Dd, exams, ocd

[SouthWestmom]

Dd has GCSEs soon and is on study leave. Following an appointment with CAMHS we are still waiting to hear about a treatment plan ( almost three months on). Dd is finding study hard as she has to read every word etx. She won't share with the school and I guess this isn't wwyd just poor dd, I know I can't I wish she would.

Sorry to hear about this.... it must be very stressful for you both. Does she not have a guidance teacher you could talk with to see if the school can offer support? I'm a nurse, but General, but have a cousin who suffers , she is obsessed with orderliness in her wardrobe. I know she went on medication but she has other issues. Your daughter if she been through assessment needs to get support. Probably from a community psychiatric team and might be referred to cognitive behavioural therapist for help with addressing faulty thinking patterns. It's probably getting worse as her stress levels will be increasing the closer the exams get. I'd get back on to camh and ask your daughter to share with guidance or head of year or whoever she feels can offer support in school.

I would let her know that she can do her gcse any time but her well being is more important. I know it's hard if she is dead set on a career where they need to achieve 5 a in 5th year but she ends to be well. I hope camh can offer you something soon as it's awful when you have to sit back and watch them suffer. Good luck. X

Thank you. She's adamant that she won't tell school. Camhs were a bit 'meh' about a diagnosis as they don't want someone to feel labelled forever apparently.
You are right and the stress of exams is definitely getting to her. Just a bit stuck on how to help really.

I would chase camhs as this is such an important time in her education you would be justified in pushing for her treatment to be prioritised. From the POV of someone who had ocd as a late teen, having the diagnosis and going on meds made a big difference, as it was a relief to know I had an anxiety disorder rather than being an awful person who deserved to angst about the smallest misdeeds/mistakes. At that age my ocd was more germ phobia so unfortunately I can't offer any useful tips about managing revision.

The kings/maudsley hospital has a good website with info about children and ocd/anxiety

Brilliant thank you. I'm a bit hmmm about not diagnosing as I think it helps to know there's a thing rather than your head is doing weird stuff.
Hadn't thought to chase because of exams. Dd really wants some help.

Spot on claravine. Straight on and tell them the situation is exascerbated as the exams loom. Need input immediately, good luck and happy Easter :)

Thank you, it really hadn't occurred to me to do that. We had such a bad experience a couple of years ago with a different dc I've sort of lost hope.
Her hands are appalling though, and she can't focus on reading.

Personally I found getting an adult dx of OCD really world shattering and it has taken me nearly 3 years to come to terms with it, with a bucketload of therapy. I still wince when I think of some of how it was described to me eg that my problem was that I overvalued the importance of my own thinking. I I can't imagine it could have been any less empathetic if they had been stone men. OCD is a very easy diagnosis to get totally caught up in and entangled by the label, so you feel you ARE OCD, which is all part of the profile and needs careful management. And it's not always useful at some times of life to make your experience about a medical label, though some people find it a comfort.

Check out Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. It is a form of CBT that has good evidence for OCD but doesn't ask you to view your thinking in negative ways.

Oh that is really interesting. Thank you. I was diagnosed 18m ago and it was a massive relief and explained some stuff for me. I had suspected it and was really low at the time.
I will Google the ACT which sounds interesting.

www.amazon.co.uk/Mindfulness-Workbook-OCD-Overcoming-Compulsions/dp/1608828786

This book was a game changer for me.

Thank you. I read Break Free from OCD and then had 121 but it was paid for privately with compensation so we are now reliant on the NHS for dd. I will call tomorrow.