has my son got OCD?

Question

my son is 4years old and i have come to realise he might have OCD but ain't 2 sure these are a few things that he does

. he won't eat any thing if it is broke
. he won't eat off anything if it has a little scratch on
. he has to take his top off when having a poo just incase he gets poo on his top
. wen he gets in bed he has to have his blankets perfectly straight , and if he wakes in the night and they ain't sraight he will scream the place down untill i put them on straight

do u think this is a form of OCD

HE HAS BEEN LIKE THIS SINCE HE COULD WALK AND TALK

Answer 1

get pro advice quick does not sound good

Answer 2

I have a mild case of OCD myself so I know it is a form of OCD. Everybody has a little bit of OCD and there is no way to get rid of it forever. He will grow out of it and you should tell him to not scream if his covers are not straight. It's not that he is weird or anything, he just feels more comfortable about having his covers straight or not eating anything if it is broke. You need to take him to a therapist as soon as possible because more serious compulsions and habits that will form. All I know is that there is a lack or serotonin in y brain and thats what makes me want to do stuff. I bet that is what is going on with your son. Don't be rough with him because he is probably going to get hateful and stuff then get more anxious. I googled some websites and I think these will help you understand completely on what to do, say, how to help, and the symtoms, treatments, and other links...

www.mentalhelp.net/poc/center_index.php?id=6

mentalhealth.about.com/cs/ocd/l/blocd3.htm

www.ocdcoach.com/

www.medhelp.org/forums/MentalHealth/archive/500.html

if these don't really help much, here are a couple chatroom sites for OCD...

www.geonius.com/ocd/bbs.html

www.phobics-awareness.org/mystory3.htm

there is also alot more all you have to do is go on google and type in something like "OCD help" or "OCD chat room" it chould come up with alot of sites. Hope this helped and good luck!!

Answer 3

Very possible, but not clearly definite. Some times these things can be an exaggerated form of certain childhood behaviors (control issues, testing etc..), or particular neurosis (OCD is a form neurosis, but severe). While these actions may sound severe to you, compared to many true OCD individuals, they sound relatively mild (except perhaps the sheets). The eating & bathrom behaviors are a bit more common, especially in that age group. You can have him evaluated, but unless it is causing problems at home, you will probably find most won't be too concerned or will hesitate to make a diagnoses. More likely, you will have to "wait to see if they grow out of it"... only concern is, the earlier you determine behavioral causes, the easier it can be to mondify them. Start by speaking to your pediatrician, if you don't get the satisfaction you are looing for, you can seek private psychiatric evaluation. Once he is in public school (at age 5), you can gothrough the public schools which are required to provide certain services (including evaluations) if you can identify concerning behaviors.
Good Luck.

Answer 4

Everyone has some form of OCD although he might just be a tidy boy, he could also be very aware of germs, maybe? Has he seen the Domestos ads and things? They're pretty scary for a kid, so he might be frightened he's going to get ill. Sit down and talk with him about germs, and how some are good and bad ones can be killed.

Let him carry on with his habits to see if he grows out of them, you didn't mention how long he's had these habits. If he gets worse then take him to see your doctor as OCD can get very serious if left untreated, leave it a while, but don't ignore it, don't tell him off and don't leave it too late :)

[[Sapph xx]]

Answer 5

I have OCD also. It seems to me that your 4 year old son has some symptoms. Those sound like rituals of OCD. I have to line up things in order and make sure they are perfectly straight before i go ahead and do something. It is very frustrating. I went to a psychologist. He gave me this medicine called prozack and it really has been helping me. But it depends on what your doctor says.

Answer 6

Your question makes me laugh, because I had this same question for my doctor about my nine year old. She said true OCD keeps someone from living their life normally. For example, someone who is late for work because they have to go back home several times to check to see if the door is locked. Your son my have some hypersensitivity. My son can stand clothing tags, the seams in socks, and will only sleep with a certain soft blanket. My doctor also asked about my habits and I actually have some OCD tendencies myself. My desk at work must be spotless before I leave each day. I don't like tags in my clothes either. This is how I am handling it. I accept my son's behavior, but I have made him more responsible for it. As in, he puts his own socks on. I would teach your son how to fix the blankets on the bed. Ask him to help you pick out which dish he wants or which food. As he gets older, he can do more of the chores that go along with being this kind of person. In some ways, it is good. My son always knows how he wants things done. Try not to worry too much.

Answer 7

OCD is more than just repeated rituals (that can be the "compulsive" part). Your son may have contamination issues (what may be the "obsessive" part) of OCD. Definitely address your concerns to his pediatrician. Ask for a referral to a child psychologist who specializes in OCD. You may consider starting to keep a log everyday of the things that cause your son anxiety. My husband has OCD, so I am aware of this issue.

Answer 8

Why do parents always insist on diagnosing their child before they know the facts !
Because he does things a certain way could just be his way, it doesn't mean he has OCD a lot of parent's think their child might have Autism because they are late talking ..its just a little silly that people seem to worry about things before they know the facts or what they are dealing with ..my twin son has severe autism and i let a doctor diagnose him when he was aged 3 and yes i had concerns its my job to raise them then a professional to diagnose them

Answer 9

sounds like typical behaviour for a child this age. this really depends on how he developing otherwise. if he has no communication or social issues and no serious learning delays i would not worry for a second. everyone has their quirks...these are his. no biggie, i'm sure if you thought about it, some of the things you do may seem weird to other people.


OCD typically manifests during adolescence at the earliest. OCD is a crippling and serious affliction and prevents many people from carrying out a normal life.

my husband can't go to the bathroom without taking off all his clothes. can't explain why....that's just how some people are!

i wouldn't worry at all.

Answer 10

Is it a form of OCD? yes. Should you worry about it? Not just yet.

Remember that your son is developing right now, and may or may not continue these traits later in life. The best thing you can do at this time is watch him closely and guide his actions. Should he continue this for too long, you may want to seek a child psychologist. How long is too long? Give it about 6 months to a year before making this consideration.

Answer 11

I doubt that he has OCD... he just sounds eccentric (a lot of small children are.. it isn't a bad thing). Sometimes there is a fine line though of course. Only a doctor can diagnose someone, so if you are really worried that he is, go ahead and have him checked out. However, in order for him to be diagnosed, it will have to really interfere with his daily life and take up a lot of time.