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Original poster

Could ds have ocd?

15 replies

gottasmile · 10/01/2011 12:52

Last night ds looked strange, perched on his bunk bed. I asked what was wrong and he said he had to go up either 5 or 10 times. He'd already been up once to get his pjs so he had to go up 4 more times.

I told dh and he is so worried. He mentioned that ds cannot stand to have anything next to him in the car (coats, my bad etc), that he's always adjusted the tea towel if it wasn't straight and things that in the past I have put down as quirks.

I have to admit that last night, I suddenly became very worried for him. Since a big move last summer, he has displayed some anxiety, which I put down to having to make new friends, go to a new school etc.

I feel that I'm worrying about nothing, that all kids go through funny stages, but on the other hand, I can't stop thinking about it.

Dh's neice has an anxiety disorder that she's medicated for and so I'm wondering if it could be genetic.

Do you think it would be wise to get ds tested, or am I over reacting? I appreciate any advice. Thank you.

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PixieOnaLeaf · 10/01/2011 12:55

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Original poster
gottasmile · 10/01/2011 12:58

oops - my bag

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JandT · 10/01/2011 12:59

Personally, I like to have the car radio on a volume that ends in 3, 5, 7 or 0 which DH says is nuts (and probably is). I also like to pile money up in size order and have my books in size order on the book case too. A GP friend said that was 'mild OCD' but I figure if it doesn't cause a problem, why worry.

So, I'd leave it a little while and watch him to see if there is a problem. Doing those things isn't a problem, anxiety is IYSWIM.

My DSS (aged 9) moved school last year and was anxious for a while but he did get over it and is now much more confident than he was before. I made sure we had friends home a few times after school to encourage him to bond with people and also just made sure anything 'normal' was done more and with more cuddles.

Please don't worry until there is a reason to. I have seen a lot of children who have been labelled for things that most Mum's would call a sweet quirky nature.

Original poster
gottasmile · 10/01/2011 13:00

thank you pixie, that sounds like a wise thing to do. I'm sure that the younger they're diagnosed the easier life will be.

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Original poster
gottasmile · 10/01/2011 13:03

I'll ask ds what he thinks will happen if he doesn't climb up the bunk bed 5 or 10 times. Last night was the 1st time he's done this, so I'm hoping it was a one off.

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Original poster
gottasmile · 10/01/2011 13:05

Thank you JandT. That is VERY reassuring. I'll try not to worry.

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Original poster
gottasmile · 10/01/2011 13:06

You're right about the anxiety being the problem. Thanks again.

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mcv1 · 10/01/2011 17:36

I was concerned about my son a while back.
He would do things like.. have a complete melt down if he didnt open the door. those quirkey little things they do!!
I asked my doctor about it, who is very good, and she said that young children can display some signs of these disorders without actually having the dissorder. Apparently it is more common in young boys. but her advice was that if i ever considered that it was more than just his quirkey ways to get him tested. Another time it would be detected is in school where the teachers are trained to spot these things.

julesrose · 10/01/2011 19:38

Has he had a sore throat? Rarely in children OCD can be precipitated by a strep throat - and both cured with penicillin. As strep throat can be assymptomatic some doctors advocate getting the throat swabbed and tested for strep if OCD symptoms are present.

If he does has the start of OCD it is probably better to get him seen sooner rather than later before the behaviours become more ingrained. CBT can work well - if you don't think your GP is that helpful / knowledgable in this field ask for a referral to a child psychologist.

littlefishexpat · 10/01/2011 19:56

You can ask this question at www.ocdforums.org/

You don't say how old your son is but a lot of the people on that forum advocate more of a wait and see approach for younger children. Often children will just grow out of these behaviors on their own.

PixieOnaLeaf · 10/01/2011 20:08

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Original poster
gottasmile · 11/01/2011 10:24

Thanks for all the great advice. Ds is 7 and definitely has some quirky behaviour.

Nothing seems too distressing for him, but when I insist on putting my bag on the back seat of the car next to him I can see it's difficult for him.

After reading all the posts, I've decided to keep a careful eye on this aspect of his behaviour and if I see it getting worse, I'll talk to the doctor about it.

Thank you again for all the advice and I will be talking to him about how he feels during his anxious times.

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Original poster
gottasmile · 11/01/2011 10:27

Oh and no, he hasn't had a sore throat recently, but it's something to keep in mind if I see his anxiety worsening. Thank you for the tip.

I've definitely decided to take the wait and see approach for now.

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Original poster
gottasmile · 11/01/2011 10:28

Thank you for the link littlefishexpat!

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Original poster
gottasmile · 11/01/2011 10:47

I've just read through some of the posts on that forum and it's so sad when people don't get support and help. It must be so hard.

It makes me even more determined to try to get to the bottom of ds' behaviour, for his sake and his future happiness. Hopefully it won't turn out to be ocd, but if it is, I'm going to give him my full support.

Thanks for listening everyone.

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