Guest guest Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 my child was like that since 3 and it continued up until 12. she is stuck in her littlle world. we have tried many psch. meds. we are seeing a little improvement since starting antibiotics a month ago for bartonella. > My son is doing better OCD wise BUT he is isolating himself in his room on his computer 24/7, this really concerns me he has friends at school but they are his school friends he claims, a few them had him over their house during the school year but they had to initiate it. I asked him to contact them to see what they are doing and his answer is if they want to see me they will contact me, I try explaining that thats not the way it is and he should try but he wont. I am trying to get him to do things with us outside the house but everything I suggest he doesn't want to do. Do any of you with OCD teens see this kind of isolation pattern? Is it something to be overly concerned about? He never really got along socially with the kids in our neighborhood they are out on a skate board while he is talking science and computers it just didn't mesh I feel so sad for him. He was like a 50 year old man at ten. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 I can't really answer your question, because my teen with OCD also has Asperger's, which puts up a social barrier. However I've noticed the social isolation gets much worse during periods when her OCD/anxiety are at the high water mark. I wonder whether, even though your son is doing better OCD wise, he is still suppressing some intrusive thoughts or compulsions? If so, the extra energy that requires may be tiring him a bit. Another thought: what is he doing while he's on the computer? Does he communicate with friends that way? It could be that this IS his social outlet right now, and I think that's legitimate. In this day and age, face to face contact is only one way to socialize. On the other hand, it may have been a tiring school year, socially and in other ways, and he might just need some down time. Just some thoughts. :-) Please keep us posted. Steph (17 y/o dd with OCD, anxiety/depression, Asperger's & NVLD) > > My son is doing better OCD wise BUT he is isolating himself in his room on his computer 24/7, this really concerns me he has friends at school but they are his school friends he claims, a few them had him over their house during the school year but they had to initiate it. I asked him to contact them to see what they are doing and his answer is if they want to see me they will contact me, I try explaining that thats not the way it is and he should try but he wont. I am trying to get him to do things with us outside the house but everything I suggest he doesn't want to do. Do any of you with OCD teens see this kind of isolation pattern? Is it something to be overly concerned about? He never really got along socially with the kids in our neighborhood they are out on a skate board while he is talking science and computers it just didn't mesh I feel so sad for him. He was like a 50 year old man at ten. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 Hello, During my son's worst OCD and for about 1-2 years after (he's now almost 18), he didn't have much social contact with friends his age. In time, however, this problem has gradually resolved and he now has a set of friends he sees often. I'm not exactly sure how this resolved but I do think it was simply time - the more time that passed between his worst OCD and the present, the better he got. OCD kept him down in so many ways and once we resolved that (through ERP) we were able to work on the other issues of life. One thing that did help us, however, was for me to spend a lot of time with him. I went to movies with him, watched rented movies with him, and took him just about any place he wanted to go. This seemed to help - just him and me doing what he wanted to do. Hope this helps. Joni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 He could also have Asperger's. Asperger's commonly goes along with OCD. My girls have both. Many Aspies get obsessed with computers and want to spend all day on the computer or playing video games.  Misty >To: >Sent: Sunday, July 10, 2011 12:00 AM >Subject: Social Isolation > > > >My son is doing better OCD wise BUT he is isolating himself in his room on his computer 24/7, this really concerns me he has friends at school but they are his school friends he claims, a few them had him over their house during the school year but they had to initiate it. I asked him to contact them to see what they are doing and his answer is if they want to see me they will contact me, I try explaining that thats not the way it is and he should try but he wont. I am trying to get him to do things with us outside the house but everything I suggest he doesn't want to do. Do any of you with OCD teens see this kind of isolation pattern? Is it something to be overly concerned about? He never really got along socially with the kids in our neighborhood they are out on a skate board while he is talking science and computers it just didn't mesh I feel so sad for him. He was like a 50 year old man at ten. > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 Our son used the computer, along with video games to help him keep his mind distracted when his OCD was really bad. But, this kind of behavior can be a typical kid behavior too. Especially for boys. Many or our son's friends are science and computer geeks too, so they all sit around on electronic devices. . Sometimes together, but sometimes at different places playing online games together or texting each other. It could be he just has different interests than the skate board kids. Do you think he is using it to escape his OCD? Just curious. BJ > > My son is doing better OCD wise BUT he is isolating himself in his room on his computer 24/7, this really concerns me he has friends at school but they are his school friends he claims, a few them had him over their house during the school year but they had to initiate it. I asked him to contact them to see what they are doing and his answer is if they want to see me they will contact me, I try explaining that thats not the way it is and he should try but he wont. I am trying to get him to do things with us outside the house but everything I suggest he doesn't want to do. Do any of you with OCD teens see this kind of isolation pattern? Is it something to be overly concerned about? He never really got along socially with the kids in our neighborhood they are out on a skate board while he is talking science and computers it just didn't mesh I feel so sad for him. He was like a 50 year old man at ten. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 That's my daughter's main activity this summer - sitting in her room with the computer. One thing my husband did a couple of years ago to help my daughter socialize is to start a DND (dungeons and dragons) game at our house. It took her a while, but she invited a girl from our neighborhood and school that she had been doing karate with for a while, that plus her best friend. Eventually other people heard about it and wanted to join. This is a lot of work for my DH but it's good for DD. I buy lots of teen friendly foods (pizza, chips) and DD makes homemade cookies. The group is falling apart now, as two people have graduated and are moving away. We already have her best friend skype in to attend (she moved away last year.) She also comes out of her room to play the Wii with her little brothers. My daughter is not social either - she has her best friend in another state, DND games, and that's about it. Last year she was able to tag along with her DND friend from the neighborhood, and sit with her and others at lunch. My daughter likes to talk physics and science also - she often throws interesting facts our way. > > My son is doing better OCD wise BUT he is isolating himself in his room on his computer 24/7, this really concerns me he has friends at school but they are his school friends he claims, a few them had him over their house during the school year but they had to initiate it. I asked him to contact them to see what they are doing and his answer is if they want to see me they will contact me, I try explaining that thats not the way it is and he should try but he wont. I am trying to get him to do things with us outside the house but everything I suggest he doesn't want to do. Do any of you with OCD teens see this kind of isolation pattern? Is it something to be overly concerned about? He never really got along socially with the kids in our neighborhood they are out on a skate board while he is talking science and computers it just didn't mesh I feel so sad for him. He was like a 50 year old man at ten. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 That's my daughter's main activity this summer - sitting in her room with the computer. One thing my husband did a couple of years ago to help my daughter socialize is to start a DND (dungeons and dragons) game at our house. It took her a while, but she invited a girl from our neighborhood and school that she had been doing karate with for a while, that plus her best friend. Eventually other people heard about it and wanted to join. This is a lot of work for my DH but it's good for DD. I buy lots of teen friendly foods (pizza, chips) and DD makes homemade cookies. The group is falling apart now, as two people have graduated and are moving away. We already have her best friend skype in to attend (she moved away last year.) She also comes out of her room to play the Wii with her little brothers. My daughter is not social either - she has her best friend in another state, DND games, and that's about it. Last year she was able to tag along with her DND friend from the neighborhood, and sit with her and others at lunch. My daughter likes to talk physics and science also - she often throws interesting facts our way. > > My son is doing better OCD wise BUT he is isolating himself in his room on his computer 24/7, this really concerns me he has friends at school but they are his school friends he claims, a few them had him over their house during the school year but they had to initiate it. I asked him to contact them to see what they are doing and his answer is if they want to see me they will contact me, I try explaining that thats not the way it is and he should try but he wont. I am trying to get him to do things with us outside the house but everything I suggest he doesn't want to do. Do any of you with OCD teens see this kind of isolation pattern? Is it something to be overly concerned about? He never really got along socially with the kids in our neighborhood they are out on a skate board while he is talking science and computers it just didn't mesh I feel so sad for him. He was like a 50 year old man at ten. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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