Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder--Kids

[lcap]

My buddy’s 11-year-old kid was diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder among other things. I had a who ha with the little fella yesterday over the riding direction on the MX track. He blew a nut when my son made a new trail and messed up his perceived "order."

Because I was unaware of this additional condition he suffers from I told him he "has two eyeballs--use them!" Next thing I know he is having a complete panic attack.

I've started looking for information but all I find is information on drugs and that 1 in 50 adults suffered from this at one point. My thought is to push him, otherwise it's just going to get worse if I constantly cater to his demands. I also don't want to push to far.

Any ideas from anyone who has suffered from OCD would be appreciated!

[Tyler T]

I'm assuming you've already spoken at length with your buddy as to how he feels it should be dealt with?

[Junkee]

lcap, this may(?) help..

http://www.ocfoundation.org/ocf1030a.htm

[lcap]

[Bruky]

My smallest brother used to show signs of OCD every now and then. My parents caught on quick and would tell him to knock it off every time he'd adjust a random paper or do this little "can't step on the lines" sort of thing, etc. By the time he was 8 he had grown out of it. He's an interesting character. Can memorize a page of a book word for word, but can't walk and chew gum at the same time.

I was reading the link Junkee posted, and it mentions treating OCD in a positive manner is most effective, but my parents are old school, and the punishing/get over it methods seemed quite effective.

[blairpoelman]

lcap, I have an autistic son. He's only 2 1/2, however he's got a lot of OCD "stuff" - has to have things a certain way, etc... I think you did the right thing by talking with your buddy to see how he would like you deal with the kid. I'm sure your bud appreciates your efforts, as I would in his situation. It may be helpful for you to join in on one of the sessions with the counselor to learn the best way to deal with "melt downs".
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[unsponsored]

OCD is a very difficult and causes a lot of mental fatique to the sufferer. One thing is to not push things with the child.

Ask him why he wants to do things in certain ways? and then explain different ways of doing it. Dont let him govern the way things are done, you need to ask him to explain his actions everytime. Subtle changes is the only you can help this child out, slowly but using positive reinforcement is the only way.

OCD is bought about by something that they cant control in their lives, most of the time this occurs in their home life. Not saying there are problems at home but they will usually learn their behaviour. If their home is unsteady and they dont have a routine which they can follow kids will learn bad habits, whether its bad behaviour or learning difficulties.

One thing is you can definately make a difference in this childs life if you take the time to understand him, find out the reasons whhe does things the way he does. And then explain how you do things.

In my work in mental health i found distraction is the best form of cure, OCD is a thought out process and they dont do it randomly hence the compulsive part. When they start thinking about something in depth change the topic or thing you are doing or keep talking to them to help shift their thought processing.

Hope it helps

Remember you can help change his life if you take the time, alot of people just wouldnt bother....

[wakerider07]

i dono much about what im talking about, but try sitting him down face to face and tell him that he has a problem where he is scared somthing bad will happen or he feels something has to be done a SPECIFIC way. tell him its ok and that many people have his same issues. then explain to him how big the world is and how it is going to keep on spinning no matter what he does and his life will go one. then explain that billions of people drink after each other and dont get sick. and that you really want him to work on it and next time he feels like he has to "compulse" something, to take a few seconds and think that this isnt going to affect my life and not do it. and really reward him everytime he overcomes an urge. the main thing is that he has to believe in himself when he says to...himself... that it wont matter.


again i have no clue about the ways to treat OCD but that is probly what i would do.


hope this makes sence

[Bruky]

unsponsored, I think it evolves from having a very routine life, and not a lack there of. Because of the organization they're used to, it would seem logical for them to want to over-organize.

[unsponsored]

Bruky.

Positive parenting and treating a child for OCD is 2 different things. You have a talk to any child psychologist and they will tell you that kids need a good routine at home and in their lives. A routine is not doing the same thing to the minute and exactly the same way everyday but the children must know what is happening tommorow and so on. If the guy said his mom had OCD well that would explain some things.

The boy seems old enough to explain his own reasonings, developing a child thoughts and processing is not as simple as yes and no. With toddlers i would agree with you, but adolescents or pre teens need choice and some respect in their decision making. Im not saying when a parent tells them to do the dishes explain why they should, but if you see your child doing his obsessive behaviour ask him why he does it. Dont tell him not to do it, he will simply learn to hide it from you.

I didnt mean to say OCD impairs learning but it will affect social and other skills required in the development of their future. OCD is an illness that if left untreated can really damage the childs future prospects, education, jobs and making friends and social skills etc. I ment a disruptive home life will affect their learning etc.....

OCD is as simple as it sounds Obsessive Compulsive Disorder we all have a little bit in us, whether we make our toast the same way every morning or cant use a different glass to have a drink out off there are just different levels. Usually the anxiety is caused by the OCD, if things dont happen the way they are supposed to the person will get anxious or have a panic attack.

Also i am a parent and have worked in mental health for a significant period of time as a case manager, hey just remember what i say isnt gospel and everyone will react to different methods of rehabilitation.

[lcap]

unsponsored,

You are correct, the kid is effed up because of his mom. She is the kind of biatch that was a solid 10. Once she had a kid and the attention shifted she developed MUNCHAUSEN Disease. Once that no longer worked she started on the kid.

MUNCHAUSEN BY PROXY (MBP) (also called Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome, and Factitious Disorder by Proxy) is a label for a pattern of behavior in which caretakers deliberately exaggerate and/or fabricate and/or induce physical and/or psychological-behavioral-mental health problems in others.

I've been trying to get my buddy to divorce her but he says, "In sickness and in health." Can't get around that so I'm going to do my best to help the boy along.

Thanks for all the input.

[Bruky]

Wow, your buddy is a trooper. That's got to be a very stressed out, disfunctional family. I hope he's greatful he's got a friend like you to spend the time and help him through something like this. That deserves a lot of respect.

So the wife has got OCD and this Munchausen syndrome? Is she getting any sort of psychological help?

[lcap]

Bruky,

He makes her go and lord only knows how many therapists she's been to. As soon as they tell her what she doesn't want to hear, she quits. According to my buddy she has gotten better over the last few years after being around my family.

Hopefully it will get better each day, tomorrow I'm gonna sneeze on the boy--bad alergy season.

[Bruky]

lcap, he's got to get over it someday.

Just a thought, but rather than tackling this all in a serious manner, do you think implying to the kid that it's rather silly would do the trick? If someone could make it clear to him that it really does seem silly, maybe he'd stop it all together. When I was that age, I remember looking cool to all of my 8 year old classmates was high on my agenda. I suppose a method like that would really depend on one's personality...stubborn, accepting...maybe he's not concerned with his appearance?

Whatever you do, I'm sure it'll be for the best.

[Aubs]

have u ever seen the news footage of the guy who locked himself in his parents bathroom for 4years? we watched it in AP Psychology class last year. its really scary...

[Nick Taylor]

They couldn't like unscrew the hinges and take the door down? Or take an axe to it?

By the way, I have/had a mild case of OCD and Tourettes syndrome and the ultimate cure and way to deal with it is to have the least amount of stress in your life as possible. I know it's not feasible to throw down everything to make yourself relaxed all the time just because you are feeling a little stressed, but I went from being a rather tense and self-destructive personality to being a very mellow and unstressed, yet still motivated type of person.

I'm all but rid of my Tourettes syndrome and it's all because of the change in perspective on life. Little stuff matters, but the big picture overshadows all of it. I'm probly just rambling right now, but it makes sense to me. I still find myself dipping my wakeskate all the way in the water to get the rest of the grip tape wet, but it's never been something that I couldn't say no to

[Leggester]

You'd have to provide a linkk for that Aubs - google shows nothing.

lcap, as always, patience is the key.

[lcap]

Nick Taylor,

But what happens when everything is a stress? What direction a track goes, germs on food/glasses, illnesses, dirt, dust, etc? The kid is on enough medication to choke a horse.

Leggester,

But I've always been impetuous--guess it's time to learn.

[blairpoelman]

Most medication for psychological disorders are more of a band-aid than anything else. They treat the symptoms while letting the disorder go untouched. The best thing to do is an appropriate therapy schedule to actually solve the problem.

lcap, your buddy is definately more patient and understanding than I am. I would have left that lady a long time ago, and fought relentlessly for full custody of the kid.
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[Aubs]

leggester - ill look. we watched a movie on it in class, it was a 60minute special from like 3yrs ago. it had a celebrity on it too... cant think of his name. curly brown hair... ahh, sorry ill have to look it up

[Aubs]

here ya go...


http://www.ocfoundation.org/ocf1420r.htm

[lcap]

aubs,

Looks like my common sense approach, if done carefully, should help. That article is scary! Without confronting it now, it looks like it will get worse later. I don't believe kids should have a pharmacy the size of Bartell's.

blairpoelman,

It's taken me awhile to show him that the wife is the root cause of the son's problems. Now that he recognizes it, I'll start with a few suggestions.

If all else fails, I may have to become the ultimate wingman.

[Leggester]

Thanks Aubs, looks interesting.

I have to get a bit brutal for a bit though. If the behavior is due to an enabling parent: You have to let the kid know, on no uncertain terms, that this behavior is not accepted within your family, or around your family. If he wants to act like that, he must do it away from a more free form loving type of family. Sorry, but those are the rules.

The neighborhood kids all know the minimum standards of behavior I expect on my property and around me/family. I will not tolerate behavior below a cetain "norm". All 20 + of them know this and they still come over to play.

And not all of them are from a functional family either.

If nothing else, I expect my sons, daughter, wife and I to display a certain level functionality as a family. I like to think we succeed.

[Nick Taylor]

lcap, I think his case may be too complicated for my simple approach, and that I had it no where near as bad as he does. Good luck with this though, you're a good person for helping him.

[BR_WB]

I think I might have a small case of OCD - I cut the grass and vaccuum in perfect lines, I will check something over and over again, and other really random and unnecessary things.

[Dragonlady8]

brad ruleman I think that's called Anal Retentive

[tommyadrian5]

My brother was diagnosed with ocd when he was 12, it was really really bad, to the point where we couldn't take him places. It got really bad when he became a national caliber cross country and track and field athlete, basically he read books on how track athletes are so obsessive about things (they are borderline psycopath) that it only fueled the fire in his brain.

Threw him on alot of prozac, which he is still on now. He still shows signs of it (if you touch his head he'll go nuts, and he hates shaving, anything touching his face). He also scratches obsessively at his chest sometimes, right down through the skin.

The prozac got rid of the major problems, like not being able to walk over uneven surfaces without spinning 360 degrees.

The hardest part about it for him was that he pretty much alienated all of his friends when he got it as he was just weird. He really didn't have many friends for a long long time. He's finally got a few friends and my other brother, younger than him, actually allows him to hang out with him so he can do something other than sit around.

But, to show that it is not incapacitating, he just graduated from Princeton a few days ago with a biology degree. Then again, he's never had a job, he has no clue what he wants to do and is going to freestyle ski camp in a few weeks for the summer...basically provided by my parents to get him out of the house.

[Aubs]

brad - everyone has their own obsessions. my boyfriend has to put his money in perfect order in his wallet, if anyone starts playing with money, they all have to face the same way and everything. if there is a crinkled dollar bill on the table, he HAS to fix it or else he like freaks out. so you're not alone there...

[BR_WB]

Dragonlady8,

I guess that's what it is

aubs,

I do that exact same thing

[Aubs]

brad - worst part about it is that he's got me started on it too!!! ggrrr haha

[Bruky]

brad ruleman, doesn't sound too obsessive compulsive. Just sounds like your respect your work.

I've ALWAYS popped my jaw. I probably do it 10-15 times a day, but it's not like it attracts attention. I'm not sure if that would be considered obessive compulsive, or just a habit. Eh

[blairpoelman]

I have to clorox my keyboard and mouse any time somebody else uses my computer. I can't use a pen if someone else has touched it - therefore I always have to carry my own pen when I'm shopping / signing CC receipts. I usually keep some wet-wipes or something to clean my hands with me. While I'm not a full-blown germaphob, I've been told I'm close.
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[Zach M]

Bruky, popping your jaw would fit more along the lines of Tourette's syndrome, in which you develop motor or vocal tics. Tourette's syndrome, OCD, and ADD/ADHD are genetically linked and symptoms of each are often found together.

I'm not trying to diagnose you, many people develop tics without having tourette's syndrome. I'm just saying that of the three disorders that are common together, popping your jaw would be more of a symptom of TS.

[Nick Taylor]

Zach M, You got it right. All 3 are partly/mostly caused by an imbalance of dopemine (sp?) in the brain.

[Aubs]

blair - yeah, i would consider u to be a bit of a germaphobe. thats crazy. people use my computer all the time. every weekend we clean our house, so i usually just glide a paper towel with windex/lysol over it. thats enuff for me