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Advice for a child with OCD

100

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 05 January 2013 - 14:10

I suspect my child has OCD need a recommendation on a specialist Dr who we could see ? Would prefer a lady child psychologist if possible.

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271

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 06 January 2013 - 20:44

Can also recommend dr Veneta at BR Medical Suites in Dubai Health Care City...

150

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 06 January 2013 - 20:04

A final thought klflopster - Kids First in Umm Suqeim (Al Wasl Road, just off Umm Suqeim Rd) have a team of professionals including a Psychologist. We see the OT and Physio there for handwriting issues, but I asked them tonight whether they might have someone on board who could help you. Their Pediatric Psychologist is Dr Amy and she is very popular so it might be difficult to get an appointment, but worth a phone call to try. I've noticed they are also accredited in the Positive Parenting Programme. Our school in Australia ran workshops in this and it is very good. There are segments of it that focus on building resilience in children and you might also find this helpful for you personally. http://www.kidsfirstmc.com/

150

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 06 January 2013 - 10:42

Sounds like you have a plan! Great you are doing something in any case. If you think it's a phase, has there been a catalyst to it? For example has there been any significant change or crisis in his life prior to it starting? Might be worthwhile thinking through this prior to seeing the Doctor... I think it's better to tackle these issues while the kids are younger, more likely to take on board what grown-ups have to say and the behaviours are less ingrained. Given the statistical correlation between childhood anxiety and teenage/adult depression it is definitely worthy of your earliest attention. Take care xo <em>edited by Hairy Maclary on 06/01/2013</em>

100

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 06 January 2013 - 09:39

To be honest the more I read I think it sounds more like anxiety than OCD. I will check out the Dr Veneta she may be able to help, I am still hoping its a phase.

91

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 06 January 2013 - 08:47

There is an amazing pediatrician at BR Medical Suites,dr Veneta,tel:044458585 who specializes in all sorts of learning and behavioral problems in children.Had my little one there for play therapy and she could quickly sort out the problem we had...in a very loving and gentle way.BR is in DHCC in Al Razi building (64) floor4.

150

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 06 January 2013 - 08:23

As soon as you begin to see a pattern of OCD behaviors in your child, begin a symptom log, noting behaviors, with days and times, and situations, these are also called triggers, that set them off. Include length of event, and your child's anxiety or fear level, also called a fear thermometer, at the time of her symptoms. A symptom log will help you and your mental healthcare provider better evaluate whether your child has OCD and the degree of its severity. hth :) edited by DesertRose1958 on 05/01/2013 That is a really good idea, DR! It will help fast track a proper diagnosis I'm sure! OCD is considered to be a type of Anxiety Disorder under the DSM-4 which is the manual all Psych's use when diagnosing mental illness. So there are similar symptoms that lead to confusion between the 2. If you do a google search for DSM-4 or DSM-IV you will probably find a checklist of symptoms required in order to diagnose one or the other. To my understanding, the key differences are with anxiety, the worries are broader and not specific to one area whereas people with OCD will usually obsess about one or a handful of key things (eg fear of contamination, a need for order, fear of making a mistake). Also, people with anxiety disorder do not have the ritualistic compulsions as a way to cope with worrying as people with OCD do. For OCD, performing rituals actually brings the person relief from their negative thought patterns and they will do these for hours sometimes to the point where they cannot function normally.

1337

Posts

EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 05 January 2013 - 22:58

Thanks for your replies I do hope it is anxiety he does worry a lot about fitting in and what his peers think about him etc so that does fit in. I will see how it goes but speak to my GP in the mean time. I'll second what Hairy Mclairy has said about anxiety causing symptoms that can be confused with OCD. I have a child who is severely autistic and he lives with rituals to quite an extent, but then they seemed to gain feet and legs and I though he'd developed OCD. He hadnt and he was diagnosed with anxiety instead. It had us fooled for quite some time tho. There are ways you can tell if its an OCD ritual or a habit thats gotten out of hand so to speak, its something to do with how much pleasure or distress the ritual causes, how long they take up in a day, what happens if the ritual is disturbed, do they interrupt the events of a normal day. One other thing - keep a detailed log of the behaviours to take to the docs with you. I copied this info from something I saved last year, it might help you think about what to take to the docs with you. As soon as you begin to see a pattern of OCD behaviors in your child, begin a symptom log, noting behaviors, with days and times, and situations, these are also called triggers, that set them off. Include length of event, and your child's anxiety or fear level, also called a fear thermometer, at the time of her symptoms. A symptom log will help you and your mental healthcare provider better evaluate whether your child has OCD and the degree of its severity. hth :) <em>edited by DesertRose1958 on 05/01/2013</em>

100

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 05 January 2013 - 21:35

Thanks for your replies I do hope it is anxiety he does worry a lot about fitting in and what his peers think about him etc so that does fit in. I will see how it goes but speak to my GP in the mean time.

56

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 05 January 2013 - 21:11

Dr. Hany Shafey is a child psychiatrist at Dubai Mall Medical Centre. I have not used him so can't comment, but I believe he is well-respected. HTH

150

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 05 January 2013 - 20:51

Just coming in here as I saw no one had responded yet...I'm sorry to hear about your little boy. That must be very worrying for you. Unfortunately, I can't recommend anyone over here, but I came in to say that OCD is often treated with a mix of cognitive-behavioural therapy (to help manage the physiological symptoms of stress and negative thought patterns) as well drug therapy (SSRI's to increase the amount of serotonin in the brain). So if you do seriously think it is OCD, you might be better seeking a Child [b'>Psychiatrist [/b'>who can prescribe the appropriate drugs as well as do the behavioural therapy. A psychologist can only do non-drug therapies, but it's worth trying these (ie cognitive behavioural therapy) alone - especially given we are talking about a child and if his symptoms are not too extreme. It might be worthwhile having a chat with your GP and seeing if they can refer you on to someone specialised? If the GP's on the ball, they might want to do some tests to rule out any other medical cause of the symptoms, as some medical conditions can create or exacerbate anxiety. For what it's worth - and from your brief description - it's possible that what you're seeing is simply anxiety. His symptoms don't sound ritualistic or obsessive enough for OCD where he would be - for example - washing his hands many, many times over each day for no apparent reason except to try and alleviate the stress brought on by an obsessive thought or fear of contamination of germs etc. I don't think you are "making a deal out of something" - you are right to take it seriously as statistically, anxiety in youngsters can be a precursor to clinical depression in teenagers. Good luck <em>edited by Hairy Maclary on 05/01/2013</em>

100

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 05 January 2013 - 18:04

H is 9 years old, he has a thing where after the toilet he takes ages to wipe and needs to be with toilet paper and wipes . Yesterday someone brushed past his arm and wanted to wash it. He also needs constant reassurance about everything. Although he doesn't wash his hands for no reason when he does he washes them thoroughly at the minute they are cracked and dry ? not sure if they are passing phases and I am making a deal out of something but don't want it to go any further.

100

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 05 January 2013 - 18:04

H is 9 years old, he has a thing where after the toilet he takes ages to wipe and needs to be with toilet paper and wipes . Yesterday someone brushed past his arm and wanted to wash it. He also needs constant reassurance about everything. Although he doesn't wash his hands for no reason when he does he washes them thoroughly at the minute they are cracked and dry ? not sure if they are passing phases and I am making a deal out of something but don't want it to go any further.

420

Posts

EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 05 January 2013 - 17:40

What are the symptoms? How old is the child?

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