DS15 has weird habits

[user1473872482]

My DS has some strange habits. One of his habits is to talk to himself and answer back to himsel - like he is having a conversation with himself. I know maybe quite a few people do this but I am getting concerned about that. He has been doing this since he was 4 years old.

Another habit he has been doing since he was 13 is he sort of stands facing the wall/door with his face right up against the wall/door and everytime he goes upstairs he does this against the door and touches the door handle.

I have tried ignoring it and asking him why he does this but when I speak to my husband about it he tells me to leave him alone and to just let him get on with it.

Is this something worth worrying about?

Can he go upstairs without doing it if you ask him to?

Well when I say to him to go upstairs to get something or that it is getting late and to go to bed he does it. It is like it has become a routine with him.

My brother did the conversation with himself thing as a teen often under his breath, he's now mid 30s and grown out of it but I think it was unconscious doing a lot of the time!

Sounds like he has OCD to me, especially with the door handle.

As for the answering back to himself; I answer back out loud to things I've thought about in my head, it's a habit and I've been caught out and been really embarrassed before. I sometimes don't realise I'm doing it.

Sounds like he has OCD to me, especially with the door handle.

As for the answering back to himself; I answer back out loud to things I've thought about in my head, it's a habit and I've been caught out and been really embarrassed before. I sometimes don't realise I'm doing it.

My husband has OCD as well

Could be some sort of OCD, especially the door thing, or it could just be an ingrained habit now. Is your son aware he is doing it? I used to whisper the last few words of what I'd said out loud, and didn't even realise I was doing it until my family fell about laughing one day - once I knew I was able to make a conscious choice not to do it. It took a while but I got out of the habit.

I still chat to myself though, fine in the house but a bit in the supermarket.

I'd have to agree with other commenters, definitely sounds like OCD to me.

To add, I believe it is nothing to be worried about unless it's bothering DS. It may be that he wants to stop these compulsions, but thoughts make it very very difficult to stop.

I think I've read before that there might be a genetic element to OCD or at least that dc can learn certain OCD type behaviour from a parent. The talking to himself I think is harmless in and of itself (I do it, and answer back too!), but as pps say, the door/wall /handle thing sounds like OCD. I'm not an OCD expert though so not sure what there is to be done or if anything needs doing. Does he seem otherwise fine?

Just to add talking to himself could also be a part of OCD. A lot of people talk to themselves as part of their compulsions, or to counteract negative thoughts.