early OCD signes

[chancesdad]

My Son has been displaying some troubling signs of OCD ( i hate even using the term)

I feel like the very label i cast on him will stick to him..

Our society does a lot of labeling all the time..some of it way wrong..That said if he really has these symptoms i want it addressed and deal with it of course...I don't like the idea of drugging him up as too many do these days at the slightest prompt of the doctors and pharmaceuticals industry

Background: His mom and me split when he was 1 very volatile situation....I have 50 percent custody she has physical..

I have kept up regular visits with him despite the odds and battles and roadblocks...I have a great relationship with him.

I swallowed mountains of pride to be his dad and the best one i could be...I worked tirelessly for years on patched things up with his mom and now we are friends..she is remarried and seemingly happy..i get along with her husband and his son is a very sweet kid (few years older)

He is turning 11 and the signs of a disorder just started to show..(starting new school) Stress?

Compulsive hand and face washing to the point he gets raw..

he does back steps and then forwards..said he is trying to rewind a thought to get it to come out right..

He has anger and frustration outburst that are uncontrollable....he repeats words over and over

He said when these things happen he does not feel himself...Mom said it all scares her for him..

One factor is he gets chronic sinuous infections and was on way to many antibiotics this past year..

we are going to have him tested for maybe a physical cause.

Also its my opinion that his Mom is far too controlling and micromanaging, she never lest up on him.

(I know i lived with it and as an adult i could not take it)

So therapy is going to be an option.. i have been and will go too...

One of my friends on this site said it very well may be as well a toxic problem...

I would love to hear from anyone that experienced this kind of thing.

Thanks so much for this forum

C

Wrong forum i never noticed the title and don't know how to change it yet!   derr

Edited by chancesdad - 8/25/11 at 7:14pm

[Night_Nurse]

Don't worry about it being in the wrong forum. I'm sure a moderator can move it for you (or you could copy & paste into another forum and just delete this one).

Good luck to you and your son. I hope you can get some answers.

[To-Fu]

Hi there!  Just a quick note to let you know I've moved your thread to Special Needs Parenting. :)

[FarmerBeth]

There are so many things that could cause this behavior.  I think it is so important to have a thorough medical and psychological check-up both to rule things out.  Stress could make obsessive thoughts worse but I think the extent you are describing means there might be more to it.  So you know where I'm coming from, I have an 11 year old newly diagnosed on the Autistic Spectrum, but the previous diagnosis was Tourettes with OCD. He has had obsessions that are very OCD like (refusing to touch food that may have been touched by others and checking for contamination, obsessively checking work for perfect spelling, math, etc) and some more typically autistic looking (like pet topics or needing the same routine), so that's why the diagnosis was long and complicated. I know from the Tourette's community that some kids with chronic strep infections can get tics and OCD like behavior.  Since your son had so many sinus infections, you'd have to rule this out, especially as the behavior is sudden.  That being said, 11 years old is a time when OCD behaviors, from many causes, can be more obvious.  The way I had it explained to me was that young children don't have as much awareness or ability to manipulate their thoughts, but as we age we have the sophistication to think thoroughly enough to get in a loop.  It could totally just be a stress thing, but if you assume that and it's not, your son could waste valuable time being stuck in obsessions and enjoying the world a little less.  So, I think a psychological assessment would help, too.  I agree that labels can feel very limiting, and I've worried about them as well, but my experience is that the label is more a tool to finding options than a definitive thing of itself.  You don't have to disclose any labels, should they come up, to anyone, but if this isn't just stress or a strep infection, you'd have a leg up on the situation.

[Emmeline II]

I would definitely find an therapist that can work with him individually and with the family as a whole.

I also recommend the book below. Though it's not about OCD in particular I think you may get something helpful from it and it may give you an idea of what you may want in a therapist/therapy. I'm sorry I can't provide a better description please don't be afraid of the book title.

Raising a Self-Disciplined Child: Help Your Child Become More Responsible, Confident, and Resilient

Edited by Emmeline II - 8/26/11 at 8:42am

[LynnS6]

You should check out PANDAS: Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections -- as I understand it, it's an autoimmune response to strep infections. As far as I know there's no special treatment, but it might make him feel better. (It might be just generic OCD too, but it's worth checking out.) 

Definitely second the recommendation for a good therapist. There's also a good book called "Freeing Your Child from OCD" by Tamar Chanksy that both you and his mother should get.

[chancesdad]

Originally Posted by Emmeline II 

I would definitely find an therapist that can work with him individually and with the family as a whole.

I also recommend the book below. Though it's not about OCD in particular I think you may get something helpful from it and it may give you an idea of what you may want in a therapist/therapy. I'm sorry I can't provide a better description please don't be afraid of the book title.

Raising a Self-Disciplined Child: Help Your Child Become More Responsible, Confident, and Resilient

Thanks Emmeline...i will look at this.....ill do anything i can to help him.....look at everything....
 

Originally Posted by LynnS6 

You should check out PANDAS: Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections -- as I understand it, it's an autoimmune response to strep infections. As far as I know there's no special treatment, but it might make him feel better. (It might be just generic OCD too, but it's worth checking out.) 

Definitely second the recommendation for a good therapist. There's also a good book called "Freeing Your Child from OCD" by Tamar Chanksy that both you and his mother should get.

Lynn.... I have looked at this too...it sounds very much like it........and the book Freeing your child from OCD sounds good....Thanks

Originally Posted by FarmerBeth 

There are so many things that could cause this behavior.  I think it is so important to have a thorough medical and psychological check-up both to rule things out.  Stress could make obsessive thoughts worse but I think the extent you are describing means there might be more to it.  So you know where I'm coming from, I have an 11 year old newly diagnosed on the Autistic Spectrum, but the previous diagnosis was Tourettes with OCD. He has had obsessions that are very OCD like (refusing to touch food that may have been touched by others and checking for contamination, obsessively checking work for perfect spelling, math, etc) and some more typically autistic looking (like pet topics or needing the same routine), so that's why the diagnosis was long and complicated. I know from the Tourette's community that some kids with chronic strep infections can get tics and OCD like behavior.  Since your son had so many sinus infections, you'd have to rule this out, especially as the behavior is sudden.  That being said, 11 years old is a time when OCD behaviors, from many causes, can be more obvious.  The way I had it explained to me was that young children don't have as much awareness or ability to manipulate their thoughts, but as we age we have the sophistication to think thoroughly enough to get in a loop.  It could totally just be a stress thing, but if you assume that and it's not, your son could waste valuable time being stuck in obsessions and enjoying the world a little less.  So, I think a psychological assessment would help, too.  I agree that labels can feel very limiting, and I've worried about them as well, but my experience is that the label is more a tool to finding options than a definitive thing of itself.  You don't have to disclose any labels, should they come up, to anyone, but if this isn't just stress or a strep infection, you'd have a leg up on the situation.

You know Beth ...(sorry to hear of your son as well) i used to think some of his stuff was just normal childhood stuff...you know irrational fear based silliness we all go through..
But after witnessing some of it it scared the hell out of me..It was really hart wrenching and made me all to aware of his issue... Admittedly i thought his mom was being a drama queen (as she is known to be) until i saw for myself.. My girlfriend also said the label can help define it and then we can deal with it.. i do get that but i also see that this can then be a thing that sticks with them as a permanent thing as apposed to maybe it can be eradicated (yes maybe unrealistic expectation).

Anyway we are planing to go through the medical evaluations to rule out chemical or outside sources. and as well seek psycological help...

I would take a Labotamy if i thought it would help him..

Thank you all for your thoughts and advice

[FarmerBeth]

Good luck with the medical  examination.  Just remember that no matter what is found, only he can define him, not whatever condition or difficulties he faces.  It hurts to see our kids hurt, but they are often far more resilient than we know.

[chancesdad]

Originally Posted by FarmerBeth 

Good luck with the medical  examination.  Just remember that no matter what is found, only he can define him, not whatever condition or difficulties he faces.  It hurts to see our kids hurt, but they are often far more resilient than we know.

Thank you Beth....you words of encouragement mean a lot...And i will try to help him understand that....I think some of this is his fear of being out of control or lost or not feeling himself as he said and this fear compounds and goes into a loop....And yes I will allow him to define this....we are close and i think he can confide in me when he is ready...