OCD worry - DH has it , I pull hair - how can we minimise chances of DD getting it?

[ocdworry]

There seems to be quite a family history of OCD - DH's mother has quite a major problem with washing clothes and avoiding all references to death, DH needs to look at lights before he leaves a room and has a twitchy thing he does every so often - but only when at home, not in a work situation. I sometimes pull my hair - because I like it, not driven by stress and I always make sure I don't do it in front of DD who is 17 months. My fear is that DH exhibits his OCD in front of DD and am worried that she will start to copy - especially as she is maybe predisposed to OCD anyway. Have mentioned it to DH but not had much response. Any advice please?

as an ocd sufferer - I'ld say that anxiety disorders thrive on stress - so just do loads of work on DD's self-esteem, ensure she knows her best (or well her respectable effort) will always be good enough for you, encourage hobbies and outside interests as good for reducing stress.

Thanks Total. Have you ever had any successful treatment? CBT seems to be mentioned by a few people.

yes - in theory CBT is the treatment of choice for mild OCD rather than ADs - but in practice of course you can end up on a rather long waiting list for CBT. I've had both ADs and CBT. Both have their merits.

Thanks Total. Can I ask how you went about getting the CBT - is there a website or something or were you referred?

the only websites for CBT I am aware of are for depression rather than OCD - think the one the government recommends is called beating the blues, and there is a reputable aussie one called moodgym. I got referred.

Thanks very much Total. Will definitely look into it.

it's all possible to go private - would be at least £50/h - but CBT tends to be limited to 10 weeks or so, not go on for years. BABCP is the place to find private people.

In general - does your DH has an diagosis of OCD - it is possible to have OCD behaviours that are subclinical - ie. minor quirks that don't affect your quality of life - so not worth bothering to treat.

Thanks Total. DH has never been diagnosed and I guess can control it in the professional arena but at home - even when my mum, sister and brother in law are around - he will do it and if I speak to him when he is doing it he can't hear me. I guess I'm worried that it could get worse with age - his mother's life is really badly affected by it and consequently our life to a certain extent. Is the definition of the difference between OCD behaviours and minor quirks that they don't affect your quality of life? How does diagnosis occur?