mo2 Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 My daughter has OCD. I have not taken her to a doctor for this, but I know she has OCD because I have OCD and recognize it. I don't want to go the medication route so am looking for other options. Mainly, how should her dad and I deal with this? When she's freaking out that she needs to wash her hands, even though she just did it 2 minutes ago, what is the proper reponse? Let her go wash, or go the tough-love route and not let her? Any input welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeidiD Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 My daughter has OCD. I have not taken her to a doctor for this, but I know she has OCD because I have OCD and recognize it. I don't want to go the medication route so am looking for other options. Mainly, how should her dad and I deal with this? When she's freaking out that she needs to wash her hands, even though she just did it 2 minutes ago, what is the proper reponse? Let her go wash, or go the tough-love route and not let her? Any input welcome. Some books we have used: What to Do When Your Brain Gets Stuck... http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Writing-Lessons-Primary-Grades/dp/0865301638/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254408667&sr=1-4 Talking Back to OCD... http://www.amazon.com/Talking-Back-OCD-Program-Parents/dp/1593853556/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254416131&sr=1-2 One of my children developed this in his mid-teens. A behavioral/cognitive approach, lots of exercise, and fish oil pills have kept symptoms in check for the past year, though the stress in his life has increased rather than diminished. I believe it is Dr. March who warns about family member falling into the habit of enabling the ritual behaviors. The approach we took with the hand washing was to work on resisting the impulse, starting with baby steps and building on each battle won. It helps if they understand themselves what is going on - that OCD is an illness, that the impulses are often irrational, and that they can learn to fight back and conquer this thing by developing other, more helpful coping measure to deal with anxiety. I wish you well - I know how hard this is to deal with, but it CAN be done. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeidiD Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Oops, sorry, wrong link! :tongue_smilie: What to Do When Your Brain Gets Stuck http://www.amazon.com/What-When-Brain-Stuck-What/dp/1591478057/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254417079&sr=1-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 My daughter has OCD. I have not taken her to a doctor for this, but I know she has OCD because I have OCD and recognize it. I don't want to go the medication route so am looking for other options. Mainly, how should her dad and I deal with this? When she's freaking out that she needs to wash her hands, even though she just did it 2 minutes ago, what is the proper reponse? Let her go wash, or go the tough-love route and not let her? Any input welcome. If you don't want to go with medication, I would definitely check out cognitive-behavorial therapy. That way, you'll have someone experienced with pediatric OCD to help you make the right choices with your child. CBT is not "uncovering what your mother did that made you this way" therapy :) but rather teaches skills for coping with the anxiety that is driving the behavior so that the urges can be resisted and life isn't interfered with as much. The therapy for kids would probably be about 6 -9 months long for OCD. The therapist will work directly with the child and with you as the parent on what the child needs to practice at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misty Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 You may want to go ahead and talk with a child psychologist about this. OCD can get worse as the child gets older so it's important to stay one step ahead. Don't wait until it's severe to take her in. My daughter is six years old and has severe OCD. She was diagnosed at age 5. I never thought I would go the medication route with a six-year-old, but it looks like it's coming to that. My 12yo daughter just started Zoloft for her OCD. One thing to keep in mind is, even if you somehow help her get over her fear of contamination, it will be something else next. It's always something. One month it's hand-washing, the next month it's touching rituals (my daughter had to touch the walls and furniture in symmetrical ways), the next month it's constant spitting because her mouth is "dirty". It never ends and it never goes away. Medication can help keep it under control. Do you take meds for your OCD? I cannot function without my medication. I have pure obsessional OCD mostly, but I also have fear of contamination and wash my hands too much. We have a book called Blink Blink Clop Clop, Why Do We Do Things We Can't Stop? It's a storybook about OCD for children.... About animals on a farm who have OCD. There is a show called Obsessed that I think comes on the Discovery Health Channel. It's about people with OCD and how they are helped. The book Helping Your Child With OCD was a good read. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeidiD Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 Medication can help keep it under control. One of my children began showing symptoms as a toddler. She's been medicated since she turned 4, and perhaps she'll always need meds for this. On the bright side, her symptoms have decreased dramatically as she's gotten older, although her meds haven't changed. My older child has a milder case, doesn't want to use meds, and has been successful working through cognitive/behavioral techniques without clinical involvement. Circumstances vary, so there's no one-size-fits-all approach to dealing with this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mo2 Posted October 2, 2009 Author Share Posted October 2, 2009 Yes, I do take medication to keep myself under control. I guess I should have said that that wasn't the first route I wanted to take with a child. I would rather try other options first. Thanks for the book links. They look good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted October 15, 2009 Share Posted October 15, 2009 I am so glad I found this topic. I was actually on google searching for a child OCD forum....and this topic on my very own board came up! I've posted on the general board about my 5 year old DD several times. I'm quite positive she has OCD. The tell-tale OCD sign, handwashing and germs, has just come into play for my daughter. Our home life is a wreck because of her right now. Bedtime is a 2 hour long fit of screaming and crying. Consequences and punishments have absolutely no effect on her. Nothing we do can control her. Everything just leads to her screaming and crying. (She does nothing physical, just lots of crying, complaining, screaming, etc). Tonight she said the bed was dirty and she could not sleep in it. The bed is absolutely not dirty and I'm not washing the sheets this late. We made her stay in bed. I have no idea if that was the right way to handle it or not. Making her stay in bed led to more screams. Like you, I do not want meds. I have researched cognitive behavior therapy, as well as play therapy. But I do not know who to take her to. A phychologist? Psychiatrist? Licensed therapist? I googled and came up with a licenced therapist who does play therapy and family therapy for children with OCD. And if cognitive behavior therapy is needed, she says she will do that as well. But should I not go that route because she is not a real doctor? But she is nearly an hour's drive away. Then I'm also close to the University of Florida in Gainesville who has a specialized OCD medical department. But are they going to be more pro-medicine? Should I try them because they are a well known medical facility with a big program? But again, they are an hour's drive for me. I also found a childrens clinic within closer proximity (only about 15 minutes). Do I try them instead? I want to choose what's going to fit best and quickest because I know the younger I start a therapy, the more beneficial it will be. And I have to check our insurance too. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with her attitude, choosing somone to see her, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mo2 Posted October 16, 2009 Author Share Posted October 16, 2009 I am so glad I found this topic. I was actually on google searching for a child OCD forum....and this topic on my very own board came up! I've posted on the general board about my 5 year old DD several times. I'm quite positive she has OCD. The tell-tale OCD sign, handwashing and germs, has just come into play for my daughter. Our home life is a wreck because of her right now. Bedtime is a 2 hour long fit of screaming and crying. Consequences and punishments have absolutely no effect on her. Nothing we do can control her. Everything just leads to her screaming and crying. (She does nothing physical, just lots of crying, complaining, screaming, etc). Tonight she said the bed was dirty and she could not sleep in it. The bed is absolutely not dirty and I'm not washing the sheets this late. We made her stay in bed. I have no idea if that was the right way to handle it or not. Making her stay in bed led to more screams. Like you, I do not want meds. I have researched cognitive behavior therapy, as well as play therapy. But I do not know who to take her to. A phychologist? Psychiatrist? Licensed therapist? I googled and came up with a licenced therapist who does play therapy and family therapy for children with OCD. And if cognitive behavior therapy is needed, she says she will do that as well. But should I not go that route because she is not a real doctor? But she is nearly an hour's drive away. Then I'm also close to the University of Florida in Gainesville who has a specialized OCD medical department. But are they going to be more pro-medicine? Should I try them because they are a well known medical facility with a big program? But again, they are an hour's drive for me. I also found a childrens clinic within closer proximity (only about 15 minutes). Do I try them instead? I want to choose what's going to fit best and quickest because I know the younger I start a therapy, the more beneficial it will be. And I have to check our insurance too. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with her attitude, choosing somone to see her, etc. I know how you are feeling! Hang in there. There is some great support on this board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 As someone with OCD and the parent of 2 kids who show signs of OCD, my answer is to get her involved. She needs to know that she has a problem, that it is okay, and that she needs to break this habit. You start with asking her to wait a small amount of time. Tell her you know the anxiety will be really bad during that waiting time, but she needs to let the anxiety come and attempt to overcome it. This is the basic jist of Cognative Behavioral Therapy. You have to re-train your brain to think more logically and deal with the irrationality by not letting it "get you." So, in the case of washing hands, it would go something like this: You discuss with her, at a time when she is NOT freaking out, why she doesn't need to wash her hands every few minutes. You discuss with her WHY she is doing this, how it makes her feel to NOT do it. Then, you tell her that, the next time you see this behavior in her, you are going to try to help her correct it. Fast forward, she is exhibiting the behavior. You remind her of the conversation you had and you tell her that she absolutely CAN was her hands, but you need her to wait for 15 minutes before she does. Tell her you know the anxiety will be high during this time, but ask her to try her best to sit calmly and breathe deeply while she waits the 15 minutes. When the time is up, let her wash her hands. As time goes on, increase the amount of time she has to wait. Make sure she WANTS to stop the behavior and that she knows it is irrational. Otherwise, it is like you are punishing her for something she can't help. She has to be on board with this or it will backfire badly. If you can't get this to work at home or get through to her, I highly recommend a CBT Therapist to help her. The younger you are when you get help, the better off you will be later on. I can only wish I had a mom who noticed it as soon as you have in your dd (and as soon as I have in my kids). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dstroiker Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 I am new here and don't know how to post a new thread. So I thought that I would post here. My 8 year old daughter has been told she has OCD, T[Kicks and Add. I have tried one med already and it hasn't helped. Tenex was the med now she is on clonidine. We started it last night. She is been seen with the peds psychologist and been tested up and down. I have been looking into Cranial munipulation. We have a appointment for that.. On monday. I feel so bad I have taken her out of school so much. The reason I have taken her is that her teacher have made such a big deal about her paying attention.. She had great grades so I am wondering what the big deal is. She does have tick and they seem to be getting worse.. I think that is the only reason why I am taking her to the doctor! Does anyone have any experience with this?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houseofkids&pets Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Wow, to come home just now from the pediatrician and read this thread was perfect timing. Dd12 definitely is experiencing anxiety and OCD type of symptoms. After a long discussion with the doctor, she strongly suggested seeing a child psychologist as this issue typically just becomes worse without intervention. Medication was mentioned, but only as a secondary option, after cognitive behavioral therapy with a psychologist first. Dd is so worried about germs and has other fears and phobias that it is beginning to affect her physically (not eating, not growing, weighs 54 pounds and she is 12. Ds9 weighs the same amount as his older sister). So, as much as we have tried books and internet resources over this past year to help her, we are going to seek the assistance of a specialist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 I agree with Misty. I've had OCD since childhood (diagnosed) and its' painful for the person. Medication would never be my first jump, but I will say that after 27 years of dealing with it, it made a huge difference to my living quality when I started zoloft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dstroiker Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Yes we are going to seeing someone to help build the steps she will need. I went through an few therapists I am going to one for peds only know. Thank you so much.. Is there alot of parents that go without meds is there alot of differents??? I am on the fence with it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dstroiker Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 My daughter took Zoloft and she got hives so I am not so happy about that.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dstroiker Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 I just don't know If I should keep her on meds. She has ticks to and they are getting worse. Does anyone else kids have ticks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjayal Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Please google PANDAS. Its a medical condition that triggers OCD in kids. My son's OCD was controlled by medical intervention. Meenakshi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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