Re: New to group and needing advice

[Guest guest]

Theresa,

I'm sure there are more experienced people on the list who will have more

advice, but looking back at my own daughter's path to OCD, I'd recommend you

find a Psychologist NOW that can work on CBT (specifically Exposure response

prevention) with her to address the issues before they spiral out of control

and medication is the only option to get it back under control. I wish I

had done that when my daughter first showed symptoms.

It was hard for me to ask for mental health help. It was even more

difficult to choose the medication route but since my daughter was

miserable.depressed and stuck in a cycle of repeating compulsions.I did end

up choosing medication. It gave her peace for a year and a half when she

was against working with a psychologist herself. Eventually the Zoloft

stopped working and things spiraled out of control to where they are now.

We are on a second medication and beginning therapy (and she's on board this

time) with a new psychologist tomorrow. She has a great reputation and has

written a book on helping children with OCD.

There are many books out there that can help your daughter understand OCD.

I can't think of them off the top of my head but I'm sure people will have

some recommendations. There is also Dr. Lee Fitzgibbons book " Helping your

child with OCD " that you may find helpful. We begin working with her

tomorrow. I can't wait.

<Ok, I am new on this list. I was diagnosed a little over 6 yrs ago when my

daughter was a baby>

[Guest guest]

Theresa,

You don't say how severe your daughter's symptoms are, but you might want to

start with exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP) if you can find a

qualified psychologist/therapist where you live. My 9 yo daughter is on

medication and has been for about one year, but her symptoms and rages had

gotten quite severe.

(mom with OCD and 9 yo daughter with OCD)

>

> Subject: New to group and needing advice

> To: OCD-Support ,

> Date: Monday, October 12, 2009, 11:35 AM

> Ok, I am new on this list. I was

> diagnosed a little over 6 yrs ago when my

> daughter was a baby. I am pretty sure my daughter also has

> OCD by her

> behavior. Mine is in ok control with medication. With my

> daughter being so

> young (6 ½) I am leery about getting her treatment because

> of the

> medications side effects. Any advice?

>

> " Then I'm walking in Memphis

> Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale

> Walking in Memphis

> But do I really feel the way I feel " Marc Cohn

>

> " She wears a coat of color, loved by some, feared by

> others, she's

> immortalized in young men's eyes " -Creed

>

> Theresa Anne Lepak

>

> Work

>

> Cell   

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Theresa,

For children, the first line of attack, so to speak, is therapy. Only when

therapy doesn't work, or doesn't work well enough, is medication

considered. So I would advise you to find a therapist who specializes in

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and Exposure Response Prevention (ERP).

This is the most effective therapy for OCD.

I would call your pediatrician, your local children's hospital, etc. etc.

until you find a therapist who specializes in childhood anxiety disorders

and CBT/ERP.

Hope that helps!

On Mon, Oct 12, 2009 at 9:35 AM, theresa lepak wrote:

>

>

> Ok, I am new on this list. I was diagnosed a little over 6 yrs ago when my

> daughter was a baby. I am pretty sure my daughter also has OCD by her

> behavior. Mine is in ok control with medication. With my daughter being so

> young (6 ½) I am leery about getting her treatment because of the

> medications side effects. Any advice?

>

> " Then I'm walking in Memphis

> Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale

> Walking in Memphis

> But do I really feel the way I feel " Marc Cohn

>

> " She wears a coat of color, loved by some, feared by others, she's

> immortalized in young men's eyes " -Creed

>

> Theresa Anne Lepak

>

> Work

>

> Cell

>

>

[Guest guest]

I guess I would not assume that therapy would necessarily involve medication.

My daughter's therapy involves cognitive behavior therapy. She does not take

any medicine (at least, not yet). I think she has had OCD symptoms since she

was younger than your daughter (but I did not realize what it was at the time).

It would have helped so much for her to have therapy earlier.

That said, it is important to find the right therapist. We are lucky that we

have a good one 45 min. away. I called several other therapists who were closer

(and on my insurance). Some of them were downright scary. I had one woman tell

me that her grandson had OCD, and she believed " the only thing that works is

medication. " She then offerred to schedule an appointment. She was not an MD

and could not have prescribed medication. Why would I want to go to a therapist

who believed that what she could offer did not work?

Some good books about OCD and children are:

What to do when your child has obsessive-compusive disorder (by Aureen Pinto

Wagner)

Freeing your chiod from obsessiv compulsive disorder (by Tamar Chansky)

There are also some good children's books about OCD:

Up and down the worry hill (Aureen Pinto Wagner)

What to do when your brain get's stuck (by Dawn Huebner and Bonnie s)

There are other children's books on OCD (check Amazon.com), but the one I really

like and think would be great for a 6-year-old, I cannot find!

Good luck!

Sue

>

> Ok, I am new on this list. I was diagnosed a little over 6 yrs ago when my

> daughter was a baby. I am pretty sure my daughter also has OCD by her

> behavior. Mine is in ok control with medication. With my daughter being so

> young (6 ½) I am leery about getting her treatment because of the

> medications side effects. Any advice?

>

> " Then I'm walking in Memphis

> Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale

> Walking in Memphis

> But do I really feel the way I feel " Marc Cohn

>

> " She wears a coat of color, loved by some, feared by others, she's

> immortalized in young men's eyes " -Creed

>

> Theresa Anne Lepak

>

> Work

>

> Cell

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Her OCD isn't that bad. She lines everything up and things need to be in there

place. All of her toy's have a certain place and when she's not playing with

them she wants them in the proper place.

>

> >

> > Subject: New to group and needing advice

> > To: OCD-Support ,

> > Date: Monday, October 12, 2009, 11:35 AM

> > Ok, I am new on this list. I was

> > diagnosed a little over 6 yrs ago when my

> > daughter was a baby. I am pretty sure my daughter also has

> > OCD by her

> > behavior. Mine is in ok control with medication. With my

> > daughter being so

> > young (6 ½) I am leery about getting her treatment because

> > of the

> > medications side effects. Any advice?

> >

> > " Then I'm walking in Memphis

> > Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale

> > Walking in Memphis

> > But do I really feel the way I feel " Marc Cohn

> >

> > " She wears a coat of color, loved by some, feared by

> > others, she's

> > immortalized in young men's eyes " -Creed

> >

> > Theresa Anne Lepak

> >

> > Work

> >

> > Cell   

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

I would suggest reading " What to do when your Brain Gets Stuck " with her &

introducing her to the ERP tools. Then I would suggest, for a child with very

mild OCD, that you and she devise a simple plan with rewards, to " mess things

up " . Try leaving one toy out of place for 5 minutes - and then for longer and

longer periods of time - using the tools, and making sure she is buying in. If

she has very mild OCD, and you can use this time to give her tools to deal with

it - then maybe you will never have a time that she needs to consider

medication. Their brains are elastic when they are young, and learning the

tools now is the best thing possible.

Beat up as much of the mild OCD as possible, and you may save both you and her a

ton of time and grief later in life! ERP is proven to be as effective (or a

little more so) than medication, and the tools last a lifetime. They are much

easier to teach in a fun way with a 6 year old than a teen!!!

All my best - in NC.

> >

> > > From: theresa lepak <theresalepak@>

> > > Subject: New to group and needing advice

> > > To: OCD-Support ,

> > > Date: Monday, October 12, 2009, 11:35 AM

> > > Ok, I am new on this list. I was

> > > diagnosed a little over 6 yrs ago when my

> > > daughter was a baby. I am pretty sure my daughter also has

> > > OCD by her

> > > behavior. Mine is in ok control with medication. With my

> > > daughter being so

> > > young (6 ½) I am leery about getting her treatment because

> > > of the

> > > medications side effects. Any advice?

> > >

> > > " Then I'm walking in Memphis

> > > Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale

> > > Walking in Memphis

> > > But do I really feel the way I feel " Marc Cohn

> > >

> > > " She wears a coat of color, loved by some, feared by

> > > others, she's

> > > immortalized in young men's eyes " -Creed

> > >

> > > Theresa Anne Lepak

> > >

> > > Work

> > >

> > > Cell   

> > >

> > >

> > >

[Guest guest]

I have a 6-year-old like that. She also likes her bed to be very neat and the

covers straight. And she has troble with the seams in her socks, too! She has

not been diagnosed with OCD (yet), though her older sister has been. My

daughters were both adopted and not genetically related to each other (or me).

What are the chances they both have OCD?? But I also think that many people

have some minor symptoms of OCD, but do not have enough of them to qualify as

having the disorder. I, too, like to line certain things up by size (e.g.,

books) and like to have things even and consistent. It doesn't really interfere

with my life much. It's just a quirky thing that I do. Sometimes I actually

use it (finding inconsistencies) to my advantage in my job.

It's hard to know if it is full-blown OCD or not. It doesn't hurt to have a

consultation with a qualified therapist. You don't have to do treatment. On

the other hand, having OCD yourself, you may know some strategies that you can

teach her. That is what I've done with my younger daughter. She has sat in on

many a therapy sessions with my older daughter, so we all know the tools for

recognizing and bossing back OCD. My thinking with my younger daughter is that

she doesn't need a diagnosis or therapy unless her symptoms get to the point

where they are interfering with her life and we can't deal with it using the

strategies we already know.

Sue

> >

> > > From: theresa lepak <theresalepak@>

> > > Subject: New to group and needing advice

> > > To: OCD-Support ,

> > > Date: Monday, October 12, 2009, 11:35 AM

> > > Ok, I am new on this list. I was

> > > diagnosed a little over 6 yrs ago when my

> > > daughter was a baby. I am pretty sure my daughter also has

> > > OCD by her

> > > behavior. Mine is in ok control with medication. With my

> > > daughter being so

> > > young (6 ½) I am leery about getting her treatment because

> > > of the

> > > medications side effects. Any advice?

> > >

> > > " Then I'm walking in Memphis

> > > Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale

> > > Walking in Memphis

> > > But do I really feel the way I feel " Marc Cohn

> > >

> > > " She wears a coat of color, loved by some, feared by

> > > others, she's

> > > immortalized in young men's eyes " -Creed

> > >

> > > Theresa Anne Lepak

> > >

> > > Work

> > >

> > > Cell   

> > >

> > >

> > >

[Guest guest]

Therapy is the first recomendation. I tried with my daughter

from age 5 - 11 therapy with various anxiety experts. She just

resists any insight. Behavior methods are working well with medication.

The strategy that we used for medication is this. We started

on a very low dose below a therapuetic level and made sure

there were not any adverse reactions at all.

Then after 2-3 weeks we increased it again just another 10mg of zoloft. Kept it

at that for 2-3 weeks. It took months to get to a

basic theraupetic dose but we had no adverse reactions.

She was a little jumpy in the evening but she had been having

meltdowns so this was preferred.

If you use a method like this (if therapy and behavior methods are not enough)

to trial a medication you may be able to keep things

under control. If there is a reaction hopefully it will

be small and then you can decide if you want to stop the trial.

We got to a low dose of 50mg and her meltdowns stopped. Her panic

stopped. She still has OCD thoughts but we can work with her

on a behavior plan to try to keep it in check.

I tried so many therpies of every kind, ERP, cognitive therapies, sensory

integration (for ages 4-6) to address panic to sounds, smells, clothes, so by

11 we knew she had suffered long enough and we just hard to overcome

our own fear and give a medication trial a chance. I think I wonder

if it would have helped her at age 5 or 6. I wonder if I made

her suffer longer than I should have. There is no way to predict these

things. Often kids issues are severe before MD's want to treat

it with medications.

I hope there is a test for serotonin levels etc someday so we

can see what these kids really need medically, like they do with diabetes.

I hope sharing our situation helps you understand how some of

us decide on medication and when.

Pam

>

> Ok, I am new on this list. I was diagnosed a little over 6 yrs ago when my

> daughter was a baby. I am pretty sure my daughter also has OCD by her

> behavior. Mine is in ok control with medication. With my daughter being so

> young (6 ½) I am leery about getting her treatment because of the

> medications side effects. Any advice?

>

> " Then I'm walking in Memphis

> Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale

> Walking in Memphis

> But do I really feel the way I feel " Marc Cohn

>

> " She wears a coat of color, loved by some, feared by others, she's

> immortalized in young men's eyes " -Creed

>

> Theresa Anne Lepak

>

> Work

>

> Cell

>

>

>