My daughter inherited OCD from me. I did not know I had OCD and

never even heard of it until this happened to my daughter two months

ago and I did some research. After reading some of the symptoms, I

realize that I fall under many of them. Such as checking things,

over and over. I just thought I was being paranoid. Or having to

do something a specific way until it felt comfortable. And

especially after my last pregnancy, I had some suicidal thoughts,

such as driving my car onto oncoming trafic or running into the side

rails. Although those type of thoughts seemed to have diminished

recently. I still do a lot of checking, but not as often as I use

to since I now know that its OCD. The doctor said I have mild OCD.

> Oh, don't tell her that her relatives think she is being

harassed by

> the devil, that will really upset her. This will only cause

another set of

> OCD thoughts and symptoms to appear.

>

> My mother-in-law says the same thing about both of my boys

and

> myself and I will never tell them what she has said. When I was a

child I

> was also afraid of religion after watching the movie the Exorcist.

I became

> frightened of possession-terrible images to the point I thought

that I was

> crazy. Later in life after I began my medicine and the images and

OCD

> symptoms disappeared I knew that this was a chemical disease and I

was not

> being harassed by the devil.

>

> My suggestion would be to talk about her feelings and

thoughts. Make

> the thoughts turn into something silly. Talk about them to the

point where

> they don't seem to distress her and make her understand that these

aren't

> really her true thoughts that her brain is just misfiring. Trust

me when you

> talk to her and reassure her and she gets the correct medicine she

will feel

> much better.

>

> As far as picking up the kitchen knife and so on usually

people with

> OCD symptoms don't act on these thoughts but sometimes they will

do foolish

> things which could cause them to get hurt. My son at his worst

would step in

> front of cars or ride his bike in front of them. He could have

really hurt

> himself. He also hit himself with rocks and pinched himself which

caused

> bruises. I would keep a close eye on her and have a talk about

what would

> happen if she left and how you and your family would feel. Tell

her that

> when these feelings come and she can't seem to control them to

talk to you.

> She might come to you quite often so never ever get aggravated

with her or

> raise your voice. Try to be reassuring. I realize sitting here you

can say

> that you wouldn't yell or lose your temper but sometimes we would

like just

> to tell our children to stop thinking about it. I was always told

to snap

> out of it but sometimes you can't and this is when you become

depressed and

> feel hopeless.

>

> Also as far as my family goes we seem to be on a cycle with

our OCD.

> Symptoms get much worse in the Fall and early Spring with a short

depressive

> episode occurring in the summer. Severe Symptoms usually last no

longer than

> two weeks and this is while we are on medication.

>

>

>

>

>

>

> > From: chrylcasim

> > Reply To:

> > Sent: Friday, November 19, 2004 1:41 PM

> > To:

> > Subject: OCD and thoughts of harming

> >

> >

> > Thank you all for responding. During this distressing time, it

is

> > of comfort to know that there are young children who are doing

okay

> > who have had similar symptoms. It is very encouraging.

> >

> > My other question is how much should I make her teacher aware of

> > what is going on. As of now, the school only knows that my

daughter

> > has an anxiety disorder. So far, the medication is not

working. She

> > gets these thoughts everyday and a few times they have been so

> > severe. One time the thought was so strong, that she actually

went

> > into the kitchen and took a table knife and held it as she

actually

> > thought of hurting herself with it. Needless to say, we hid

all the

> > knives. I have read many times that these acts will never occur,

but

> > I really wonder sometimes. One other time, while having dinner,

we

> > saw her playing around with her fork, placing it on her

stomach.

> > Her thoughts were telling her to stab herself with the fork.

While

> > I can monitor her when she is at home, I worry about when she is

at

> > school. Academically, she is one of the top students in her

class,

> > but I worry about the few times when the thoughts are so strong

and

> > she cannot handle it. I am taking her to a new psychiatrist

next

> > week, one that specializes in OCD and she has already

recommended a

> > good therapist for CBT. So hopefully, we are on the right

track and

> > will get the right medication for her.

> >

> > Another issue I would like to put out there is that I have been

told

> > by relatives that my daughter is being harassed by the devil,

since

> > these thoughts are so evil. Her thoughts also tell her to

kill God

> > and not to pray. The most recent was to cut her baby brother

into

> > pieces and drink his blood.

> >

> > Chryl

> >

> > Chryl

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > Our list archives, bookmarks, files, and chat feature may be

accessed at:

> > http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group// .

> > Our list advisors are Gail B. , Ed.D., Tamar Chansky,

Ph.D., Aureen

> > Pinto Wagner, Ph.D., and Dan Geller, M.D. Our list moderators

are

> > Birkhan, Castle, Fowler, Kathy Hammes, Joye,

Kathy

> > Mac, Gail Pesses, and Kathy . Subscription

issues or

> > suggestions may be addressed to Louis Harkins, list owner, at

> > louisharkins@y... , louisharkins@h... ,

> > louisharkins@g... .

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the information. I haven't heard of this particular book and I

will have to make a point to purchase it. Hopefully it will give me a better

idea of why I think the way I do.

My son too is taking Risperdal and it seems to really help. Although it does

have some negative effects like weight gain. My husband and I have to

monitor what he eats otherwise he will eat until he makes himself sick. He

is a big kid at 5' 2 " and weighs about 150 pounds. I believe since he has

started Risperdal he has gained about 30 lbs. His psychiatrist also closely

monitors his weight and she voices her concerns to him during their

sessions. She has even suggested that he be weaned off Risperdal but I am

afraid of what might happen. I don't want to visit that dark place where our

family was about a year and half ago. What to do...

> ----------

> From: Louis Harkins

> Reply To:

> Sent: Thursday, November 18, 2004 9:24 PM

> To:

> Subject: Re: OCD and thoughts of harming

>

>

> Hi ,

>

> Our son has suffered with bad thoughts in the past prior to

> introduction of Risperdal to his list of daily medications. Lee

> Baer's book " Imp Of The Mind: Exploring The Silent Epidemic Of

> Obsessive Bad Thoughts " is an excellent resource. It is available

> at Amazon in paperback for as little as three dollars used.

>

> Take care.

>

> Louis

>

>

> On Thu, 18 Nov 2004 16:24:56 -0500, Robbins,

> wrote:

> > I am a 35 year old mother of two who have OCD. Both of my boys have also

> > been diagnosed with OCD which leads me to believe that it may be

> genetic. We

> > are all on medication and my children see a therapist and psychiatrist

> > regularly at a children's hospital.

> >

> > It has always seemed strange to me that OCD can create so many different

> > types of obsessions. I have one son who has a mild case of OCD and

> worries

> > about something happening to his family to the point where it would make

> him

> > sick. My oldest son has a more difficult time with the disease. At one

> point

> > he says that he was seeing and hearing things which eventually led us to

> > hospitalizing him. He doesn't have these problems now but occasionally

> he

> > says that the inner voice inside his head tells him to hurt himself, or

> that

> > inner voice tells him he can't wear a certain garment or something bad

> will

> > happen, or he has to lay a certain way in bed-list goes on. He gets very

> > upset because he can't get these thoughts out of his head leading him to

> > perform some sort of ritual like tapping his pencil so many times etc...

> I

> > call these brief thoughts brain hiccups which if severe enough can last

> all

> > day or days, weeks etc...

> >

> > I, however, have had the exact same thoughts as your little girl.

> My

> > OCD behavior kicked in around ten years of age. I hid my thoughts from

> > friends and family until I was in my mid twenties. I was scared and

> > embarrassed thinking that everyone else around me must be normal and

> that I

> > was the only one that was different until I met with a psychiatrist who

> > assured me that I wasn't crazy and that many people have this disease

> and

> > cope with it everyday. For me at least medication was the way to go. I

> take

> > 200mg of luvox everyday and this is the only medication that completely

> > eliminates these thoughts with occasional cycling.

> >

> > Now as for your daughter you have to let her know that usually

> > people with ocd dwell on things that frightened them which increases

> their

> > anxiety and may lead to depression. The thoughts can be so disturbing

> that

> > the person can be too embarrassed and frightened to tell anyone. These

> > thoughts frighten her and I am sure that it makes you feel very

> > uncomfortable. But you have to realize that she knows that these

> thoughts

> > aren't normal and she can't stop them from popping in to her head-this

> is

> > why they are so distressing. Please let her know that these thoughts

> aren't

> > really her thoughts that they are brain hiccups. If she feels like these

> > disturbing thoughts are really hers it will heighten her anxiety

> causing

> > her to dislike herself and pull away from the people she loves the most

> to

> > avoid these thoughts. She needs to know that there are other children

> and

> > adults that have the same disturbing thoughts that she has had and that

> she

> > will learn to deal with them through therapy and medication.

> >

> > I believe that once you find the correct medicine for her and

> help

> > her understand that it is a disease which others suffer from too like

> > diabetes that she will become your happy carefree child again.

> >

> > Good luck,

> >

> >

> >

> > > From: chrylcasim

> > > Reply To:

> > > Sent: Thursday, November 18, 2004 12:51 PM

> > > To:

> >

> >

> > > Subject: OCD and thoughts of harming

> > >

> > >

> > > I am new to this. Just wondering if there is anyone else out there

> > > with similar situation. My daughter is 7 years old and was just

> > > diagnosed with OCD two months ago. She gets thoughts of killing me,

>

> > > her dad, and her 22 month-old brother. she feels she is a bad

> > > person for having those thoughts and thinks she should not be with

> > > us. Sometimes just seeing a knife will give her thoughts of

> > > stabbing. She is seeing a psychiatrist who prescribed prozac 5 mg,

> > > which she has been taking for two months. Her thoughts seem to just

>

> > > increase. I am in the process of changing her psychiatrist because

> > > I thought she needed a doctor that specializes in OCD. She gets

> > > suicidal thoughts, which terrify me. Not sure if she needs to be

> > > hospitalized, but also scared to death at what they will do to her

> > > at a psychiatric hospital. Looking for others who can relate and

> > > share experiences.

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > > Our list archives, bookmarks, files, and chat feature may be accessed

> at:

> > > http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group// .

> > > Our list advisors are Gail B. , Ed.D., Tamar Chansky, Ph.D.,

> Aureen

> > > Pinto Wagner, Ph.D., and Dan Geller, M.D. Our list moderators are

>

> > > Birkhan, Castle, Fowler, Kathy Hammes, Joye, Kathy

> > > Mac, Gail Pesses, and Kathy . Subscription issues or

> > > suggestions may be addressed to Louis Harkins, list owner, at

> > > louisharkins@... , louisharkins@... ,

> > > louisharkins@... .

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the information. I haven't heard of this particular book and I

will have to make a point to purchase it. Hopefully it will give me a better

idea of why I think the way I do.

My son too is taking Risperdal and it seems to really help. Although it does

have some negative effects like weight gain. My husband and I have to

monitor what he eats otherwise he will eat until he makes himself sick. He

is a big kid at 5' 2 " and weighs about 150 pounds. I believe since he has

started Risperdal he has gained about 30 lbs. His psychiatrist also closely

monitors his weight and she voices her concerns to him during their

sessions. She has even suggested that he be weaned off Risperdal but I am

afraid of what might happen. I don't want to visit that dark place where our

family was about a year and half ago. What to do...

> ----------

> From: Louis Harkins

> Reply To:

> Sent: Thursday, November 18, 2004 9:24 PM

> To:

> Subject: Re: OCD and thoughts of harming

>

>

> Hi ,

>

> Our son has suffered with bad thoughts in the past prior to

> introduction of Risperdal to his list of daily medications. Lee

> Baer's book " Imp Of The Mind: Exploring The Silent Epidemic Of

> Obsessive Bad Thoughts " is an excellent resource. It is available

> at Amazon in paperback for as little as three dollars used.

>

> Take care.

>

> Louis

>

>

> On Thu, 18 Nov 2004 16:24:56 -0500, Robbins,

> wrote:

> > I am a 35 year old mother of two who have OCD. Both of my boys have also

> > been diagnosed with OCD which leads me to believe that it may be

> genetic. We

> > are all on medication and my children see a therapist and psychiatrist

> > regularly at a children's hospital.

> >

> > It has always seemed strange to me that OCD can create so many different

> > types of obsessions. I have one son who has a mild case of OCD and

> worries

> > about something happening to his family to the point where it would make

> him

> > sick. My oldest son has a more difficult time with the disease. At one

> point

> > he says that he was seeing and hearing things which eventually led us to

> > hospitalizing him. He doesn't have these problems now but occasionally

> he

> > says that the inner voice inside his head tells him to hurt himself, or

> that

> > inner voice tells him he can't wear a certain garment or something bad

> will

> > happen, or he has to lay a certain way in bed-list goes on. He gets very

> > upset because he can't get these thoughts out of his head leading him to

> > perform some sort of ritual like tapping his pencil so many times etc...

> I

> > call these brief thoughts brain hiccups which if severe enough can last

> all

> > day or days, weeks etc...

> >

> > I, however, have had the exact same thoughts as your little girl.

> My

> > OCD behavior kicked in around ten years of age. I hid my thoughts from

> > friends and family until I was in my mid twenties. I was scared and

> > embarrassed thinking that everyone else around me must be normal and

> that I

> > was the only one that was different until I met with a psychiatrist who

> > assured me that I wasn't crazy and that many people have this disease

> and

> > cope with it everyday. For me at least medication was the way to go. I

> take

> > 200mg of luvox everyday and this is the only medication that completely

> > eliminates these thoughts with occasional cycling.

> >

> > Now as for your daughter you have to let her know that usually

> > people with ocd dwell on things that frightened them which increases

> their

> > anxiety and may lead to depression. The thoughts can be so disturbing

> that

> > the person can be too embarrassed and frightened to tell anyone. These

> > thoughts frighten her and I am sure that it makes you feel very

> > uncomfortable. But you have to realize that she knows that these

> thoughts

> > aren't normal and she can't stop them from popping in to her head-this

> is

> > why they are so distressing. Please let her know that these thoughts

> aren't

> > really her thoughts that they are brain hiccups. If she feels like these

> > disturbing thoughts are really hers it will heighten her anxiety

> causing

> > her to dislike herself and pull away from the people she loves the most

> to

> > avoid these thoughts. She needs to know that there are other children

> and

> > adults that have the same disturbing thoughts that she has had and that

> she

> > will learn to deal with them through therapy and medication.

> >

> > I believe that once you find the correct medicine for her and

> help

> > her understand that it is a disease which others suffer from too like

> > diabetes that she will become your happy carefree child again.

> >

> > Good luck,

> >

> >

> >

> > > From: chrylcasim

> > > Reply To:

> > > Sent: Thursday, November 18, 2004 12:51 PM

> > > To:

> >

> >

> > > Subject: OCD and thoughts of harming

> > >

> > >

> > > I am new to this. Just wondering if there is anyone else out there

> > > with similar situation. My daughter is 7 years old and was just

> > > diagnosed with OCD two months ago. She gets thoughts of killing me,

>

> > > her dad, and her 22 month-old brother. she feels she is a bad

> > > person for having those thoughts and thinks she should not be with

> > > us. Sometimes just seeing a knife will give her thoughts of

> > > stabbing. She is seeing a psychiatrist who prescribed prozac 5 mg,

> > > which she has been taking for two months. Her thoughts seem to just

>

> > > increase. I am in the process of changing her psychiatrist because

> > > I thought she needed a doctor that specializes in OCD. She gets

> > > suicidal thoughts, which terrify me. Not sure if she needs to be

> > > hospitalized, but also scared to death at what they will do to her

> > > at a psychiatric hospital. Looking for others who can relate and

> > > share experiences.

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > > Our list archives, bookmarks, files, and chat feature may be accessed

> at:

> > > http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group// .

> > > Our list advisors are Gail B. , Ed.D., Tamar Chansky, Ph.D.,

> Aureen

> > > Pinto Wagner, Ph.D., and Dan Geller, M.D. Our list moderators are

>

> > > Birkhan, Castle, Fowler, Kathy Hammes, Joye, Kathy

> > > Mac, Gail Pesses, and Kathy . Subscription issues or

> > > suggestions may be addressed to Louis Harkins, list owner, at

> > > louisharkins@... , louisharkins@... ,

> > > louisharkins@... .

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

[Guest guest]

:

Thanks for sharing your experience with your daughter. It sounds

like your daughter is doing pretty good now. I was wondering, did

the therapy alone helped or was it a combination of meds and therapy?

Chryl

> My daughter had the same type of OCD -- thoughts that she wanted

to kill

> herself. It was very distressing for me because I had a brother who

> really did kill himself. The difference, though, is that my

daughter did

> not REALLY want to kill herself, she just had constant obsessions

that

> she *might* kill herself. She couldn't be around knives or plastic

bags

> or anything like that without getting really afraid. Of course,

when she

> told me that she wanted to kill herself I freaked out, but after a

lot of

> talking about exactly what she was feeling and a trip to her

therapist,

> we realized that this was OCD and not that she really wanted to

end it

> all. Anyway, she responded really well to ERP in this case. Every

time

> she got a thought of killing herself she was to pretend to kill

herself.

> At first this caused her a lot of anxiety, but after a few days we

were

> having a lot of fun with it. We made a big production of it and

tried to

> exaggerate (in order to mock OCD) as much as possible. It seemed

like

> that would only make it worse, but it helped tremendously and she

is not

> having much trouble with those type of thoughts anymore. Yes, you

need a

> therapist that specializes in OCD. They can be tricky to find, but

don't

> give up. It is amazing what a difference it makes.

>

>

>

>

> On Thu, 18 Nov 2004 17:51:27 -0000 " chrylcasim " <chrylcasim@y...>

> writes:

> >

> >

> > I am new to this. Just wondering if there is anyone else out

there

> >

> > with similar situation. My daughter is 7 years old and was just

> > diagnosed with OCD two months ago. She gets thoughts of killing

me,

> >

> > her dad, and her 22 month-old brother. she feels she is a bad

> > person for having those thoughts and thinks she should not be

with

> > us. Sometimes just seeing a knife will give her thoughts of

> > stabbing. She is seeing a psychiatrist who prescribed prozac 5

mg,

> >

> > which she has been taking for two months. Her thoughts seem to

just

> >

> > increase. I am in the process of changing her psychiatrist

because

> >

> > I thought she needed a doctor that specializes in OCD. She gets

> > suicidal thoughts, which terrify me. Not sure if she needs to

be

> > hospitalized, but also scared to death at what they will do to

her

> > at a psychiatric hospital. Looking for others who can relate and

> > share experiences.

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

:

Thanks for sharing your experience with your daughter. It sounds

like your daughter is doing pretty good now. I was wondering, did

the therapy alone helped or was it a combination of meds and therapy?

Chryl

> My daughter had the same type of OCD -- thoughts that she wanted

to kill

> herself. It was very distressing for me because I had a brother who

> really did kill himself. The difference, though, is that my

daughter did

> not REALLY want to kill herself, she just had constant obsessions

that

> she *might* kill herself. She couldn't be around knives or plastic

bags

> or anything like that without getting really afraid. Of course,

when she

> told me that she wanted to kill herself I freaked out, but after a

lot of

> talking about exactly what she was feeling and a trip to her

therapist,

> we realized that this was OCD and not that she really wanted to

end it

> all. Anyway, she responded really well to ERP in this case. Every

time

> she got a thought of killing herself she was to pretend to kill

herself.

> At first this caused her a lot of anxiety, but after a few days we

were

> having a lot of fun with it. We made a big production of it and

tried to

> exaggerate (in order to mock OCD) as much as possible. It seemed

like

> that would only make it worse, but it helped tremendously and she

is not

> having much trouble with those type of thoughts anymore. Yes, you

need a

> therapist that specializes in OCD. They can be tricky to find, but

don't

> give up. It is amazing what a difference it makes.

>

>

>

>

> On Thu, 18 Nov 2004 17:51:27 -0000 " chrylcasim " <chrylcasim@y...>

> writes:

> >

> >

> > I am new to this. Just wondering if there is anyone else out

there

> >

> > with similar situation. My daughter is 7 years old and was just

> > diagnosed with OCD two months ago. She gets thoughts of killing

me,

> >

> > her dad, and her 22 month-old brother. she feels she is a bad

> > person for having those thoughts and thinks she should not be

with

> > us. Sometimes just seeing a knife will give her thoughts of

> > stabbing. She is seeing a psychiatrist who prescribed prozac 5

mg,

> >

> > which she has been taking for two months. Her thoughts seem to

just

> >

> > increase. I am in the process of changing her psychiatrist

because

> >

> > I thought she needed a doctor that specializes in OCD. She gets

> > suicidal thoughts, which terrify me. Not sure if she needs to

be

> > hospitalized, but also scared to death at what they will do to

her

> > at a psychiatric hospital. Looking for others who can relate and

> > share experiences.

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Hi Chryl,

I told the school that (15) has OCD and that it's an anxiety

disorder. So you might want to just say that the anxiety

disorder " is OCD. " If they press you for any personal info about it

that you don't want to share actual details, you could just say that

her OCD is mostly obsessive thoughts and leave it at that. You can

be as specific or " not specific " as you feel OK about. I do think

that letting them know the child is/is not on medication, just

started it, is switching it...is good too.

Generally, just letting the school know ways OCD seems to be

affecting the child at school (or might affect) is helpful. Like they

might be distracted more, take longer to start/do work, longer to

read, avoid things, may not even be able to begin it (we had it that

could bring all unfinished work home), may not want to touch

things; then there's the more typical ones teachers might have heard

of too, need to wash hands, go to restroom too often, erase/rewrite

words a lot, need to have pencil sharp so will do that too

often....well, we all know the variety of ways and variety of

compulsions/thoughts OCD can possibly give kids.

some nights just could not do homework, we did as much as he

could, etc.

So tell the school as much as you feel comfortable with or your

daughter feels comfortable with.

Ignore the relatives. And I'm sure I'd feel uneasy also with the

harmful/violent thoughts, but actually picking up the fork/knife and

realizing that she " won't " follow through just *might* be good

exposure. Others here are much more familiar with these type of

thoughts than I am.

Please keep us updated on how things are going!

>

> Thank you all for responding. During this distressing time, it is

> of comfort to know that there are young children who are doing okay

> who have had similar symptoms. It is very encouraging.

>

> My other question is how much should I make her teacher aware of

> what is going on. As of now, the school only knows that my

daughter

> has an anxiety disorder. So far, the medication is not working.

[Guest guest]

Thanks for responding, Chris. I will let the school know about the

meds, since I have already mentioned that she has an anxiety

disorder. My daughter does not seem to have any compulsions -- none

that we are aware of at the moment. Just the obsessions of killing

with a knife, which I don't think I will mention since many people

who don't understand this disorder will be taken aback, and I don't

want anyone treating her differently. She already feels so ashamed

to be having those thoughts even though I tell her over and over

those are not her real thoughts.

Thanks,

Chryl

> >

> > Thank you all for responding. During this distressing time, it

is

> > of comfort to know that there are young children who are doing

okay

> > who have had similar symptoms. It is very encouraging.

> >

> > My other question is how much should I make her teacher aware of

> > what is going on. As of now, the school only knows that my

> daughter

> > has an anxiety disorder. So far, the medication is not working.

[Guest guest]

Chryl,

Well, she is on Prozac and, for her, it really helps with lessening the

overall intensity of her OCD. The therapy is what I mostly credit,

though, for getting her over most of her O's and C's. The Prozac mostly

just helps elevate her mood and takes the edge off the disorder. Her fear

that she wanted to kill herself came (and went) while she was taking

Prozac, so obviously the meds alone do not get rid of the OCD. We never

tried therapy without the meds, so I do not know how she would have done

with therapy alone. While her OCD is not gone, she is doing

*great*--mostly just a normal 10 year old. How far we have come!

On Sat, 20 Nov 2004 02:15:36 -0000 " chrylcasim "

writes:

>

>

> :

>

> Thanks for sharing your experience with your daughter. It sounds

> like your daughter is doing pretty good now. I was wondering, did

> the therapy alone helped or was it a combination of meds and

> therapy?

>

> Chryl

>

>

> > My daughter had the same type of OCD -- thoughts that she wanted

> to kill

> > herself. It was very distressing for me because I had a brother

> who

> > really did kill himself. The difference, though, is that my

> daughter did

> > not REALLY want to kill herself, she just had constant obsessions

>

> that

> > she *might* kill herself. She couldn't be around knives or plastic

>

> bags

> > or anything like that without getting really afraid. Of course,

> when she

> > told me that she wanted to kill herself I freaked out, but after a

>

> lot of

> > talking about exactly what she was feeling and a trip to her

> therapist,

> > we realized that this was OCD and not that she really wanted to

> end it

> > all. Anyway, she responded really well to ERP in this case. Every

>

> time

> > she got a thought of killing herself she was to pretend to kill

> herself.

> > At first this caused her a lot of anxiety, but after a few days we

>

> were

> > having a lot of fun with it. We made a big production of it and

> tried to

> > exaggerate (in order to mock OCD) as much as possible. It seemed

> like

> > that would only make it worse, but it helped tremendously and she

>

> is not

> > having much trouble with those type of thoughts anymore. Yes, you

>

> need a

> > therapist that specializes in OCD. They can be tricky to find, but

>

> don't

> > give up. It is amazing what a difference it makes.

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > On Thu, 18 Nov 2004 17:51:27 -0000 " chrylcasim " <chrylcasim@y...>

> > writes:

> > >

> > >

> > > I am new to this. Just wondering if there is anyone else out

> there

> > >

> > > with similar situation. My daughter is 7 years old and was just

>

> > > diagnosed with OCD two months ago. She gets thoughts of killing

>

> me,

> > >

> > > her dad, and her 22 month-old brother. she feels she is a bad

> > > person for having those thoughts and thinks she should not be

> with

> > > us. Sometimes just seeing a knife will give her thoughts of

> > > stabbing. She is seeing a psychiatrist who prescribed prozac 5

>

> mg,

> > >

> > > which she has been taking for two months. Her thoughts seem to

>

> just

> > >

> > > increase. I am in the process of changing her psychiatrist

> because

> > >

> > > I thought she needed a doctor that specializes in OCD. She gets

>

> > > suicidal thoughts, which terrify me. Not sure if she needs to

> be

> > > hospitalized, but also scared to death at what they will do to

> her

> > > at a psychiatric hospital. Looking for others who can relate and

>

> > > share experiences.

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

[Guest guest]

<<I am new to this. Just wondering if there is anyone else out there

with similar situation. My daughter is 7 years old and was just

diagnosed with OCD two months ago...[snip]...She is seeing a

sychiatrist who prescribed prozac 5 mg, which she has been taking for

two months. Her thoughts seem to just increase.>>

Hi chryklcasim - my son just turned 8, and although he has had some

symptoms of OCD for several years, it was just last year that it

became so bad that we decided to try both medication & therapy.

Anyway, Dan also takes prozac and it has really made a huge difference

in the intensity of the obsessions & compulsions (and the ups & downs

from week to week overall, too). However - it did not do ANYTHING for

him until we gradually increased the dosage to 15 mg., which was about

5 weeks after we first started it (started with 5 mg). Dan is about

50 lbs., btw.

From what I've read about prozac here and elsewhere (I did lots of

reading about prozac & OCD - this site has a good search feature,

though you have to keep clicking 'next' to get the through all the

messages for a year or so), 15-30 mg. is not at all an uncommon a

dosage to " work " on OCD. This is a much higher dose than is used for

depression, also, which is something that I think more psychiatrists

are used to treating.

Recently my son's OCD really seemed to take a turn for the worse -

after 3 weeks of deteriorating behavior and meltdowns and complete

inability to engage in " bossing back " therapy, we changed his dosage

t0 20 mg., and within 2 days the OCD was " workable " again.

I would definitely talk to your p-doc (psychiatrist) about changing

the dosage as long as your daughter isn't having any bad side effects

so far. I know that Prozac does also take longer to kick in than many

of the other drugs used to treat OCD - but it stays in your system

longer, too, and apparently there are rarely withdrawal symptoms like

seem to occur with ssri's like Celexa.

good luck, Sandy

PS We were totally unable to do any of the er/p therapy until the

prozac kicked in and lessened the intensity. Now he has some mild

aversions, before he had a complete, often violent meltdown in

response to 'contaminates' of various kinds.

[Guest guest]

Hi Chryl, (((hugs))) my daughter had these very same obsessions (knives,

gruesome images) and did the same thing with a knife back when her OCD

started at 4 years, 11 months. She was obsessed that if she cut out her

eyes, the bad thoughts would stop, and told me she didn't want to but might

" have to " do this if the thoughts got too bad. She also would take forks

etc. and press them to her body. She also had the God hating and etc.

obsessions. With the right medication and later, therapy (because we had

such a challenge in finding her an appropriate therapist), her OCD is

low-level and stable today, and she enjoys a normal 10-year-old's life. It

will happen for your daughter too.

As to what to tell the teacher, how much trouble is her OCD causing her at

school? I told my daughter's teacher the basic facts, that she'd

experienced an abrupt onset of OCD which is an anxiety disorder, that she

was seeing a doctor for this, and that she had been placed on medication

which could affect her behavior etc. for the next few weeks or so until the

doctor got it balanced. In her case, since she had also begun having vocal

tics, I wanted the teachers to know about this and so not punish her for

being disruptive. Though some individual teachers utilized this info better

than others, overall teachers have been able to offer valuable insight over

time into the ways my child's disorders were interfering at school.

Teachers are around our school-age kids as many hours as we are many days.

OCD comes in several " flavors " so to speak. The same disorder that causes

the gruesome thoughts that our children suffer, causes the obsessions having

to do with contamination, and all the rest. It doesn't make sense to think

the devil causes " bad thought " OCD but not other types of obsessions such as

contamination. Even though it's natural to want the input and support of

family when dealing with OCD, many of us found we needed to educate family

members about the disorder as well.

Young kids especially seem prone to the gruesome obsessions, judging from

posts to this list over the years. I remember being completely flummoxed on

how my young girl could even conceive of some of the disgusting and gruesome

obsessions she suffered, having had no exposure to slasher movies nor any

idea that these exist. Her obsessions seemed drawn directly from

King.

Fortunately, the type of obsessions, nor the severity of symptoms, predicts

a poorer response to therapy and/or meds. Thankfully, OCD is a very

treatable disorder and our kids are among the lucky ones who live in a time

when effective therapy and medications are available.

Good luck to you and your daughter,

Kathy R. in Indiana

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

> Thank you all for responding. During this distressing time, it is

> of comfort to know that there are young children who are doing okay

> who have had similar symptoms. It is very encouraging.

>

> My other question is how much should I make her teacher aware of

> what is going on. As of now, the school only knows that my daughter

> has an anxiety disorder. So far, the medication is not working. She

> gets these thoughts everyday and a few times they have been so

> severe. One time the thought was so strong, that she actually went

> into the kitchen and took a table knife and held it as she actually

> thought of hurting herself with it. Needless to say, we hid all the

> knives. I have read many times that these acts will never occur, but

> I really wonder sometimes. One other time, while having dinner, we

> saw her playing around with her fork, placing it on her stomach.

> Her thoughts were telling her to stab herself with the fork. While

> I can monitor her when she is at home, I worry about when she is at

> school. Academically, she is one of the top students in her class,

> but I worry about the few times when the thoughts are so strong and

> she cannot handle it. I am taking her to a new psychiatrist next

> week, one that specializes in OCD and she has already recommended a

> good therapist for CBT. So hopefully, we are on the right track and

> will get the right medication for her.

>

> Another issue I would like to put out there is that I have been told

> by relatives that my daughter is being harassed by the devil, since

> these thoughts are so evil. Her thoughts also tell her to kill God

> and not to pray. The most recent was to cut her baby brother into

> pieces and drink his blood.

>

> Chryl

>

> Chryl

[Guest guest]

Hi Chryl, (((hugs))) my daughter had these very same obsessions (knives,

gruesome images) and did the same thing with a knife back when her OCD

started at 4 years, 11 months. She was obsessed that if she cut out her

eyes, the bad thoughts would stop, and told me she didn't want to but might

" have to " do this if the thoughts got too bad. She also would take forks

etc. and press them to her body. She also had the God hating and etc.

obsessions. With the right medication and later, therapy (because we had

such a challenge in finding her an appropriate therapist), her OCD is

low-level and stable today, and she enjoys a normal 10-year-old's life. It

will happen for your daughter too.

As to what to tell the teacher, how much trouble is her OCD causing her at

school? I told my daughter's teacher the basic facts, that she'd

experienced an abrupt onset of OCD which is an anxiety disorder, that she

was seeing a doctor for this, and that she had been placed on medication

which could affect her behavior etc. for the next few weeks or so until the

doctor got it balanced. In her case, since she had also begun having vocal

tics, I wanted the teachers to know about this and so not punish her for

being disruptive. Though some individual teachers utilized this info better

than others, overall teachers have been able to offer valuable insight over

time into the ways my child's disorders were interfering at school.

Teachers are around our school-age kids as many hours as we are many days.

OCD comes in several " flavors " so to speak. The same disorder that causes

the gruesome thoughts that our children suffer, causes the obsessions having

to do with contamination, and all the rest. It doesn't make sense to think

the devil causes " bad thought " OCD but not other types of obsessions such as

contamination. Even though it's natural to want the input and support of

family when dealing with OCD, many of us found we needed to educate family

members about the disorder as well.

Young kids especially seem prone to the gruesome obsessions, judging from

posts to this list over the years. I remember being completely flummoxed on

how my young girl could even conceive of some of the disgusting and gruesome

obsessions she suffered, having had no exposure to slasher movies nor any

idea that these exist. Her obsessions seemed drawn directly from

King.

Fortunately, the type of obsessions, nor the severity of symptoms, predicts

a poorer response to therapy and/or meds. Thankfully, OCD is a very

treatable disorder and our kids are among the lucky ones who live in a time

when effective therapy and medications are available.

Good luck to you and your daughter,

Kathy R. in Indiana

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

> Thank you all for responding. During this distressing time, it is

> of comfort to know that there are young children who are doing okay

> who have had similar symptoms. It is very encouraging.

>

> My other question is how much should I make her teacher aware of

> what is going on. As of now, the school only knows that my daughter

> has an anxiety disorder. So far, the medication is not working. She

> gets these thoughts everyday and a few times they have been so

> severe. One time the thought was so strong, that she actually went

> into the kitchen and took a table knife and held it as she actually

> thought of hurting herself with it. Needless to say, we hid all the

> knives. I have read many times that these acts will never occur, but

> I really wonder sometimes. One other time, while having dinner, we

> saw her playing around with her fork, placing it on her stomach.

> Her thoughts were telling her to stab herself with the fork. While

> I can monitor her when she is at home, I worry about when she is at

> school. Academically, she is one of the top students in her class,

> but I worry about the few times when the thoughts are so strong and

> she cannot handle it. I am taking her to a new psychiatrist next

> week, one that specializes in OCD and she has already recommended a

> good therapist for CBT. So hopefully, we are on the right track and

> will get the right medication for her.

>

> Another issue I would like to put out there is that I have been told

> by relatives that my daughter is being harassed by the devil, since

> these thoughts are so evil. Her thoughts also tell her to kill God

> and not to pray. The most recent was to cut her baby brother into

> pieces and drink his blood.

>

> Chryl

>

> Chryl

[Guest guest]

Kathy:

Just how did you find this therapist? What lengths should one go to in order to

get one? Our son has been in therapy 6 months now and I can't see any

improvement other than that he is willing to talk about it now and he doesn't

fight going. Our therapist we use now is VERY gifted, but new to E/RP. He's

willing to learn and I gave him Dr. March's book, but he is so popular and busy,

he hasn't had time to read it. We just have no specialists in our area. Do I

move with my son to a major city for 3 months or what? How can a family afford

to do that? My husband doesn't have the opportunity to do what he does just

anywhere. I've checked into Meninger Clinic in Houston and it costs $750 a day

(our insurance won't help). . .

We've contacted the OCFoundation/ the Florida chapter also and I've called a

half dozen pediatric psychologists. Our psychiatrist says there is no one at

all in the area. Gainesville Fl, or ville is the closest and that's 6-7

hours away. Do doctors to therapy by phone?

I'm doing ERP with him to some degree but have this uncomfortable feeling life

is on hold until we find someone and that someone isn't going to be around here.

Help!

(because we had

such a challenge in finding her an appropriate therapist), her OCD is

low-level and stable today, and she enjoys a normal 10-year-old's life. It

will happen for your daughter too.

[Guest guest]

Kathy:

Just how did you find this therapist? What lengths should one go to in order to

get one? Our son has been in therapy 6 months now and I can't see any

improvement other than that he is willing to talk about it now and he doesn't

fight going. Our therapist we use now is VERY gifted, but new to E/RP. He's

willing to learn and I gave him Dr. March's book, but he is so popular and busy,

he hasn't had time to read it. We just have no specialists in our area. Do I

move with my son to a major city for 3 months or what? How can a family afford

to do that? My husband doesn't have the opportunity to do what he does just

anywhere. I've checked into Meninger Clinic in Houston and it costs $750 a day

(our insurance won't help). . .

We've contacted the OCFoundation/ the Florida chapter also and I've called a

half dozen pediatric psychologists. Our psychiatrist says there is no one at

all in the area. Gainesville Fl, or ville is the closest and that's 6-7

hours away. Do doctors to therapy by phone?

I'm doing ERP with him to some degree but have this uncomfortable feeling life

is on hold until we find someone and that someone isn't going to be around here.

Help!

(because we had

such a challenge in finding her an appropriate therapist), her OCD is

low-level and stable today, and she enjoys a normal 10-year-old's life. It

will happen for your daughter too.

[Guest guest]

,

I hope you don't mind my butting in here since you addressed your question to

Kathy... I just wanted to share our experience that sounds so similar to yours

and I happen to homeschool and live in Florida so we have a lot in common.

After about 6 months with an " OCD therapist " in the town that we're in we

noticed very little improvement and even some worsening of our son's OCD. In

our case, we wound up with an OCD specialist that we found on the OCF website

and we travel over 2 hours each way but it is well worth it!! The progress has

been immediate and rapid. They really know what they're doing and are

definitely " experts " in OCD. If we hadn't found them, I was ready to go to

Shands in Gainesville or ville and they also have excellent people there.

I know what you mean about putting your life on hold until you find someone good

because I now feel like those 6 months were such a waste. However, one key

thing is that I had to be ready to 1)pay the money, it is very expensive; and

2)take the time and energy to travel. I think I just had to get to the point

that I was aware that we had to do something that would work or else we were

just going to get worse and worse and I got really desperate. At this point,

the rewards are so gratifying that I don't care how long I have to do this or

how much it costs. This is all a process, this OCD thing, and as someone told

me, the learning curve is very large and individual. If I can help, let me

know. I wish you well. By the way, our therapists do conferences by phone when

necessary and are very willing to work with us and have even lowered their fee a

little. Take care.

Re: OCD and thoughts of harming

Kathy:

Just how did you find this therapist? What lengths should one go to in order

to get one? Our son has been in therapy 6 months now and I can't see any

improvement other than that he is willing to talk about it now and he doesn't

fight going. Our therapist we use now is VERY gifted, but new to E/RP. He's

willing to learn and I gave him Dr. March's book, but he is so popular and busy,

he hasn't had time to read it. We just have no specialists in our area. Do I

move with my son to a major city for 3 months or what? How can a family afford

to do that? My husband doesn't have the opportunity to do what he does just

anywhere. I've checked into Meninger Clinic in Houston and it costs $750 a day

(our insurance won't help). . .

We've contacted the OCFoundation/ the Florida chapter also and I've called a

half dozen pediatric psychologists. Our psychiatrist says there is no one at

all in the area. Gainesville Fl, or ville is the closest and that's 6-7

hours away. Do doctors to therapy by phone?

I'm doing ERP with him to some degree but have this uncomfortable feeling life

is on hold until we find someone and that someone isn't going to be around here.

Help!

(because we had

such a challenge in finding her an appropriate therapist), her OCD is

low-level and stable today, and she enjoys a normal 10-year-old's life. It

will happen for your daughter too.

[Guest guest]

,

I hope you don't mind my butting in here since you addressed your question to

Kathy... I just wanted to share our experience that sounds so similar to yours

and I happen to homeschool and live in Florida so we have a lot in common.

After about 6 months with an " OCD therapist " in the town that we're in we

noticed very little improvement and even some worsening of our son's OCD. In

our case, we wound up with an OCD specialist that we found on the OCF website

and we travel over 2 hours each way but it is well worth it!! The progress has

been immediate and rapid. They really know what they're doing and are

definitely " experts " in OCD. If we hadn't found them, I was ready to go to

Shands in Gainesville or ville and they also have excellent people there.

I know what you mean about putting your life on hold until you find someone good

because I now feel like those 6 months were such a waste. However, one key

thing is that I had to be ready to 1)pay the money, it is very expensive; and

2)take the time and energy to travel. I think I just had to get to the point

that I was aware that we had to do something that would work or else we were

just going to get worse and worse and I got really desperate. At this point,

the rewards are so gratifying that I don't care how long I have to do this or

how much it costs. This is all a process, this OCD thing, and as someone told

me, the learning curve is very large and individual. If I can help, let me

know. I wish you well. By the way, our therapists do conferences by phone when

necessary and are very willing to work with us and have even lowered their fee a

little. Take care.

Re: OCD and thoughts of harming

Kathy:

Just how did you find this therapist? What lengths should one go to in order

to get one? Our son has been in therapy 6 months now and I can't see any

improvement other than that he is willing to talk about it now and he doesn't

fight going. Our therapist we use now is VERY gifted, but new to E/RP. He's

willing to learn and I gave him Dr. March's book, but he is so popular and busy,

he hasn't had time to read it. We just have no specialists in our area. Do I

move with my son to a major city for 3 months or what? How can a family afford

to do that? My husband doesn't have the opportunity to do what he does just

anywhere. I've checked into Meninger Clinic in Houston and it costs $750 a day

(our insurance won't help). . .

We've contacted the OCFoundation/ the Florida chapter also and I've called a

half dozen pediatric psychologists. Our psychiatrist says there is no one at

all in the area. Gainesville Fl, or ville is the closest and that's 6-7

hours away. Do doctors to therapy by phone?

I'm doing ERP with him to some degree but have this uncomfortable feeling life

is on hold until we find someone and that someone isn't going to be around here.

Help!

(because we had

such a challenge in finding her an appropriate therapist), her OCD is

low-level and stable today, and she enjoys a normal 10-year-old's life. It

will happen for your daughter too.

[Guest guest]

,

I hope you don't mind my butting in here since you addressed your question to

Kathy... I just wanted to share our experience that sounds so similar to yours

and I happen to homeschool and live in Florida so we have a lot in common.

After about 6 months with an " OCD therapist " in the town that we're in we

noticed very little improvement and even some worsening of our son's OCD. In

our case, we wound up with an OCD specialist that we found on the OCF website

and we travel over 2 hours each way but it is well worth it!! The progress has

been immediate and rapid. They really know what they're doing and are

definitely " experts " in OCD. If we hadn't found them, I was ready to go to

Shands in Gainesville or ville and they also have excellent people there.

I know what you mean about putting your life on hold until you find someone good

because I now feel like those 6 months were such a waste. However, one key

thing is that I had to be ready to 1)pay the money, it is very expensive; and

2)take the time and energy to travel. I think I just had to get to the point

that I was aware that we had to do something that would work or else we were

just going to get worse and worse and I got really desperate. At this point,

the rewards are so gratifying that I don't care how long I have to do this or

how much it costs. This is all a process, this OCD thing, and as someone told

me, the learning curve is very large and individual. If I can help, let me

know. I wish you well. By the way, our therapists do conferences by phone when

necessary and are very willing to work with us and have even lowered their fee a

little. Take care.

Re: OCD and thoughts of harming

Kathy:

Just how did you find this therapist? What lengths should one go to in order

to get one? Our son has been in therapy 6 months now and I can't see any

improvement other than that he is willing to talk about it now and he doesn't

fight going. Our therapist we use now is VERY gifted, but new to E/RP. He's

willing to learn and I gave him Dr. March's book, but he is so popular and busy,

he hasn't had time to read it. We just have no specialists in our area. Do I

move with my son to a major city for 3 months or what? How can a family afford

to do that? My husband doesn't have the opportunity to do what he does just

anywhere. I've checked into Meninger Clinic in Houston and it costs $750 a day

(our insurance won't help). . .

We've contacted the OCFoundation/ the Florida chapter also and I've called a

half dozen pediatric psychologists. Our psychiatrist says there is no one at

all in the area. Gainesville Fl, or ville is the closest and that's 6-7

hours away. Do doctors to therapy by phone?

I'm doing ERP with him to some degree but have this uncomfortable feeling life

is on hold until we find someone and that someone isn't going to be around here.

Help!

(because we had

such a challenge in finding her an appropriate therapist), her OCD is

low-level and stable today, and she enjoys a normal 10-year-old's life. It

will happen for your daughter too.

[Guest guest]

Re: OCD and thoughts of harming

Kathy:

Just how did you find this therapist? What lengths should one go to in

order to get one? Our son has been in therapy 6 months now and I can't see any

improvement other than that he is willing to talk about it now and he doesn't

fight going. Our therapist we use now is VERY gifted, but new to E/RP. He's

willing to learn and I gave him Dr. March's book, but he is so popular and busy,

he hasn't had time to read it. We just have no specialists in our area. Do I

move with my son to a major city for 3 months or what? How can a family afford

to do that? My husband doesn't have the opportunity to do what he does just

anywhere. I've checked into Meninger Clinic in Houston and it costs $750 a day

(our insurance won't help). . .

We've contacted the OCFoundation/ the Florida chapter also and I've called a

half dozen pediatric psychologists. Our psychiatrist says there is no one at

all in the area. Gainesville Fl, or ville is the closest and that's 6-7

hours away. Do doctors to therapy by phone?

I'm doing ERP with him to some degree but have this uncomfortable feeling

life is on hold until we find someone and that someone isn't going to be around

here.

Help!

(because we had

such a challenge in finding her an appropriate therapist), her OCD is

low-level and stable today, and she enjoys a normal 10-year-old's life. It

will happen for your daughter too.

[Guest guest]

Re: OCD and thoughts of harming

Kathy:

Just how did you find this therapist? What lengths should one go to in

order to get one? Our son has been in therapy 6 months now and I can't see any

improvement other than that he is willing to talk about it now and he doesn't

fight going. Our therapist we use now is VERY gifted, but new to E/RP. He's

willing to learn and I gave him Dr. March's book, but he is so popular and busy,

he hasn't had time to read it. We just have no specialists in our area. Do I

move with my son to a major city for 3 months or what? How can a family afford

to do that? My husband doesn't have the opportunity to do what he does just

anywhere. I've checked into Meninger Clinic in Houston and it costs $750 a day

(our insurance won't help). . .

We've contacted the OCFoundation/ the Florida chapter also and I've called a

half dozen pediatric psychologists. Our psychiatrist says there is no one at

all in the area. Gainesville Fl, or ville is the closest and that's 6-7

hours away. Do doctors to therapy by phone?

I'm doing ERP with him to some degree but have this uncomfortable feeling

life is on hold until we find someone and that someone isn't going to be around

here.

Help!

(because we had

such a challenge in finding her an appropriate therapist), her OCD is

low-level and stable today, and she enjoys a normal 10-year-old's life. It

will happen for your daughter too.

[Guest guest]

Re: OCD and thoughts of harming

Kathy:

Just how did you find this therapist? What lengths should one go to in

order to get one? Our son has been in therapy 6 months now and I can't see any

improvement other than that he is willing to talk about it now and he doesn't

fight going. Our therapist we use now is VERY gifted, but new to E/RP. He's

willing to learn and I gave him Dr. March's book, but he is so popular and busy,

he hasn't had time to read it. We just have no specialists in our area. Do I

move with my son to a major city for 3 months or what? How can a family afford

to do that? My husband doesn't have the opportunity to do what he does just

anywhere. I've checked into Meninger Clinic in Houston and it costs $750 a day

(our insurance won't help). . .

We've contacted the OCFoundation/ the Florida chapter also and I've called a

half dozen pediatric psychologists. Our psychiatrist says there is no one at

all in the area. Gainesville Fl, or ville is the closest and that's 6-7

hours away. Do doctors to therapy by phone?

I'm doing ERP with him to some degree but have this uncomfortable feeling

life is on hold until we find someone and that someone isn't going to be around

here.

Help!

(because we had

such a challenge in finding her an appropriate therapist), her OCD is

low-level and stable today, and she enjoys a normal 10-year-old's life. It

will happen for your daughter too.