6yr old wants to hurt things he loves

[MurphyBabes]

My 6yr old has asked out of the blue if I've ever felt like I loved something so much I want to destroy it.  The first couple of times I didn't pay it much attention but tonight, a tired night, he was physically upset about this. Telling me he loves his stuffed animals so much he wants to cut their heads off.  My husband wants me to ignore it as he feels that I'd nurture continued antics by giving him attention at these times.  I'm torn. On one hand he could be doing just want my husband is thinking but on the other I can't help to worry that worry there is a deeper routed issue going on.

Has anyone experienced this?  He is our oldest so it's new territory for me.

[crunchy_mommy]

Does he actually want to hurt something? Or is it just a thought that passes through his mind? Do the thoughts upset him or make him fearful at all? Is he otherwise a gentle kid? One thing that comes to mind is 'intrusive thoughts' which is something seen in OCD... The thoughts may feel like they spring out of nowhere and cause distress -- so he thinks of how much he loves his stuffed animals and suddenly he pictures himself cutting their heads off. He doesn't want to cut their heads off (and he never actually would do it) & the thought terrifies him. This can lead to various behaviors to try to ward off the danger -- i.e. avoiding his toys so he doesn't hurt them, or even other behaviors that seem completely unrelated, like counting or repeating a mantra or walking backwards.

If there are other issues, behavior problems, aggression, etc. or he actually wants to hurt them or tries to hurt them... then it could be a totally different problem, maybe an early sign of conduct disorder or something.

Without more information it's hard to say, but conduct disorder & OCD are my first thoughts... It could just be a random passing thought too, maybe nothing to worry about at all!

[MurphyBabes]

He really is a very sweet boy. He's been moody lately though. Breaking down into tears over little things. Like things are just moving too fast. I have been in contact with his teacher and there are no issues at school and he's doing well academically.

The thoughts just seem to happen. Tonight they really freaked him out and he pushed his stuffed animals behind his bed. I dont to ignore it but also dont want to be an overreactive parent. Maybe I should schedule an appointment with his pediatrician.

[crunchy_mommy]

Poor kid. Given that extra info, I'd really lean toward OCD. Of course, I'm sure there are lots of other things it could be, maybe he's just anxious or overwhelmed, OCD is just something I know a lot about. But yes, I'd take him to see someone. I think a child psychologist might be more helpful than a pediatrician, they'd have a fuller understanding of the issue.

Here's an article you can read to get more of an idea of what I'm talking about:
http://www.worrywisekids.org/anxiety/ocd.html

[Smokering]

My sister was recently diagnosed with OCD, so I've been doing some reading; and yeah, it does sound like something you should look into. If he's worried about hurting the animals - ie, he has the intrusive thoughts, but is horrified at the idea of actually following through with them - that's very typical of OCD, and also means he isn't a psychopath, which is, you know, nice. :p

Poor kid! Getting him some help early is probably the best thing you can do for him.

[alicewyf]

I thought OCD just reading the title of your post. I have been clinically diagnosed, it sucks. The intrusive thoughts can be disturbing if you haven't trained yourself how to deal with them. It is one of those mental diseases that don't really seem to respond well to meds; he probably would need to see a psychotherapist experienced with OCD. Good luck mama. And kudos on catching this so early. I showed symptoms starting at age 7 and my parents did nothing. I finally got a diagnosis at age 27. 20 years of thinking I could never be happy!