Just discovered OCD behaviour

[topsyturvvy]

My nearly 9 ds has just let me know about some OCD like behaviours.
I witnessed him knocking a candle slightly, he then moved it back, and then altered it, and again and again. I immediately clocked this and gently asked what he was doing. He said he keeps having to do things 3 times otherwise it's really annoying. I asked what other situations it happens in, and he said if he touches his leg, he then has to do it two more times, and then the same on the other leg!
I tentatively asked how long this has been going on for for, and it's seems to be quite a recent development.

Should I be panicking, and booking an appointment with a child psychologist ?
Should I keep calm and hope it may calm down in the next few weeks?

I have no experience at all about if anything like this, so I'd be grateful for any guidance....

Talk to your gp but don't panic, dont make it a thing just keep an eye on things but don't mention it unless he does

Please get him help, a child psychologist or trip to the GP would be useful. I had OCD since I was a kid but no one took any notice and I didn't get help til I was 18. Could be related to anxiety and/or low self-esteem. I also had intrusive thoughts, which were difficult to deal with as I thought I was a bad person. It sounds exactly like OCD though, the rituals.

Ok thank you both. I can believe that it could be related to low self esteem actually. I just don't want to to escalate into a bigger deal, but equally I don't want to make it worse but drawing too much attention to it. I'll book an appointment with a GP, but the waiting list for children's mental health is enormous I'm presuming? Does anyone know if there's easier access to children's physiologist by zoom these days?

I think you can find some resources for Cbt online.
And have a chat with him about sitting with his discomfort, so if it’s ‘annoying’ just let it be annoying, he can tell you if something is being annoying and you can go off and do something fun together instead, or read about mindfulness together and if he’s feeling annoyed by something then he can do that, with you if it helps (like some breathing exercises for example)

It’s a compulsion to do the behaviour so he feels a relief and it manages his anxiety. So along side managing it in the present in ways mentioned above,
you can look at coping mechanisms long term for his anxiety and also why he may have it / if it’s something you can resolve.

I think you can do it in a low key way so he doesn’t think it’s a huge deal but you are still helping him

Thank you that's really helpful information.... I fear it's associated with lockdown and no contact with other children for so long... I'll have a look at some resources online, thank you

My dd had similar compulsive behaviours from about age 6 to 11. She didn't have any associated anxious thoughts but felt 'uncomfortable ' if she didn't do the touching. Very similar - eg. if she touched left leg she had to touch the right leg. She did go though camhs and saw a psychologist but it took so long she was better by time seen. They recommended 'what to do when your brain gets stuck' book. Over those 5 years its 'flaired 'up maybe 3 times, we've only intervened if its bothering her and I think we've been through the book maybe 3 times. It usually flairs up at times of change eg new sibling.

She's now 13, I just asked her and she's not had it for ages she says. She does tic here and there but generally appears calm and functions well.

It’s fairly common to have to ‘even out’ touches on legs, fingers etc, no? Mostly sane adult here!! Wait till he’s back at school and has a bit more normal life going on, and keep an eye out for any behaviours that upset him or keep him from doing activities he likes. But if it’s just the things you described I honestly think that’s just a bit of a quirk and wouldn’t sweat it.

Thanks everyone got the advise, I'm starting to get a clearer idea of how to deal with it.... I fear it's more than a quirk sadly, he's scratching him self in 3's to the point when his tummy and arms are red raw... he seems to be doing it non stop...
I've ordered the book "what to do when your brain gets stuck", and have a referral to chams which I don't expect to come through anytime soon (!) but I'm also aware of not over medicalising it at this stage....

We found a book called frankies foibles quite good. It explains about being brave and not obeying the rituals. But doesn’t actually label them as ocd. It calls them foibles instead.

From what I have read ocd rituals are better to try to resist obeying them. So it is worth talking to child and getting them to understand this.
Whereas tics the recommendation is to ignore and they often resolve on their own.
It’s very difficult to deal with yourself though as the worry is always that you make matters worse by phrasing any chat with them wrongly.

@Cupoftchaiagain
I can remember having to 'even out' my body as a pre-teen. If one leg got an itch, I had to itch the same on the other leg, or tap to match up etc.
I just grew out of it, thankfully, so it may not prove to be a particular problem or long lasting, OP.

Hi my DD who is just 12 is currently being treated for OCD there’s lots of really helpful literature out there to use. Be really careful about just trying to get your child to resist the urges, it causes a lot more stress. Our psychologist uses challenge ladders and very small steps. We are using this book which is designed to be used alongside a professional but might be helpful.

OCD - Tools to Help You Fight... www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1849054029?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

One of the most important things is for them to know that they are not alone, 1 in 100 children suffer with this and it is treatable

Understartersorders did you use cams or a private psychologist?

We went privately. My older DS also has OCD so we used the one who worked with him, CAMHS took two years to get him to the top of their list so we didn’t even go down that road with my daughter

Thanks. Hope you continue to find progress