Struggling with my son's severe OCD and seeking advice for support.

LisaGrossman

Hi, I have a 15 year old son who is an identical twin and both boys suffer from OCD. With one it’s under control, the other one is kind of in a crisis, every single thing that the boy does is built around his rituals. He is late to school, he hardly sleeps, and is up all night, he avoids touching things, washes his hands all the time, refuses to sit down, or sit on a certain chair, or walk through the kitchen a certain pathway, or even enter the living room. He does this ritual in the morning with his sneakers before he puts them on and has been late to school so far 4 times this year even though his alarm is set for 45 minutes earlier than it was last year. He told me a while ago he’s scared, and he wants to talk to somebody, and the psychiatrist recently put him back on sertraline. It’s killing me to see my kid like this & the family (6 of us, me & my husband & 4 kids) has no patience for him anymore.

Username: balexan8balexan8

Date posted: 1y ago

I had bad OCD as a kid too and my family had to go to therapy together for awhile to learn how to manage it together. Happy to hear he has a psychiatrist and is trying medication as that can really help. My mom struggled with seeing me in so much pain too. That’s normal and means you care. I’ve gotten healthier over time with meds and therapy and I’m sure your son will too. This is just a hard phase of life for him.

Username: AnonymousAnonymous

Date posted: 1y ago

@balexan8 Thank you! I’m so happy to hear if your ability to get a handle on your OCD! That’s so encouraging to hear. We all need help to get him through this, our accommodations need to be addressed professionally (on one hand, we enable him, conversely, by not doing some thing for him I’ll make his anxiety exponentially worse). Thank you so much for sharing your journey. I actually feel less alone, and more confident that we can all help him through this. Thank you so much for your words of encouragement, and I pray that you continue to be healthy 🙏🏻

Username: OCDisHellOCDisHell

Date posted: 1y ago

Lisa sorry to hear that your son is struggling. I've had OCD since around the age of 8 and can remember having a tough time focusing on school and actually wanting to go. My father had very little patience for this which made me even more nervous. It's key to be supportive and understand that what you son is going through is no fault of his own. I have been on a higher dose of sertraline (200mg) for about 10 years now and it keeps my OCD manageable. I hope this helps. God bless you and your family.

Username: AnonymousAnonymous

Date posted: 1y ago

@OCDisHell OMG YES! So helpful, thank you so much! My husband is not very patient either & it’s so frustrating we are never on the same page! I’m glad the Sertraline is helping you, I hope it helps my son too! It’s difficult for his siblings to understand & be supportive, Nate is just annoying to them. I hope therapy will bring us all closer to helping Nate & the family heal. I truly appreciate you sharing your story, and it really does help, it gives me hope.

Username: OCDisHellOCDisHell

Date posted: 1y ago

I would like to add that OCD is a very illogical disorder, meaning people that don't have it don't understand it and by having sites like this and an open decorum about the disorder it is getting the light it needs/deserves. People with OCD struggle every hour of the day so having support is key. Again I wish you and your family the best. God bless

Username: Friend123Friend123

Date posted: 1y ago

Lisa I’m so sorry this sounds incredibly difficult!! I can tell you’re an amazing mom. Maybe try to help the family reframe the situation instead thinking of your son as giving the family a hard time-help the family thinking of your son as having a hard time. It sounds like maybe some sort of family team building would be helpful? Maybe a fun activity you all like to do together? Something to recharge and reconnect. It might hard to think of a bonding activity that the ocd wouldn’t interfere with tho.

Username: AnonymousAnonymous

Date posted: 1y ago

That sounds like heaven! I wish I could :( He cannot even get out of the loop to do anything we have all tried. Even to play a game he won’t sit down or touch the pieces/cards. We don’t think he’s giving anybody but himself a hard time, it is pitiful to watch him. Maybe something that doesn’t involve sitting down or touching anything?

Username: Friend123Friend123

Date posted: 1y ago

Are there any activities you can think of that everyone in the family would enjoy?

Username: AnonymousAnonymous

Date posted: 1y ago

We used to bike & hike all the time. I will try this weekend! (As long as it’s not raining). Thank you :)

Username: John Gavin M...

Date posted: 3y ago

New here...son was diagnosed OCD at age 6. Now he is 16 and has POCD and he is absolutely spiraling right now. I feel helpless because I cannot relieve his anxiety. He is convinced he is a sick person no matter how many times i tell him this is the OCD not him. He is physically sick from the worrying. NOCD therapist cannot see him until next month and i have no clue what to do. Any advice on coping mechanisms?

Username: Bihernan

Date posted: 49w ago

My Teen Son

I don’t know what to do! My 13 year old son has suffered with intrusive thoughts for years. He feels guilty of things he’s done in the past when he was super young and obsesses over it to the point that he has to come clean about everything!! He fears that he may be a phedophyle at times because of intrusive thoughts. He’s on Zoloft 75 for it, it was getting better for a bit but it’s getting aggressive again! He is so kind and such a good son and person. He is in counseling but his counselor doesn’t specialize in OCD. I don’t know if I should have them change his medication, idk if there’s a medication that will help him more. I’m so scared I suffered with intrusive thoughts as a kid and teen, I never got help but I’m good now.

Username: Anonymous

Date posted: 44w ago

9yo boy with OCD

My son has been diagnosed with OCD, but the therapist that we are seeing doesn’t specialize in OCD. They put him on medication that caused severe side effects. After we stopped the medication, they just seem to almost wash their hands of the situation. This is a center with therapists, psychiatrists, an inpatient unit, a detox, a built-in pharmacy, etc. Yet, they can’t help my child unles it’s through medication. I’m fine with meds if they improve quality of life, but they harmed my child when he tried their first line of defense med for OCD in children. The other meds are in the same class, and we just can’t risk what happened to happen again. Just a little while ago my son and his dad were playing a video game. I guess my son hit a wrong button by mistake. This sent him on a loop of having to reset the game a handful of times. He needed my husband to reset his end of the game too. My husband didn’t understand what was happening, and this led to more emotion and frustration from my son. At this point my husband is upset, so I come in to defuse the situation. I’ve learned that the calmer I am, the better. My husband is trying, but he gets overwhelmed with the behavior. This is our life on repeat. I am so afraid for my child. We need help. Does anyone have any advice in dealing with OCD in children. I just want my son comfortable and happy again. Thank you, Christine

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Struggling with my son's severe OCD and seeking advice for support.

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