OCD in children

[magicpuppy]

Has anyone experience of OCD type behaviour in children? I'm getting increasingly concerned about my dd who is 9.

She has some sensory problems and in the past was quite an anxious child. She did two courses of play therapy at age 5 and 7 which helped a lot.

She still tends to be a worrier and gets stressed about occasions such as her birthday party etc but I have noticed that in times of stress she gets fixated on certain things.

At the moment she is obsessed about even numbers. She is upset that she is 9 as it is an odd number and 'feels wrong' to her. She obsessively checks the TVradio/cd player to make sure the volume is on an even setting.

She has become fixated on making sure the living room door is shut tightly. There are double doors and for some reason they aren't closing together perfectly. She keeps interrupting what she is doing to go and close it properly and gets quite frustrated and upset. To anyone else the gap between the doors is imperceptible but she could fix it a dozen times an hour.

She is also constantly licking her lips to the point that they are red and sore. She knows that the licking is not good for her but she can't stop.

She was under the care of a paediatrician for her asthma and he did say she showed signs of OCD but that was a couple of years ago and at the time he wasn't overly concerned. He has now retired and we haven't been assigned to someone else yet.

I am wondering if our GP would be any help with this or if there something else I should do.

I don't want to stress her more and I think that listening to all this described to a doctor in her presence would upset her. DH thinks that the school holidays will make a big difference to her and that she will relax and these things will go away but I'm not convinced.

I am worried that if I go to the doctor and say my dd licks her lips and fixes the door he won't take it seriously.

Has anyone any experience/advice? It would be gratefully received.

[princessvikki]

I would go to the gp. Boom a double appointment and take someone with you who can sit in the waiting room with your dd. That way you can go in first and explain her history and your concerns without her being upset by hearing it all.

[ArseForElbow]

my DS has ocd, the GP didn't take it to seriously but when we were referred to CAMHS for his depression it was picked up on and the psychiatrist took him seriously, his is all to with cleanliness, he over wipes after going to the loo and his ocd is mainly to do with his room and the bathroom, he is having CBT for it now and is on a high dose of Sertraline.

[ArseForElbow]

*too seriously

[magicpuppy]

Thanks for the replies. I'll book an appointment as I presume the GP is the starting point for any referrals etc.

How old is your DS ArseforElbow? Does he find the CBT helpful?

While we are waiting for the appointment do you think it is best to ignore the behaviour or is there anything I could be doing to help her?

[ArseForElbow]

he is 15, he has only just started his CBT and this is for anxiety/depression which he finds helpful, he is starting CBT for his OCD after the holidays. I hope you can get some help soon.

[2catsfighting]

You can book an appointment with your GP to discuss this without your DD being there, which would be easier for you to explain I think.

[perfectpanda]

Hi magic. My dd had some ocd behaviours in year one. She had rules she had to follow, which really annoyed her. She also had lots of kind of vocal type tics.

I spoke to school who were brilliant. They referred her to camhs, by the time she saw them things had settled a bit so she only had 2 sessions. He recommended a book called what to do if your brain won't stop working (I think), it's a kids book about ocd. She loved doing the book, I think it helped her to understand herself better. Things are so much better now, I think for a combination of reasons - fab teacher in year 2, maturing to cope with her very active brain, and having our support to talk things through.

Best of luck, I found it upsetting to watch. Although I worry it will come back, it helps to know she has periods without it, and I feel better equipped to deal with it, I also wouldn't hesitate to go back for professional help (although wait times were awful..)

[MakeThemEatCake]

Hi, I think my DS has ocd - what to do..it's so hard to know how to help him. I wish you strength with your DD, its not easy at all

Don't have any advice as I'm not sure what to do either, but you're not alone.