OCD Behavior?!

[patty]

About a week ago, my son started to check the rim of his cup (one complete circle) before drinking from it everytime. He said he doesn't like to drink on the dirty part of the cup. So I make sure that he gets a clean cup everytime he drinks from it and he is still checking.

 

Now that his motor tic is virtually gone, with only slight facial and vocal tics. I am just beginning to relax and now I have a new concern.

 

I know OCD and Tics are interrelated. Could this be OCD?!

 

Patty

[julia24]

About a week ago, my son started to check the rim of his cup (one complete circle) before drinking from it everytime. He said he doesn't like to drink on the dirty part of the cup. So I make sure that he gets a clean cup everytime he drinks from it and he is still checking.

 

Now that his motor tic is virtually gone, with only slight facial and vocal tics. I am just beginning to relax and now I have a new concern.

 

I know OCD and Tics are interrelated. Could this be OCD?!

 

Patty

 

Sure, it could be. But don't stress about it. In my experience, the most interesting people you'll ever meet have some form of OCD. Of course, it could just be that I tend to be drawn to people who are similar to me.

 

I have had TS since 9 y.o. & OCD for as long as I can remember. Although, I have never had a severe OCD problem. I have very few "compulsive" behaviors, and occasionally I am struck with obsessive thoughts that, while annoying, are certainly not debilitating. My husband had much more severe OCD as a child, with the typical hand-washing, light switching, very obsessive thinking, but it was not debilitating for him, either. I used to check things--like the stove, the doors, etc.--safety things--every night before bed or each time I left the house. I just quit one day. Same with my husband, he could just quit his compulsive behaviors one day.

 

My husband has much more disturbing obsessive thoughts, but he recognizes them as "OCD" thoughts & so he doesn't put much stock into them. My daughter (3 y.o.) shows many signs of OCD. But, personally, I'm just not that worried about it. From my experience (and I stress *my* experience), OCD has been much less debilitating than moderate TS. And easier to overcome without meds.

 

So, while I would do a little research in case it develops into something debilitating, and so you know how you want to handle it as a parent, I wouldn't focus on it too much. There are so many people in our society that have mild OCD. It might turn out to be no real problem at all.

 

FWIW, the same diet helps me with TS & OCD.

 

-Julie

[kim]

Patty,

 

My youngest son (10) has been doing little things like that, on and off, for yrs. If there is any good news, it's that it hasn't gotten any worse. For a while, he wouldn't take a shower if he could see a speck of anything on the floor. I think part of his refusal to eat normally may have an OCD component. What your son is doing with his cup, sounds pretty classic, although, I think many NT (neurotypical..like that word, since it helps you avoid using "normal" ) kids go through phases of things like that too.

[Claire]

Patty,

 

My nephew had OCD for a time (much better now since certain stresses were removed and his health improved), so I researched the heck out of this. I know that they do fish oil or flax seed oil (for impulse control).

 

Yes absolutely OCD can go hand in hand with tic syndromes, but it isn't classified as OCD until it affects their daily lives for more than 1-2 hours a day. So no, your child doesn't have 'OCD' from what you described.

 

Lots of kids have this little idiosyncracies/quirks...I see it as part of a spectrum of neurological symptoms that show them dealing with physiological stresses. So like the tics, I would see improvement there as an indicator of overall immune improvement.

 

Chemar's son had OCD and she did things like 5HTP for it, so there are natural methods do deal with it should you see a progression where it starts to bother him and interfere.

 

This is a little tangential, but: Many kids just get the compulsions, not the obsessions or visa versa. But since some do both.... (unlikely at this point so I don't want to worry you!).....I would casually check in on his thoughts...how are you feeling?...e.g. fears. My son had the fears with strep (went away with antibiotics), and THAT was traumatic for him. Worse was that I was so busy with work that I wasn't checking in so they were getting worse and worse since he wasn't sharing so I had no clue that he needed help. Once I checked in we were able to deal with it immediately, both through the anitibiotics and the conversations about the power of God over evil, and it was night and day difference. Thank God for that...I promised myself I would never let my work get so busy that I lost touch with him again, and years later, we are still connected.

 

Claire

[Chemar]

 

 

Yes absolutely OCD can go hand in hand with tic syndromes, but it isn't classified as OCD until it affects their daily lives for more than 1-2 hours a day. So no, your child doesn't have 'OCD' from what you described.

 

 

Claire

 

hi Claire

 

not sure where that classification is from but I dont think I would agree with it!

 

From experience with both my son and husband I have clearly seen that sometimes OCD can last just a few minutes but be intense enough to cause total debilitation!!! Also, just as tics wax and wane and change in frequency, duration and intensity....so too with OCD. I think that kind of time line is more a text book definition than a real life observation maybe??

 

 

Patty, I would agree tho that you shouldnt become too alarmed over this one observation re the cup....kids do just become plain fernickity sometimes

 

here are some useful websites that I have logged on NeuroTalk's OCD board

 

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=1395

[patty]

Julie, Kim, Claire, Chemar,

 

Thank you all for your input. You guys really put things in perspective for me.

 

Now I wonder if my husband & I have mild OCD? Becuz we both check the stove a couple of times before leaving the house and always lock our car door twice to make sure that it is locked. I have always thought that this is typical behavior.

 

My mom also raised me to double check the stove and door lock, so is this TAUGHT behavior or OCD?!

 

Patty

[Claire]

This is taught behavior...and normal.

 

Remember, it isn't OCD unless it interferes with normal life for more than 1-2 hours a day...let's not over diagnose.

 

Even quirkiness is normal. Believe me, you KNOW when it is abnormal and thus OCD. It truly interferes with functioning. Some examples: Kids can't get school work done because each letter isn't perfect and must be erased. People drive back because they always think they hit someone. They wash their hands for hours. They clean and reclean and reclean. Everything in the closet must be organized and rechecked for order. They check stoves 5 times, leave and come back and check again.

 

Claire

[patty]

You are right Claire!

 

Ever since my son's tic, I am hypersensitive.

 

Patty