Re: Question for Parents of Younger Kids

[Guest guest]

My son is 7 (will be 8 in March). He also seems unaware of why he's doing his

rituals or fixing things, etc. We tried therapy for a while when he was first

officially diagnosed at 5 & 1/2. We stopped taking him to that therapist because,

while he did help with a few of his rituals/routines/habits, I felt like it was

just glorified bribery. Aidan & his doctor spent 45 minutes of our 1 hr long

appointments looking things up on the internet & 10 minutes doing magic tricks.

Then the doctor spent 5 minutes listening to me & coming up with something for

Aidan to work on for the next week. If he did well, the doc would teach him how

to do a magic trick. I've tried to find another therapist, but haven't been

able to find anyone who works with OCD and young children.

But like you said about your son, I don't think Aidan really knows why he

'needs' to do these things. It definitely bothers him when he can't do them, or

do them right. But it doesn't seem to bother him that he needs to. For now, I

have resigned myself to work on him myself. I try to change things up a bit so

he doesn't get too set into a routine (easy to do since I have 3 other kids).

And I have been trying to get him to stop or cut down on some of his rituals &

habits. I use a lot of distraction techniques to interrupt him. (Of course I

do the same thing with my husband who also has OCD & haven't gotten very far

with him. He still checks all of the faucets & the stove while counting at

least twice before leaving the house.)

I don't have any advice for you. But I know how you feel.

Dani

[Guest guest]

Hi I have a 7 yr old also. She is aware of mr wrong but it is natural for her to

do rituals that it's hard to explain to her as to why she is doing it. I am

considering medication in the near future because it's so hard to watch her

anxiety. I'm looking for strategies with young children. Her issues are with

wanting to wear same clothes ,rituals, erasing on homework. Any others have

these same issues? Did I mention I hate OCD?

Sent from my iPhone

> My son is 7 (will be 8 in March). He also seems unaware of why he's doing his

rituals or fixing things, etc. We tried therapy for a while when he was first

officially diagnosed at 5 & 1/2. We stopped taking him to that therapist because,

while he did help with a few of his rituals/routines/habits, I felt like it was

just glorified bribery. Aidan & his doctor spent 45 minutes of our 1 hr long

appointments looking things up on the internet & 10 minutes doing magic tricks.

Then the doctor spent 5 minutes listening to me & coming up with something for

Aidan to work on for the next week. If he did well, the doc would teach him how

to do a magic trick. I've tried to find another therapist, but haven't been able

to find anyone who works with OCD and young children.

>

> But like you said about your son, I don't think Aidan really knows why he

'needs' to do these things. It definitely bothers him when he can't do them, or

do them right. But it doesn't seem to bother him that he needs to. For now, I

have resigned myself to work on him myself. I try to change things up a bit so

he doesn't get too set into a routine (easy to do since I have 3 other kids).

And I have been trying to get him to stop or cut down on some of his rituals &

habits. I use a lot of distraction techniques to interrupt him. (Of course I do

the same thing with my husband who also has OCD & haven't gotten very far with

him. He still checks all of the faucets & the stove while counting at least

twice before leaving the house.)

>

> I don't have any advice for you. But I know how you feel.

>

> Dani

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi I have a 7 yr old also. She is aware of mr wrong but it is natural for her to

do rituals that it's hard to explain to her as to why she is doing it. I am

considering medication in the near future because it's so hard to watch her

anxiety. I'm looking for strategies with young children. Her issues are with

wanting to wear same clothes ,rituals, erasing on homework. Any others have

these same issues? Did I mention I hate OCD?

Sent from my iPhone

> My son is 7 (will be 8 in March). He also seems unaware of why he's doing his

rituals or fixing things, etc. We tried therapy for a while when he was first

officially diagnosed at 5 & 1/2. We stopped taking him to that therapist because,

while he did help with a few of his rituals/routines/habits, I felt like it was

just glorified bribery. Aidan & his doctor spent 45 minutes of our 1 hr long

appointments looking things up on the internet & 10 minutes doing magic tricks.

Then the doctor spent 5 minutes listening to me & coming up with something for

Aidan to work on for the next week. If he did well, the doc would teach him how

to do a magic trick. I've tried to find another therapist, but haven't been able

to find anyone who works with OCD and young children.

>

> But like you said about your son, I don't think Aidan really knows why he

'needs' to do these things. It definitely bothers him when he can't do them, or

do them right. But it doesn't seem to bother him that he needs to. For now, I

have resigned myself to work on him myself. I try to change things up a bit so

he doesn't get too set into a routine (easy to do since I have 3 other kids).

And I have been trying to get him to stop or cut down on some of his rituals &

habits. I use a lot of distraction techniques to interrupt him. (Of course I do

the same thing with my husband who also has OCD & haven't gotten very far with

him. He still checks all of the faucets & the stove while counting at least

twice before leaving the house.)

>

> I don't have any advice for you. But I know how you feel.

>

> Dani

>

>

[Guest guest]

My son is now 12, but his OCD started when he was 7-8 (actually some behaviors

started much earlier, but we didn't know what it was then). He had mostly bad,

intrusive thoughts, but he also had some " just right " OCD also. If he touched

something with one hand, he had to touch it with the other. If he got a hole in

one knee of his pants, he had to make a hole in the other. My understanding is

there isn't necessarily a thought to go along with it; it just doesn't feel

right to them.

Before I could get him into a therapist, I read him " What To Do When Your Brain

Gets Stuck, " and explained to him that he had OCD, his brain had a hiccup and

was getting stuck, and he didn't have to do the things he was doing. He really

didn't realize he was doing these things until I pointed it out to him. I tried

to make it like a game for him - I'd tell him to touch something with one hand,

and see how long he could go without touching it with the other hand. The next

time, I'd get him to wait a little longer, and so on. At this age, he

understood that something wasn't quite right inside his head, and he knew that

no one else around him was doing the things he was doing. He soon would get

excited and show me " Mommy, look, I touched my toy with this hand, but not with

this hand! " It was almost like a light went on inside his head, and he suddenly

realized that he didn't have to do it.

Does your son know he has OCD? My son was relieved to find out what he had, and

was very anxious to start working on it. He progressed very quickly, and the

" just right " OCD left in a matter of weeks, and has never returned. The

intrusive thoughts are the thing that will resurface now from time to time, but

he has always responded very quickly to therapy. He has also been taking

inositol for almost 3 yrs.

As far as medication, can you get it in a liquid form instead of pills?

Just a few quick ideas before I run out the door! Best of luck to you.

[Guest guest]

My son is now 12, but his OCD started when he was 7-8 (actually some behaviors

started much earlier, but we didn't know what it was then). He had mostly bad,

intrusive thoughts, but he also had some " just right " OCD also. If he touched

something with one hand, he had to touch it with the other. If he got a hole in

one knee of his pants, he had to make a hole in the other. My understanding is

there isn't necessarily a thought to go along with it; it just doesn't feel

right to them.

Before I could get him into a therapist, I read him " What To Do When Your Brain

Gets Stuck, " and explained to him that he had OCD, his brain had a hiccup and

was getting stuck, and he didn't have to do the things he was doing. He really

didn't realize he was doing these things until I pointed it out to him. I tried

to make it like a game for him - I'd tell him to touch something with one hand,

and see how long he could go without touching it with the other hand. The next

time, I'd get him to wait a little longer, and so on. At this age, he

understood that something wasn't quite right inside his head, and he knew that

no one else around him was doing the things he was doing. He soon would get

excited and show me " Mommy, look, I touched my toy with this hand, but not with

this hand! " It was almost like a light went on inside his head, and he suddenly

realized that he didn't have to do it.

Does your son know he has OCD? My son was relieved to find out what he had, and

was very anxious to start working on it. He progressed very quickly, and the

" just right " OCD left in a matter of weeks, and has never returned. The

intrusive thoughts are the thing that will resurface now from time to time, but

he has always responded very quickly to therapy. He has also been taking

inositol for almost 3 yrs.

As far as medication, can you get it in a liquid form instead of pills?

Just a few quick ideas before I run out the door! Best of luck to you.

[Guest guest]

Just my thoughts, and I am basing them on what my son's (age 6, intrusive

thought OCD, compulsion is to confess) therapist told me, the sooner they

get the therapy the quicker they can get a handle on it.

My son started showing signs of intrusive thoughts on Dec 1st, he was in

therapy Dec 2nd. I didn't find the right therapist the 1st time around,

but the new one he has is AMAZING.

Just from 2 visits, his confidence levels are up. She spent the first

session just getting an understanding of what his thoughts & complusions

were, confirming that it was OCD. After she felt confident it was OCD she

explained to him what OCD is, and that he is not alone, he is not crazy and

he is not a bad person. I could see the sign of relief in his eyes to have

someone besides his family tell him that.

Second session, she read up and down the worry hill and they created an OCD

monster poster to give him something visual to boss back, and WOW is he

doing a much better job of bossing OCD back.

The therapist told me the outlook on him getting a handle on this is great,

and one of the biggest reasons is because we identified it early. She said

if you allow the OCD to go on without treatment, it becomes

harder for the person to overcome. I would have to agree since if you

think of habits, the longer you have the habit, the harder it is to break.

> **

>

>

> My 7-year-old son has " Just Right " OCD and is constantly stepping into and

> out of rooms, flicking light switches on and off, doing everything possible

> to avoid certain numbers, etc. I don't think he's aware of why he's doing

> these behaviors (although his therapist believes it's anxiety-based).

>

> My question is this: If a patient isn't aware of the obsessions (or

> thoughts) that require him to perform the compulsions, how effective can

> CBT be? I don't dispute that seeing a therapist is a good idea since he

> does seem to have GAD and poor self-esteem. But I'm wondering what kind of

> expectations I should have. We've had a problem with him taking medication

> since he's afraid of swallowing pills, and it doesn't seem to bother him

> that he's doing these odd behaviors. If it doesn't bother him, why would he

> want to take medicine to stop it?

>

> Do I just have to wait until he matures a bit and has the ability to

> communicate his thoughts before I expect any kind of success from

> behavioral therapy?

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks, all, for your comments. I really like his therapist, and they seem to

have a good connection. I'm only a bit concerned because her " specialty " is not

OCD (although she has been successful in treating OCD patients, and the

psychiatrist specifically recommended her). How concerned should I be that it's

not her focus if the connection is good and my son isn't at the point (mentally)

where he could do any kind of exposure therapy anyway? He knows he has OCD and

we have the books, but it's like he doesn't even want to address it. He only

occasionally seems to be upset by his behaviors - last night he admitted that he

doesn't like that he has to make four sounds when something bad happens - but

when I reassure him that it's just that a part of his brain is playing tricks on

him, it either doesn't seem to register or he decides he doesn't want to talk

about it anymore.

I'm grateful that he has a therapist he enjoys seeing, especially since we need

to address the low-esteem problems. He tells me all the time that he hates

school and I feel so helpless that I can't get through to him that he doesn't

have to be perfect. I really believe he needs medication, and he doesn't want to

take it.

Re: Question for Parents of Younger Kids

My son is now 12, but his OCD started when he was 7-8 (actually some behaviors

started much earlier, but we didn't know what it was then). He had mostly bad,

intrusive thoughts, but he also had some " just right " OCD also. If he touched

something with one hand, he had to touch it with the other. If he got a hole in

one knee of his pants, he had to make a hole in the other. My understanding is

there isn't necessarily a thought to go along with it; it just doesn't feel

right to them.

Before I could get him into a therapist, I read him " What To Do When Your Brain

Gets Stuck, " and explained to him that he had OCD, his brain had a hiccup and

was getting stuck, and he didn't have to do the things he was doing. He really

didn't realize he was doing these things until I pointed it out to him. I tried

to make it like a game for him - I'd tell him to touch something with one hand,

and see how long he could go without touching it with the other hand. The next

time, I'd get him to wait a little longer, and so on. At this age, he understood

that something wasn't quite right inside his head, and he knew that no one else

around him was doing the things he was doing. He soon would get excited and show

me " Mommy, look, I touched my toy with this hand, but not with this hand! " It

was almost like a light went on inside his head, and he suddenly realized that

he didn't have to do it.

Does your son know he has OCD? My son was relieved to find out what he had, and

was very anxious to start working on it. He progressed very quickly, and the

" just right " OCD left in a matter of weeks, and has never returned. The

intrusive thoughts are the thing that will resurface now from time to time, but

he has always responded very quickly to therapy. He has also been taking

inositol for almost 3 yrs.

As far as medication, can you get it in a liquid form instead of pills?

Just a few quick ideas before I run out the door! Best of luck to you.

[Guest guest]

My son (now 15) started CBT/ERP at the age of 3. At that time his obtrusive

thoughts and behaviors were ruining his life. He cried about 18 hours a day and

was involved in rituals pretty much every waking moment. So the situation is

different because he was miserable. He did not really understand the connection,

and it seemed like we were torturing him, BUT he was able to do the work. it

took about 2 years but he got a pretty good 3 or so year remission. Then OCD was

back, age 8. Too bad to engage in CBT/ ERP and started meds and therapy. By 11

or so doing pretty well and stopped therapy again. Started back at almost 13

for 3 months then stopped with great remission until the last few months things

are creeping back in. Just starting up again.

He hates therapy ( he is 15) and is very reluctant to go. Plus it is hard to

find time with school, sports and music for him ( not to mention me who is

trying to get all 3 of them to all of these things) so we generally fly by the

seat of our pants when his YB score is under 20 or so ( mild-moderate OCD by YB

score). Right now he is very angry at me for making him start therapy again

because his perfectionism caused him to get stuck on a midterm question in

algebra and caused him to cheat. He does not think this constitutes an OCD

emergency but I do. Never let it get a foothold.

[Guest guest]

I don't have much time for a well-thought reply, but I did want to just

emphasize the imporance of getting treatment for your child with OCD, no matter

how young they are. My 12-year-old showed signs quite young, and it was only a

year ago we got her diagnosed and began CBT. She currently recieves weekly

exposures from an OCD specialist, and is not--at this point--on any meds.  When

she was younger, she wasn't deeply troubled by her repetitive habits, so we

hoped she'd outgrow this " mild " OCD. And in fact, her OCD did seem to disappear

for a few years. But then, at about age 10, it returned with a vengence, and I

knew I had to get her help ASAP. A few sessions with a well-meaning but

unknowledgeable social worker were counterproductive, as this therapist viewed

my daughter's OCD as an indication of something secretively distressful or

traumatic in her life--rather than as a neurological malfunction.  

 

So I guess what I'm saying is--it's never too early to get on top of this stuff,

as it can wax and wane but never entirely disappear. I apologise if that sounds

pessimistic--I'd love to be proven wrong on that point!

 

________________________________

To: " " < >

Sent: Saturday, February 4, 2012 6:48 AM

Subject: Re: Question for Parents of Younger Kids

 

My son (now 15) started CBT/ERP at the age of 3. At that time his obtrusive

thoughts and behaviors were ruining his life. He cried about 18 hours a day and

was involved in rituals pretty much every waking moment. So the situation is

different because he was miserable. He did not really understand the connection,

and it seemed like we were torturing him, BUT he was able to do the work. it

took about 2 years but he got a pretty good 3 or so year remission. Then OCD was

back, age 8. Too bad to engage in CBT/ ERP and started meds and therapy. By 11

or so doing pretty well and stopped therapy again. Started back at almost 13 for

3 months then stopped with great remission until the last few months things are

creeping back in. Just starting up again.

He hates therapy ( he is 15) and is very reluctant to go. Plus it is hard to

find time with school, sports and music for him ( not to mention me who is

trying to get all 3 of them to all of these things) so we generally fly by the

seat of our pants when his YB score is under 20 or so ( mild-moderate OCD by YB

score). Right now he is very angry at me for making him start therapy again

because his perfectionism caused him to get stuck on a midterm question in

algebra and caused him to cheat. He does not think this constitutes an OCD

emergency but I do. Never let it get a foothold.