Re: new member needs support with 7yo girl

[Guest guest]

a [Danville, N, CA],

Welcome! There are many other families from California on the

list who i'm sure can direct you to resources for cbt. I know that

last year several (Northern California) 'Kaiser' associates were

trained by the OCFoundations' Behavior Therapy Institute. The sooner

you are connected with a therapist the faster you can address

Kendalls issues. You can look for psychologists or social worker. I

suggest that you leave a message like this:

" We are looking for a cbt who can conduct erp for ocd. If you

understand and have experience in this method, please call me back! "

There are (very few) residential facilities, but it may be much

more practical to find a local therapist before you take this step.

Respite care is an ongoing concern for most of us!

" What If " (reassurance seeking) fears can be worked out with the

correct cbt, using exposure and response prevention. To handle her

reassurance questions, its best to answer once, and then give a

paradoxical, or silly, answer. The kids think we're crazy, and some

get very angry for not givng them what they want, but when we

remember to externalize the ocd, we can refocus the reactions to the

ocd and not the person. Sometimes, for our own self preservation, we

must leave the room in order to avoid any arguements.

When Kendall asks about the tub overflowing, you can ask her what

would be the worst thing that could happen. Lets say she says " the

water will keep flowing and flowing " . Logically telling her that you

could turn the main water tap off probably wont impress her, but you

could tell her anyway. remember ocd is irrational fears. You could

respond to this fear with: " Then we'll put on our bathing suits and

have a swimming party! I'll bring the towels and you get the

floaties! First one to swim to the neighbours wins! "

About sibs, we must always find time alone with the siblings of

the chronically ill. They need the time to express how they are

coping and to have your undivided attention. They too are going

through tremendous stress. Some mental health facilities conduct

siblings groups. I always kept the other teachers informed if one of

my kids was going through a rough time. This provided the sibs with

some slack.

It is paramont that we each take care of ourselves. We are the

strength that keeps the family going. If we can't cope, then everyone

suffers. My biggest recommendation for parents of kids with ocd is to

find themselves a therapist that is experienced with ocd in the

family and go as often as they need to! This list, in many ways,

provides this comfort.

Take care, wendy, in canada

(mom to 3 with ocd+, social worker trained in cbt for ocd using erp!)

===============================================================

.... Not eating, sleeping, panic attacks. fear of that bath water

thing plus getting lost while driving, the house buring down with

cooking, tap water running... ...my husband and i have 2 other

daughters 4 and 8 1/2. She is functioning ok at school but when she

comes in the door- watch out!

How do you function with the rest of your family as normal? Is there

respite care? Who do you reccomend as a Pdoc and for CBT? Are there

residential settings? Where in the US is the best tx for outpt in pt?

where for a dx? Thank you for any and all info!

sincerely, a [Danville, N, CA]

_______________________________________________________

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[Guest guest]

-OCD programs from The Anxiety Treatment Centre of Northren California

791 University Ave , Sacramento Calif. Tel 916 922-7876 Fax 916962-

0495 email ocd@...

Bravo ! and wishing tolerance and love for Kendall

-- In @y..., CroninPE@a... wrote:

> Help, i am so overwhelmed, especially since i lost my initial

message

> to send! We have been actively dealing with Kendalls illness since

> she was 5 1/2 when she had to have door knobs touching the wall in

> her bed room and wouldn't bend her feet for fear her shoes would

come

> undone, etc, After over 1 year trying out different SSRI's that

made

> her manic, and mood stabilizers that she either became toxic on or

> made her a zombie...we had hit on a combo that seemed to work for 3

> mths Risperdal and Buspar. Then she started to get more anxious,

> concerned when the bath water was run that it would overflow...and

to

> help her along she came down with STREP! yikes,we had to go to a

> family wedding in L.A. which just sent her over the cliff.Not

eating,

> sleeping,panic attacks.fear of that bath water thing plus getting

> lost while driving, the house buring down with cooking, tap water

> running...when she was first dx we had her tested for strep

> antibodies, with a - result. my husband and i have 2 other

daughters

> 4 and 8 1/2.She is functioning ok at school but when she comes in

the

> door- watch out! How do you function with the rest of your family

as

> normal? Is there respite care? Who do you reccomend as a Pdoc and

for

> CBT? Are there residential settings?Where in the US is the best tx

> for outpt in pt? where for a dx? Thank you for any and all info!

> sincerely, a [Danville, N, CA] you can e-mail me direct at

> croninpe@a...

[Guest guest]

thank you for your kind reply. i especially like the advice of after

answering once, making light of the situation. i wonder if kendall will think

we are laughing at her ?sometimes she just wails and moans and doesn't

express the fear unless i ask her what is botheing her...should i ask? erica

[Guest guest]

Hi a:

Welcome to the groups. I could easily have written your email when

our son, Steve, was first dxed with OCD and other alphabet soup, so I

am very familiar with that feeling of crushing overwhelm.

Please know that there are very good treatments for OCD. The best is

exposure and response prevention therapy, a very specific form of

cognitive behavior therapy - we use the acronyms E & RP and CBT. Many

of our kids have comorbid disorders ,e.g. mood disorders, other

anxiety disorders, disruptive behavior disorders, and this can

complicate treatment. Often our kids need to take SSRIs which help

with OCD. THe dosages tend to be much higher than for mood disorders

and as you have found out they can complicate the treatment of other

comorbids.

I am not a doc, just a mom, but I believe that Risperdal and Buspar

are not first line meds for OCD. THey may help with stabilizing mood

and reducing panic, but no studies have shown them to be first line

treatments for OCD. Of course each person is different so it could be

that they are what Kendall needs.

Have you been in touch with any other parents with OCD kids in your

area? That has been the best way for us to find good treatment

professionals. I live in Hawaii and we did consider taking our son

Steve to UCLA for treatment at their outpatient clinic. If you can

find treatment resources in your area and Kendall does not have very

difficult comorbids, you can have her treated while she is living at

home. Most hospitals do not have OCD treatment resources anyway so

unless you go somewhere special they will only be treating the other

comorbids, e.g. mood disorders.

Are you near Sacramento? The OCSDA in California does keep or did

keep a list of OCD treatment resources in California. THe one I have

is quite out of date - from four years ago. Dr. AUreen Pinto Wagner,

one of our wonderful list advisors, taught dozens of m.h.

professionals in N. Ca. for the OCF Behavior Therapy Institute

recently.

It is very tough on siblings and this will improve markedly when

Kendall gets more symptom control via appropriate treatment. It can

take a long time to find the right treatment professionals but the

search is well worth it. Welcome to the list, I look forward to

hearing about Kendall's progress. Take care, aloha, kathy (h)

kathyh@...

> Help, i am so overwhelmed, especially since i lost my initial

message

> to send! We have been actively dealing with Kendalls illness since

> she was 5 1/2 when she had to have door knobs touching the wall in

> her bed room and wouldn't bend her feet for fear her shoes would

come

> undone, etc, After over 1 year trying out different SSRI's that made

> her manic, and mood stabilizers that she either became toxic on or

> made her a zombie...we had hit on a combo that seemed to work for 3

> mths Risperdal and Buspar. Then she started to get more anxious,

> concerned when the bath water was run that it would overflow...and

to

> help her along she came down with STREP! yikes,we had to go to a

> family wedding in L.A. which just sent her over the cliff.Not

eating,

> sleeping,panic attacks.fear of that bath water thing plus getting

> lost while driving, the house buring down with cooking, tap water

> running...when she was first dx we had her tested for strep

> antibodies, with a - result. my husband and i have 2 other daughters

> 4 and 8 1/2.She is functioning ok at school but when she comes in

the

> door- watch out! How do you function with the rest of your family

as

> normal? Is there respite care? Who do you reccomend as a Pdoc and

for

> CBT? Are there residential settings?Where in the US is the best tx

> for outpt in pt? where for a dx? Thank you for any and all info!

> sincerely, a [Danville, N, CA] you can e-mail me direct at

> croninpe@a...