Repeated prayer- is this an obsession? a compulsion? a tic

[juls]

Hi folks, my son has benefited tremendously from your insight over the years, and I'm looking for guidance again.

 

He is nine and has had mild Tourettes for the last five years. After experimenting with supplements, we have eliminated his tics except for the summer months (I think chlorine or sun screen is the issue in the summer). His tics start mid-June and usually end around November. Nonetheless, even his "bad" months are very tolerable with just a mild verbal tic and occasionally some arm movements.

 

Today ,however, he told me that he has a new problem and it's been going on for three weeks (I had no idea). He says he must say "Thank you Jesus" in his mind over and over, eight million times a day. Poor kid told me that he knows prayer is good but he thinks this is bad and he wants it to stop. Up until now he has never has classic OCD, just some "stuckness"- where he gets locked on something he has to get or has to do and thinks about it until he gets its. But these are not repeated things like this prayer and they are not unwanted thoughts.

 

Right before this new manifestation, I ran out of Magnesium Taurinate and had to buy a new brand before our vacation. That has been the only supplement change. I will be buying the old brand tonight and I hope that that makes the difference for him. But I wanted to know if anyone has suggestions for supplements that might stop a repeated thought like this prayer.

 

 

The only other change in his life that I can think of was that he had bronchitis and ended a course of antibiotics about two weeks prior to this new problem. I have been giving him probiotics though.

 

Thanks in advance!

Juls

[ilovedogs]

Hi Juls, this does sound like it falls into the obsessive thought patterns. I guess you could say it's a mental tic in some way. My son was experiencing some religious scrupulosity OCD back in May. His main thing was that his mind would repeat: Am I really a Christian? Is God real? How do I know I'm going to Heaven? Then, he had some other intrusive thoughts that came about when I put him on 5-HTP. Many folks have said that the 5-HTP works for them, though. I know Chemar has used inositol in her regimen for her son and the OCD. I'm not really sure what to tell you except that if the thoughts interfere with your son's day, you should probably find a supplement to help. If he's not bothered by them too much, then I wouldn't worry about it and just tell him it will pass(b/c they always do eventually).

Just keep communicating with him so you know if things start changing and so that you can be prepared.

HTH

Bonnie

[CSP]

Hi juls,

 

My son has been stuck on saying, "I love you God." He has said it for months at a time then it will change to a yelp, or something else. My son said it was just that he liked that one at the time and will change it when he likes something else. He still brings that one back now and then.

 

It would bother me only because it was word together and not just a sound. Now I'm glad it is that and not something else worse.

 

Do you think that his age may play a roll? When my son was nine he only made a kissing noise, it was not untli he turned 12 that the loud vocals and words started.

 

CP

[faith]

juls,

when I was a child, I remember saying in my head over and over "thank you God". I think the reason was because I kept wanting to make the sound of "nk" as in "thaNK". Sometimes it would be "nk" "nk" "nk",.... "thaNK you God". It was the nk sound I wanted to say, (but not out loud, only in my head or like talking to myself), not necessarily the phrase. So it may be a sound in there that makes him feel better, but yea, probably a compulsion. (to remind, my son is why I am here, but I think I have had compulsions and a few tics as a child, but never vocal that I (or anyone else) is aware of. It did eventually go away. Now I just always say "God Help Me"!!

 

Faith

[emma1]

We deal with similar issues. At first, I couldn't tell what the "sounds" were, and I thought it was a vocal tic. Then I realized it was specific words related to repetitive thoughts.

 

We have tried inositol, SAM-e, and mag taurate. They work pretty well -- though we do still have flares when there is stress -- I wish I had an idea of what to add during those times!