7year old having obsessional thoughts, has heard some voices, any advice greatly appreciated

[MrsJamesMartin]

Bit of background, DS is 7 (8 in Oct) just started year 3, generally he's a happy boy and there is no reason for him to have worries or anxieties.
As a toddler he was a cautious child but not overly so, had some anxieties about the dark etc but nothing out of the norm.

My cousin died in 2011 suddenly and she was quite young, he barely knew her but did ruminate over death etc for quite a while but I felt this fitted what had happened and that he/we had sorted it out.

Recently over past few months he has expressed anxieties about dying again, getting killed ( this got worse when the news coverage was shown about the Woolwich murder although he was protected from that as far as possible), burglars and 'bad people', wars, historical deaths such as hanging of pirates and execution of historical kings etc and whether these would happen now.

He has said over last few days that he does hear noises at times but not really words, he worries that these 'noises' might tell him he needs to do bad things but denies that they are telling him things like that.

On holiday there was an incident where a child threw sand at him which got in his eyes, this was dealt with but he now keeps thinking about what if someone held his eyes open and poured sand in to hurt him. He has come home today saying that he has been thinking about what would happen if he used a knife to cut the skin between his thumb and index finger, would it split, why would someone do it.

He is obviously upset by these thoughts and seems to constantly ruminate over things.

If you've got this far then thanks for reading but I don't know where to go with this from here and how to help him feel better.

Thanks in advance

Bump

Have you thought about speaking to young minds for some support. I think death and ideas of immortality are common at tht age.
Which of the issues above concerns you the most?

*mortality not immortality

My biggest concerns are the self harm type thoughts and the voices thing .

Has he been on any play dates or anywhere without you where he could have seen images that have scared him? My ds who is 8 has a friend is allowed to play Xbox games that are 18+ and asked his dad in front of ds what a dildo was as he found it in a dumpster in this game. He could have seen frightening things in this way.

If you ask him what happens when someone dies, what would he say?

Perhaps have his hearing checked to rule out normal hearing issues.

X

How very distressing for him and you.
Firstly, I am wondering apart from the small incidents you describe, if there is generally a lot of stress in his life for some reason, eg difficulties at school, arguments, bullying or something like that.
Secondly it might be worth teaching him some relaxation exercises. Eg
to think of a safe place to imagine, or to learn some meditation to accept the upsetting thoughts and let them go.
If he is definitely reporting hearing voices, then this would be quite concerning, and I would seek GP advice. Symptoms like this are unusual in young children, but worth checking out.

My DD has OCD, obtrusive thoughts that makes her think she needs, or is going to cut her throat or wrists.

I would take your DS for therapy, either private or CAMHs.

I would go to your GP.

Good luck I hope you find an answer.

dd1's oldest friend (now 9) also had voices telling her to do 'bad things' (though she never did them). She got worse over a 1-2 year period, becoming really anxious over dirt that wasn't there, or perceived problems that weren't, etc.

She was diagnosed with OCD, and had weekly CBT for a while - her mother and family were given information, as was the child, and they all learned about OCD which was a huge relief, overall.

Six months later, she's not in therapy (though can go back if she needs to), has changed schools to one that suits her personality better, and is much, much happier. She knows when she gets obsessive its 'just my OCD' and she knows how to cope with it - it won't go away, but it's not in charge of her life anymore. Really amazing how much happier she is.

It sounds very hard, and impossible to imagine if one hasn't been there I suppose, but...I think in your shoes I would explain to ds that some people/children have brains that worry about things, and that sometimes talking to a doctor can help. I would ask him if he'd like to talk to someone, and if he said yes I'd take him to a GP that he knows and likes and then go from there. If he said no, I suppose I'd go to the GP on my own and talk to them.

I really hope you find the help you/ds need - let us know if you can, and good luck x

www.ocdkids.org/2.htm is info about OCDs for kids, I would suggest talking to youn minds www.youngminds.org.uk/for_parents and they will talk you through how you can get your DS some support.

Thanks so much for your advice everyone x

Just to double check is he on any medication?

My 3 yo DS had singulair, a common asthma treatment that had a really bad reaction with him & he was hearing voices & got scared of clocks & weird stuff. Didn't attribute it ti the meds for a while as they can be on it for a long time until side effects occur.

Just to check anyway. Good luck...