Does my son have OCD ?

Question

my son is only five but he will do things like if he doesn't walk down the stairs right he will go up and do it again, he cannot walk past a leaf without picking it up and this time of year is a nightmare he even runs into the road in front of cars to pick up leaves. he won't sit down until his underwear is just so inside his trousers and he is driving me crazy aswell as the teachers at school with constantly having to go to the toilet. when he plays with his toys it's only for about five minutes and then it all has to go back in it's box the same as it was before he took it out, every toy is in a box. he doesn't want to go to school at the moment and i think the stress of this is making the problem worse. will he grow out of this or does he have a real problem.

Answer 1

You probably will end up having to get him diagnosed. Children with a mild form of autism do these things also. Certain forms of ADD have some of these symptoms too. It may be something else too; it may be a anxiety issue. People (adults too) with a high level of anxiety have to have everything just so.

He must be making himself miserable, the poor little fellow.

None of these things have to be a big problem. He probably has a mild form of one of these disorders. He can be taught better ways to handle things. He is just a little boy. He can easily go on to live a happy and productive life.

I commend you for noticing things and wanting to get him help. Most people who have major problems later in life would have probably been OK if they had received help early in life.

Good luck to you and the little guy.

Answer 2

I don't know, but my 5-year old is similar in some ways. He has a routine at bedtime which must be done exactly or he won't sleep, he has to get his clothes on in the right order or he takes them off and starts again and similar things like that.

I've yet to decide if he has a mild problem or if he's just being 5 and doing it to wind me up! Seriously if you're worried get a referral - you can refuse any medication but at least you'll have some idea whether it is a 'real' problem or he's jsut being 5. But you need to do something about that running into the road business - threaten him with baby reins if he won't stay on the pavement.

Answer 3

At five you have to expect some of this. In a case of running into the street, you have to punish him severely with scolding! Put him in time out, things like that each and every time he does that. At 5, kids need direction, to be told what is ok and what is not! I had a son that drove me crazy too. What I learned is that I was not demanding enough, so he thought he could get away with things. With putting the toys in the box, etc. he is exhibiting knowlege that he appreciates neatness. That is an ok thing unless he does it too long and it is time to go to bed, or elsewhere. You have to take a firm hand in all this. Not hurting him, of course. If he thinks picking up leaves is irritating to you, he could be doing this for your benefit. You need to speak to him at his level, with your face meeting his. Be firm. Show him the house rules, boundaries you have. At 10, he will be challenging you all the time, so it is best to get things straight with him now!

Answer 4

I have OCD too. I don't pick up leaves, but in a way, I'm worse. I would say get him hipnotised. I know it sounds like a scary thing to do, but sometimes it works. I don't know how to get rid of it tho. Look up OCD Wikipedia in Google and it tells you how to treat it I think. Anyways, yes, I think he has OCD. Sorry :(

Answer 5

I am sure that you have a doctor for your son, You can explain this to the doctor and see what he has to say. Yes there is a problem and I am sure that it could be treated early.

Answer 6

Sounds like he does. There are medications but they take away from the quality of life. See his pediatrician for referral.

Answer 7

Consult a clinical psychiatrist. Nothing can be diagnosed from your question. Though


The typical OCD sufferer performs tasks (or compulsions) to seek relief from obsession related anxiety. To others, these tasks may appear odd and unnecessary. But for the sufferer, such tasks can feel critically important, and must be performed in particular ways to ward off dire consequences and to stop the stress from building up. Examples of these tasks: repeatedly checking that one's parked car has been locked before leaving it; turning lights on and off a set number of times before exiting a room; repeatedly washing hands at regular intervals throughout the day.

Symptoms may include some, all or perhaps none of the following:

Repeated hand-washing
Specific counting systems - i.e. counting in groups of four, arranging objects in groups of three, having objects grouped in odd/even numbered groups, etc.
One serious symptom which stems from this is "counting" your steps, e.g. you must take twelve steps to the car in the morning, etc.
Perfectly aligning objects at complete, absolute right angles, etc. This symptom is shared with OCPD and can be confused with this condition unless it is realised that with OCPD it is not stress-related.
Having to "cancel-out" bad thoughts with a good thought. Examples are:
Imagining harming a child, and having to imagine (for example) a child playing happily to "cancel" it out.
Unwanted sexual thoughts. Two classic examples are fear of being gay or fear of being a pedophile. In both cases, the sufferer will obsess over whether or not they are genuinely aroused by the thoughts.
A fear of contamination; some sufferers may fear the presence of human body secretion such as saliva, sweat, tears or mucus, or excretions such as urine or feces. Some OCD sufferers even fear the soap they're using is contaminatedA need for both sides of the body to feel even. As in, a person with OCD might walk down a sidewalk and step on a crack with the ball of their left foot. They might then feel the need to step on another crack with the ball of their right foot. Also, if one hand gets wet, the sufferer may feel very uncomfortable if the other is not.
There are many other symptoms. It is important to remember that one must be diagnosed by a doctor to officially suffer from OCD in medical terms; furthermore possessing the symptoms above is not an absolute sign of OCD and vice-versa.
Obsessions are thoughts and ideas that the sufferer cannot stop thinking about. Common OCD obsessions include fears of acquiring disease, getting hurt, or causing harm to someone. Obsessions are typically automatic, frequent, distressing, and difficult to control or put an end to by themselves. People with OCD who obsess about hurting themselves or others are actually less likely to do so than the average person.

Compulsions refer to actions that the person performs, usually repeatedly, in an attempt to make the obsession go away. For an OCD sufferer who obsesses about germs or contamination, for example, these compulsions often involve repeated cleansing or meticulous avoidance of trash and mess. Most of the time the actions become so regular that it is not a noticeable problem. Common compulsions include excessive washing and cleaning; checking; hoarding; repetitive actions such as touching, counting, arranging and ordering; and other ritualistic behaviors that the person feels will lessen the chances of provoking an obsession. Compulsions can be observable — washing, for instance — but they can also be mental rituals such as repeating words or phrases, or counting.

Most OCD sufferers are aware that such thoughts and behavior are not rational, but feel bound to comply with them to fend off fears of panic or dread. Because sufferers are consciously aware of this irrationality but feel helpless to push it away, untreated OCD is often regarded as one of the most vexing and frustrating of the major anxiety disorders.

In an attempt to further relate the immense distress that those afflicted with this condition must bear, Barlow and Durand (2006) utilize an odd example. Strangely enough, they implore readers not to think of pink elephants. Their point lies in the assumption that many people will immediately create an image of a pink elephant in their mind even if told not to do so. The more one attempts to stop thinking of these colorful animals, the more they will succeed in generating these mental images. This phenomenon is termed: the “Thought Avoidance Paradox”, and it plagues those with OCD on a daily basis, for no matter how hard one tries to get these disturbing images and thoughts out of his/her mind, feelings of distress and anxiety inevitably prevail. Although everyone may experience unpleasant thoughts at one time or another, these are usually warranted concerns that are short-lived and fade after an adequate time period has lapsed. However, this is not the case for OCD sufferers. (K. Carter, PSYC 210 lecture, February 14, 2006).

People who suffer from the separate and unrelated condition obsessive compulsive personality disorder are not aware of anything abnormal with them; they will readily explain why their actions are rational, and it is usually impossible to convince them otherwise. People who suffer with OCPD tend to derive pleasure from their obsessions or compulsions. Those with OCD do not derive pleasure but are ridden with anxiety. OCD is ego dystonic, meaning that the disorder is incompatible with the sufferer's self-concept. Because disorders that are ego dystonic go against an individual's perception of his/herself, they tend to cause much distress. OCPD, on the other hand, is ego syntonic--marked by the individual's acceptance that the characteristics displayed as a result of this disorder are compatible with his/her self-image. Ego syntonic disorders understandably cause no distress (K. Carter, PSYC 210 lecture, April 11, 2006). This is a significant difference between these disorders.

Equally frequent, these rationalizations do not apply to the overall behavior, but to each instance individually; for example, a person compulsively checking their front door may argue that the time taken and stress caused by one more check of the front door is considerably less than the time and stress associated with being robbed, and thus the check is the better option. In practice, after that check, the individual is still not sure, and it is still better in terms of time and stress to do one more check, and this reasoning can continue as long as necessary.

Not all OCD sufferers engage in compulsive behavior. Recent years have seen increased diagnoses of Pure Obsessional OCD, or "Pure O." This form of OCD is manifested entirely within the mind, and involves obsessive ruminations triggered by certain thoughts. These mental "snags" can be debilitating, often tying up a sufferer for hours at a time. As of 2004, headway continues to be made by specialists. It is believed by many that Pure O OCD is in fact more prevalent than other types of OCD, although it is likely the most underreported as it is not visibly apparent, and sufferers tend to suffer in silence. In this disorder, the sufferer tries to "disprove" the anxious thoughts through logic and reasoning, yet in doing so becomes further entrapped by the obsessions. "Pure O" OCD is thought to be the most difficult form of OCD to treat.

Some OCD sufferers exhibit what is known as overvalued ideas. In such cases, the person with OCD will truly be uncertain whether the fears that cause them to do their compulsions are irrational or not. After some (possibly long) discussion, it is possible to convince the individual that their fears may be unfounded. It may be extra difficult to do ERP therapy on such a patient, because they may be, at least initially, unwilling to do it.

OCD is different from behaviors such as gambling addiction and overeating. People with these disorders typically experience at least some pleasure from their activity; OCD sufferers do not actively want to perform their compulsive tasks, and experience no tangible pleasure in doing so.

OCD is placed in the anxiety class of mental illness, but like many chronic stress disorders it can lead to clinical depression over time. The constant stress of the condition can cause sufferers to develop a deadening of spirit, a numbing frustration, or sense of hopelessness. OCD's effects on day-to-day life — particularly its substantial consumption of time — can produce difficulties with work, finances and relationships.

The illness ranges widely in severity. The illness affects many people and it is not cureable but can be treated with anti-depressants. This illness affects millions of people worldwide, and the number keeps growing.