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[Guest guest]

Welcome.

Our son also suffers from OCD and GAD. He is 16. He is taking Celexa

and seeing a psychologist who specializes in the treatment of OCD.

He's been working for almost a year with this psychologist, and making

good progress, using ERP and CBT.

Is your son on medication?

Our son had to go back on medication to get the OCD and anxiety under

control enough to make it to therapy.

How is the therapy helping him? Does his therapist use ERP and CBT?

It's the only thing proven to help with OCD. Although the GAD is

treated differently.

If you haven't yet, reading some books on OCD will help tremendously.

Knowing what you are dealing with, will help you understand what your

son is going through. It helped me learn how to communicate with our

son, concerning his OCD and anxiety. In our family, as I learned, I

taught my husband. He doesn't totally get it, but at least he doesn't

scream at our son anymore, when he gets stuck with OCD.

Here are the names of some good books, if you are interested:

What to do when your Child has Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by Aureen

Pinto Wagner Ph.D.

Freeing Your Child from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by Tamar E. Chansky

Helping Your Child With Ocd: A Workbook for Parents of Children With

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by Lee Fitzgibbons and Cherry Pedrick

Talking Back to OCD by March

The last two are workbooks that not only have great information, but

can also walk you through CBT and ERP.

Glad you found us.

BJ

>

> Hi! Just wanted to share what I have experienced with my son in the

> past year. He is 11 and has GAD along with some OCD. I am having

> trouble communicating with him. I am at a loss for what to say at this

> point. He is getting help but for me without support from other family

> members it makes it that much harder as time goes on. I'm glad to share

> with you and to be a part of this group.

>

> Be Well

>

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone!

My daughter hasn't officially been diagnosed with OCD, but there is

no doubt she is suffering from a mild case. As a preschooler we dealt

with the sock seams, tags, etc. When she started school it turned

into the need for perfection-reading an entire story over if she

missed the last word on the last page, using white-out to remove red

correction marks left by the teacher, making holes in her paper from

erasing mistakes, etc. I took her to see a LCSW in our hometown. She

taught her some techniques to calm down and become less stressed. We

only saw her for a couple of months and everything seemed better. We

didn't deal with much other than a few sensory issues-socks and

underwear just not feeling " right " , etc through her 2nd, 3rd, and 4th

grade years. Now that she is in 5th grade the OCD is much worse. The

academic stress combined with changing hormones must be the

culprit! She was also diagnosed with premature adrenarche during her

3rd or 4th grade year.

At this point I am avoiding medication because I want to try CBT

first. She feels she has to blink a certain amount of times or

something bad will happen to someone in the family. She developed a

vocal tic back in September after choking on popcorn. She was

constantly clearing her throat to " make sure " the popcorn was gone.

This lasted for about 4 months. She has since replaced the throat

clearing with taking deep breaths (she's afraid her body will forget

to breathe on its own.)She also touches things a certain number of

times, needs things on the nightstand (eye glasses, cup) to be

touching

so they won't feel lonely, etc.

There are several more that I am forgetting, but wanted to give

everyone a quick history of our experience.

What I really want to know-does anyone know of where I could take her

for CBT near Knoxville, Tennessee?

Thanks for listening to me ramble!!!

Penny

[Guest guest]

Welcome, Penny.

Yes, CBT specific to OCD, and ERP is the treatment that can help.

Have you tried searching the OCFoundation.org website? They have

therapists listed there for different states. But, be prepared to

interview them, since not all listed there are specialists. Still, it

is a place to start. )

Also try anxiety clinics. They often treat OCD too, since it is an

anxiety disorder. And find OCD support groups. Call and email them

and ask them for suggestions of therapists.

Our son is 16 and we have dealt with OCD for years. Just this last

year he relapsed hard. He went back on meds and started therapy with

a specialist, for the first time. He had done therapy for years, but

the wrong kind that did not help. He is making progress now and we

are very encouraged. He has overcome most of the obvious physical

rituals and is working on contamination stuff now.

There is hope.

Glad you are here, Penny.

BJ

>

> Hi everyone!

> My daughter hasn't officially been diagnosed with OCD, but there is

> no doubt she is suffering from a mild case. As a preschooler we dealt

> with the sock seams, tags, etc. When she started school it turned

> into the need for perfection-reading an entire story over if she

> missed the last word on the last page, using white-out to remove red

> correction marks left by the teacher, making holes in her paper from

> erasing mistakes, etc. I took her to see a LCSW in our hometown. She

> taught her some techniques to calm down and become less stressed. We

> only saw her for a couple of months and everything seemed better. We

> didn't deal with much other than a few sensory issues-socks and

> underwear just not feeling " right " , etc through her 2nd, 3rd, and 4th

> grade years. Now that she is in 5th grade the OCD is much worse. The

> academic stress combined with changing hormones must be the

> culprit! She was also diagnosed with premature adrenarche during her

> 3rd or 4th grade year.

> At this point I am avoiding medication because I want to try CBT

> first. She feels she has to blink a certain amount of times or

> something bad will happen to someone in the family. She developed a

> vocal tic back in September after choking on popcorn. She was

> constantly clearing her throat to " make sure " the popcorn was gone.

> This lasted for about 4 months. She has since replaced the throat

> clearing with taking deep breaths (she's afraid her body will forget

> to breathe on its own.)She also touches things a certain number of

> times, needs things on the nightstand (eye glasses, cup) to be

> touching

> so they won't feel lonely, etc.

> There are several more that I am forgetting, but wanted to give

> everyone a quick history of our experience.

> What I really want to know-does anyone know of where I could take her

> for CBT near Knoxville, Tennessee?

> Thanks for listening to me ramble!!!

> Penny

>

[Guest guest]

Welcome, Penny! I'm sorry I don't have any advice except that it certainly

sounds like OCD and treatment with the right professional is invaluable!

I'm Beth, mom to Kate (8 yrs old) who was diagnosed with mild OCD earlier this

year. She is doing phenomenally now, thanks to quick treatment and her own

willingness to get past the OCD. She still has some quirky habits, of course,

and struggles with distracting thoughts but it is no longer all-consuming. This

group has been so valuable to me as I try to parent my little girl. I'm sure

you will find great advice and, more importantly, a place to vent and ask

questions from lots of moms who have been right where you are!

Beth

[Guest guest]

Welcome Penny,

The great thing about this group is hearing that our children are not

alone in their struggles. It just stopped me in my tracks to read

about your daughter throat-clearing and taking " deep breaths " . I

went to several doctors and specialists to find out what was wrong

with my daughter, until we finally ruled everything out and diagnosed

it as anxiety-related. I kept e-mailing our pediatrician and telling

him that my daughter keeps feeling that she can't breath! She was

afraid to go to sleep, fearing that she would stop breathing. When I

would ask to describe it, she would say " it feels like the air isn't

going through " . She was only 8 years old, when it started. She would

also have runs of tachycardia. We finally found a psychologist, who

after several meetings, did some testing for ADHD and found that she

had attention issues. Over the months, she started exhibiting OCD,

which we are dealing with as well. It is not too severe, but one

thing that has continued over the past year is the " deep breaths " . She

has such a mix of things going on that it is hard to pinpoint causes.

Do you think that the deep breaths " are OCD with your daughter? We

had always attributed it to general anxiety. The throat clearing has

calmed down, but we thought we would go bananas for a while. It was

non-stop!

Perhaps we can exchange some ideas. I would like to hear more of your

thoughts on the breathing issue!

Best,

Dianne

> She developed a

> vocal tic back in September after choking on popcorn. She was

> constantly clearing her throat to " make sure " the popcorn was gone.

> This lasted for about 4 months. She has since replaced the throat

> clearing with taking deep breaths (she's afraid her body will forget

> to breathe on its own.)

[Guest guest]

I too have the " feeling of not being able to breathe " from my anxiety, and as

an adult it is horrible. I can't imgaine an 8 yr old child dealing with this.

Hugs

Judy

[Guest guest]

Hi Penny and welcome! Reading your post reminded me of our son when

he was younger, the eraser marks and sensory stuff in particular. At

one point our son was alternating afraid to breath the air, and then

afraid he could not breath. I remember thinking it would be ok, he

would pass out and start breathing either way. This OCD stuff sure

brings many challenges with it.

You mention stress and hormones as a factor with your daughter's

OCD. Our son's OCD came on with severity and suddenly at 15, just

before starting highschool. He was really stressed about going to

highschool,fears of being bullied, coupled with hormonal changes I

think tipped the load. It's hard to say whether the illness brought

on the fears or vv. They do say stress is a big factor with this

illness though.

I am not familiar with premature adrenarche, can I ask what this is?

If your daughter is on the milder side of OCD they do recommend

starting with CBT first. Medication is only an assist in any case,

as they do need to learn how to combat the OCD themselves. I hope

you are able to find someone who is qualified. I think BJ made some

suggestions on this.

If you check the " files " and " links " on this site you will find much

useful information. I think there are questions to ask a potential

psychologist too.

Again, welcome and keep posting!

Warmly,

Barb

Ontario, Canada

Son, 16yrs, OCD, LD, poss. other stuff???

[Guest guest]

I am so thankful to have found this group!! It has made me more aware

of some things my daughter is doing that are OCD related and I

thought she was just over sensitive or sentimental (she has every

stuffed animal that has ever been given to her-maybe hoarding?).

Barb, to answer your question about the premature adrenarche-my

daughter started growing pubic hair in the 1st grade and by 2nd grade

she was starting to have some vaginal discharge. Our pediatrician

referred her to a pediatric endocrinologist. After blood work and

bone scans it was determined her adrenal glands were producing spikes

of hormones at certain times. The amount was normal for a child

entering puberty, but not for a 7 year old. I have read that these

are the stress hormones called cortisol. I can't help but think this

is definitely part of the problem!

Dianne,I do think the deep breaths are OCD related. She always picks

a new thing to replace an old " habit " (that's what she calls it). I

guess she was ready to replace the throat clearing about the time she

heard on the news that a woman had died on an airplane. The woman had

stopped breathing and the oxygen mask didn't work. This made my

daughter think about the fact that your body may just stop breathing

unless you think to do it. I explained how God made our bodies

special and our heart beating and lungs breathing happen without us

having to make it happen. This of course wasn't enough reassurance. I

told her the woman had some health issues that caused her problems.

But just to be on the safe side-she is very aware of her breathing

pattern! We try not to have a news program on when she is in the room-

too much bad stuff to worry about.

I have another theory about what sparked her onset of OCD, in

addition to the hormonal stuff. I really remember her being more high

maintanence about sensory stuff right after September 11. She was

only 4 when this happened, but at the time I didn't turn the tv off

when she was around. I didn't realize what a " sponge " she was. That

may have triggered some anxiety. I guess I am grasping to figure out

why this has happened to her!

Sorry for such a long post!

>

> Hi Penny and welcome! Reading your post reminded me of our son

when

> he was younger, the eraser marks and sensory stuff in particular.

At

> one point our son was alternating afraid to breath the air, and

then

> afraid he could not breath. I remember thinking it would be ok, he

> would pass out and start breathing either way. This OCD stuff sure

> brings many challenges with it.

>

> You mention stress and hormones as a factor with your daughter's

> OCD. Our son's OCD came on with severity and suddenly at 15, just

> before starting highschool. He was really stressed about going to

> highschool,fears of being bullied, coupled with hormonal changes I

> think tipped the load. It's hard to say whether the illness

brought

> on the fears or vv. They do say stress is a big factor with this

> illness though.

>

> I am not familiar with premature adrenarche, can I ask what this is?

>

> If your daughter is on the milder side of OCD they do recommend

> starting with CBT first. Medication is only an assist in any case,

> as they do need to learn how to combat the OCD themselves. I hope

> you are able to find someone who is qualified. I think BJ made

some

> suggestions on this.

>

> If you check the " files " and " links " on this site you will find much

> useful information. I think there are questions to ask a potential

> psychologist too.

>

> Again, welcome and keep posting!

>

> Warmly,

> Barb

> Ontario, Canada

> Son, 16yrs, OCD, LD, poss. other stuff???

>

[Guest guest]

Welcome to the group. Sounds like you are off to a good start by finding a

psychologist

who uses CBT/ERP. That is the most effective treatment for OCD. The medication

can

help calm down the OCD enough so that your daughter will be able to do the ERP.

Plus

the medicine will help with the depression. We definitely saw that with our 17

yr old son

with OCD. The medication really helped with the depression. Our son was just

diagnosed

this past fall. After reading and learning more about OCD, I was able to look

back and see

that our son had symptoms when he was younger.

Another good book to read is 'Freeing Your Child From Obsessive Compulsive

Disorder'

by Dr. Tamar Chansky.

Take care

Connie

>

> hi, my 15 yr old daughter just got diagnosed with ocd and premenstrual

> dysfunction dysphoria three months ago. This is so confusing and

> overwhelming to me. She is seeing a psychologist who is knowledgeable

> in CBT and ERP and she is taking prozac 12.5 mg and taking birth

> control pills to balance her hormones for the premenstrual

> dysfunction. She mainly has obsessive-instrusive thoughts and

> depression and sadness with the premenstrual dysfunction. Her ocd is

> so much worse the week of and week after her period. So we have a good

> two weeks each month right now! ugh!

> I read the book What to do when your child has OCD by Aureen Wagner.

> Very helpful. But I think I'm in denial. But when I look back to her

> younger years I see so many things that were ocd behavior in her

> thinking. She has always told me her every thought etc. Anyway, I'm

> glad to have found this support group. Thanks.

>

[Guest guest]

Hey, welcome! Well I'm glad you have an experienced psychologist,

those can be hard to find!

And as to the premenstrual stuff -- well, LOL, I recall I used to say

I only had 2 good weeks a month too, guess maybe I had same/similar

to your daughter, only no OCD thrown in! Just depression and tears,

a bit of " touchy " emotions. And a week of eating!

Once we have learned about OCD, a lot of us parents can look back

over the years and see a few " quirks " our children had that we can

now look at as part of OCD. I can with my son. However, the full

*disorder* for my son began in 6th grade. OCD popped up full-time,

24/7 with lots of behaviors he didn't have before. But when younger

he used to do a bit of the erasing/rewriting, tracing over letters,

asking reassurance questions....

Glad you found us. Teenage years can be hard enough without OCD

thrown into the emotions/hormones!

>

> hi, my 15 yr old daughter just got diagnosed with ocd and

premenstrual

> dysfunction dysphoria three months ago. This is so confusing and

> overwhelming to me. She is seeing a psychologist who is

knowledgeable

> in CBT and ERP and she is taking prozac 12.5 mg and taking birth

> control pills to balance her hormones for the premenstrual

> dysfunction. She mainly has obsessive-instrusive thoughts and

> depression and sadness with the premenstrual dysfunction. Her ocd

is