Re: Separation anxiety plus/MM

[Guest guest]

Sorry, mm, must have missed that post. I've been scanning a bit

lately. Josh has been so, so sick. The docs think flu and sinus

infection at the same time (so much for the flu shot). I guess there

is a strain going around that wasn't in the shot. At any rate, he has

pretty much been on the sofa for the week, coughing, feverish,

stuffed, sweating, pale, etc. Neither of us are sleeping at night

because of all the coughing, and I'm starting to bump into walls

during the day. Having said all of that, let me address what you were

talking about.. . . .

Josh had HUGE separation anxiety when he was younger. He was always

worse at night. He somehow just outgrew it with time. But, when he

was young (2-8 years old?) I had to go in and lie down with him each

night to get him to sleep. When we moved to the house we are in now,

he was 12, and slept on our bedroom floor on an air mattress because

he couldn't sleep in his room alone. Mind you, his room is right

across the hall. He slept with a light on in his room for years (when

he would sleep there) . . Just finally started turning it off about a

year ago. So, I think it can be part of an anxiety disorder.

I once asked his therapist (who works at an anxiety clinic, so treats

everything anxiety related - not just OCD) if kids who have OCD are

typically less mature. I've found Josh is so smart, yet less mature

than others his age at times. He said that ALL anxiety disorders can

cause them to be less mature. I can only speculate that they are

dealing with so much that it just takes them longer than the average

kid to reconcile things in their minds.

What we did to get him into his own room was gradually, every couple

of days, move that air mattess a little closer to his room. At one

point, he was sleeping in the hall. At another point he was sleeping

on the mattress, in his bedroom, on the floor, right next to his bed.

But, he eventually got there. I guess that was a form of ERP before

we even knew what ERP was. lol

At any rate I hope Barb is right and 20 is the magical number.

BJ

> > > > >

> > > > > Hi Barb. My dd has both OCD and bipolar. Can I ask what you

> > have

> > > > read in

> > > > > terms of cycling with them both? I have found that when we

> get

> > > > control of the

> > > > > bipolar cycling than the OCD becomes more active. It is hard

> > for

> > > us

> > > > to control

> > > > > both at the same time, despite the 4 meds she currently

> takes.

> > > > Would you mind

> > > > > sharing what you have read on the subject. Thanks. Kim

> > > > >

> > > > >

> > > > > In a message dated 2/17/2008 4:15:07 P.M. Central Standard

> > Time,

> > > > > barbnesrallah@ ... writes:

> > > > >

> > > > > I have read articles that show a relationship with biplolar

> and

> > > > ocd,

> > > > > with the possibility of the ocd taking on a particular type

> of

> > > > > cycling, and/or the ocd being better or worse during time of

> > > > > depression/mania. Are you familiar at all. Sometimes someone

> > has

> > > > > access to more cutting edge doctors, so I always like to

> check.

> > > > >

> > > > >

> > > > >

> > > > >

> > > > >

> > > > >

> > > > > ************ **Ideas to please picky eaters. Watch video on

> AOL

> > > > Living.

> > > > > (http://living. aol.com/video/ how-to-please- your-picky-

> > > eater/rachel-

> > > > campos-duffy/

> > > > > 2050827?NCID= aolcmp0030000000 2598)

> > > > >

> > > > >

> > > > >

[Guest guest]

Dear Boston Pies:

THANK YOU for answering my cry for info! I don't know sometimes how

I will manage either, but the prisoner in my own home thing certainly

rings true. My son is also requiring me to be home, and then he

leaves me there to go out. But I must be home for him to manage.

Weird. Control issue, I guess. I don't quite get it.

So what do you think about this therapist??? Could he possibly be

completely wrong? Inexperienced with OCD despite his vast experience

with OCD? Is my son (and perhaps yours) misdiagnosed, as the

therapist seems to be suggesting??

mm

>

> I find it difficult to physically follow the email chains in this

> forum, so don't really know the origins of this subject, but wanted

to

> add my 2 cents to the separation anxiety discussion.

>

> My 13 (close to 14) year old is all about separation anxiety to the

> degree that I feel that I am a prisoner in my own house. He not

only

> can't be separated from my husband or myself without panic or a

> million phone calls, but now he has added a new twist... even when

HE

> is not at home, one of us (his Dad or I) has to be at home. He will

> call our house phone to check, and claims that he will have a panic

> attack if one of us doesn't answer. I can't tell you how many

events

> that I have missed over the years to stay at home with my son; and

now

> it is just to stay at home FOR my son. His meds have taken the edge

> off of his anxiety, but by no means eliminated it. He is not

working

> on getting better at all. He says he's not ready. Ironically, his

10

> year old brother is constantly asking to stay at home alone.

>

> I (and his therapist) categorize his separation anxiety as both part

> of a general anxiety disorder, as well as OCD. His bad thoughts are

> that my husband or I will get hurt in a car accident, and his

rituals

> are the constant and repetitive questions about our whereabouts and

> our safety.

>

> This is another subject, but sometimes I feel like I just can't take

> it anymore. I cry myself to sleep every night. How do the strong

> amongst us cope?

>

[Guest guest]

Dear Boston Pies:

THANK YOU for answering my cry for info! I don't know sometimes how

I will manage either, but the prisoner in my own home thing certainly

rings true. My son is also requiring me to be home, and then he

leaves me there to go out. But I must be home for him to manage.

Weird. Control issue, I guess. I don't quite get it.

So what do you think about this therapist??? Could he possibly be

completely wrong? Inexperienced with OCD despite his vast experience

with OCD? Is my son (and perhaps yours) misdiagnosed, as the

therapist seems to be suggesting??

mm

>

> I find it difficult to physically follow the email chains in this

> forum, so don't really know the origins of this subject, but wanted

to

> add my 2 cents to the separation anxiety discussion.

>

> My 13 (close to 14) year old is all about separation anxiety to the

> degree that I feel that I am a prisoner in my own house. He not

only

> can't be separated from my husband or myself without panic or a

> million phone calls, but now he has added a new twist... even when

HE

> is not at home, one of us (his Dad or I) has to be at home. He will

> call our house phone to check, and claims that he will have a panic

> attack if one of us doesn't answer. I can't tell you how many

events

> that I have missed over the years to stay at home with my son; and

now

> it is just to stay at home FOR my son. His meds have taken the edge

> off of his anxiety, but by no means eliminated it. He is not

working

> on getting better at all. He says he's not ready. Ironically, his

10

> year old brother is constantly asking to stay at home alone.

>

> I (and his therapist) categorize his separation anxiety as both part

> of a general anxiety disorder, as well as OCD. His bad thoughts are

> that my husband or I will get hurt in a car accident, and his

rituals

> are the constant and repetitive questions about our whereabouts and

> our safety.

>

> This is another subject, but sometimes I feel like I just can't take

> it anymore. I cry myself to sleep every night. How do the strong

> amongst us cope?

>