Obsessive scary thoughts.

[dsmith]

Ds has been quite nervous lately. He just shared with me that he has been having this scary thought that he can't get rid of. He says it is always popping into his head, so he feels like he needs to do something to get his mind off of it, but that it keeps getting worse. Money is a little tight right now, but I think I need to find a psychologist. I'm at a loss here. He hasn't told me what the thought is and I'm not going to push if he isn't comfortable sharing. Has anyone experienced this with their child? I remember mild periods of somewhat scary thoughts when I was in my early teens, but they were very brief.

[MomatHWTK]

My DS manifested his problems with "night terror" like reactions. It was not fun! Not much advice, DS takes a medication for anxiety now -plus a few other medications and therapy.

[Greta Lea]

Zoloft is what helped him.

[MyLittleBears]

I remember going through a phase like this. The best thing my parents did for me was to ride it out and not make a big deal about it. They spoke to a pyschologist without ever taking me there so I was totally unaware. I eventually grew out of it and now in reprospect, I think it was hormones. I was about 12/13 at the time so it stands to reason. I think if my parents obsessed about it, it would have made me obsess as well. Your instinct not to push may be right.

 

:grouphug:

 

 

ETA- Just thought of something: My nutritionist mention to me that sometimes the curly Q lightbulbs can cause anxiety as well as too much stim from WYFI and similar electronics. I notice in myself that I have a hard time getting to sleep if I have been on he computer too long before bed. Something to consider.

Edited February 14, 2012 by MyLittleBears

[CatholicMom]

YES, my son is going through this right now (he's 7). I'm trying to figure out what's going on as well.

 

I know it happens to me when I get too tired. I can also get paranoid if I need sleep. I will think "what if someone broke in the house? what would I do?" Then instead of it being a passing thought I will be going through the entire scenario in my head for 10 minutes in detail before I finally realize... uhhhh... I need to go to bed. Going to bed right away almost always solves the problem and then I wake up feeling fine.

 

Teenagers often need a lot of sleep (even though they also often turn into night-owls). Maybe you could try that as Step 1? I don't know your situation, but if he's a night owl and can't get to bed earlier, I'd try letting him sleep as long as he needs to in the morning if you can and see if it clears up. Good luck.

[laundrycrisis]

Just knowing that there is a problem people can have called "intrusive thoughts" and that other people deal with them too might help him feel better. He might also learn to be an "outside observer" of his own mind. Then when the thought shows up, instead of being emotionally carried away by it, he can step "outside" of it, and observe his mind: "my mind is having that thought again". He can observe that the thought will arise, be present for a time, and eventually break up, like a cloud. Breaking the cycle of emotional response to the thought will help make it less disturbing, and it may even stop showing up.

Edited February 13, 2012 by laundrycrisis

[dsmith]

Thanks for the responses. I think I am going to watchfully ride it out. We did do some low key talking about it, discussed getting enough sleep, cutting down on screen time, etc. I also shared some experiences from my younger years, and what happens when I am over tired. My husband realized that he has been watching a lot of 'end of the world' type shows, and thinks this may be contributing to his general anxiety.

[Finnella]

Thanks for the responses. I think I am going to watchfully ride it out. We did do some low key talking about it, discussed getting enough sleep, cutting down on screen time, etc. I also shared some experiences from my younger years, and what happens when I am over tired. My husband realized that he has been watching a lot of 'end of the world' type shows, and thinks this may be contributing to his general anxiety.

 

All are great ideas. I remember listening to the author of The Gift of Fear doing an interview on NPR. He mentioned that one way we can get our fear sense out of whack is watching movies that overstimulate it. In my case, that was an overdose of women in peril story lines. I gave them up immediately and it did help.

 

Sugar is also a problem for my anxiety prone DS. He does better when his diet is very low sugar, in addition to the other steps you're taking.

 

For children with more serious issues, professional counseling and even medication can be very helpful. But there's everything right in trying less drastic approaches first. If your current efforts aren't producing enough relief, I've tried a couple of potentially helpful books if the main issue is anxiety. There's What's to Do When You Worry Too Much which is probably better for the poster with a young child. It's something you do with your child; my DS's psych recommended it to reduce office visits.

 

For older children, there's The Anxiety Workbook for Teens. Reviewers tend to say it's better for younger teens. We've recently started working through it; my DS is 13 and it seems to be a good fit for the age.

 

My therapist, who also treats children with anxiety disorders, says that there isn't much literature for parents about anxiety in children. Books are more targeted for the professionals. These two are the rare exception.

 

Good luck and stay calm; it'll help your child stay calmer.

[*~Tina~*]

possibly OCD? such intrusive thought patterns can be part of this condition and can manifest more prominently during times of stress/change.

 

It can be really scary and bothersome...if it continues I would get him help. I struggled for a very long time wondering if something was "wrong" with me. I would have much preferred knowing early on that it was a treatable condition.