Does my 6 year old have OCD?

Question

My 6 year old has been referred to see a mental health doctor to see if he has OCD. It's especially worse at meal times, he has to drink with a straw as he worries about getting germs from the cup, there are only one or twn types of cutlery he will use as he believes most of them have germs on them, his food can't be touching on the plate as this makes the food contaminate each other and he won't eat it, he also won't wear clothes that are red as he says they have germs on them, there are also other things. Am I over reacting taking him to the doctors, could it be a normal child phase or is it best to have it checked out. Anyone with similar exp would be great, thanks in advance, x

Answer 1

my advice is dont take advice from this website go ask a doctor that is the best advice anyone can give you

Answer 2

I have OCD and so does my 4 yeard old beileve it or not. First I see nothing wrong with the whole apple conversation, it seems normal for a 6 year old. The other behaviors are not that of OCD, the blanket issue may sound like it but I think it could just be a habit of perfectionism. The no sense of time, doesn't realize someone is upset w/ her, still at a K-1 level and shutting down has nothing to do with OCD. I am not a doc so I don't want to guess as to what it is, but I can tell you with a bit of certainty it's not OCD. I would take her to her pediatricain and have her evaluated. Good luck.

Answer 3

i suffer from OCD, but not the same type as your son... but i do have a close friend who has a cleanliness OCD, and a lot of the behaviour u describe does fit in with what my friend goes through. she won't use any type of glass / cutlery / plate / cup, other than her own, along with other symptoms such as not using any toilet other than her own.

i have suffered from OCD since i was about 12. and i wish that it had been tackled right at the start, rather than my parents trying to pretend that it wasn't happening. the longer u leave an OCD, the harder it is to break it. the brain gets used to behaving in that manner, and makes giving up that behaviour harder and harder. u actually do get addicted to the behaviour - the brain rewards the behaviour by giving it a boost in levels of seratonin, and other 'happy' chemicals, so trying to stop an OCD can be really hard, as u are fighting a physical addiction, as well as the behaviour. i have a 5 year old son, and if i suspected that he had an OCD, i would be taking him to the doctors, and then to get some cognitive behaviour therapy, as soon as possible. try to find the best doctor possible at your local surgery to deal with this. most doctors have an area of medicine that they specialise in. ask the receptionist to recommend a doctor to u who is good at mental health issues. sadly, not all doctors are sympathetic towards mental health issues such as OCDs, especially when they are asked to diagnose it in a child as young as 6. the NHS is a bit hit-and-miss when it comes to treatment for mental health problems. i had to go through 3 different doctors before i found one who actually knew what he was talking about.

the only other thing i would mention is that many people who have OCDs use them as a way of getting control over their lives. does your son have a lot of things worrying him ? is he being bullied in any way ? a lot of time it helps to try and find out why the OCD started in the first place.

i really do wish u and your son the best of luck. i hope he manages to break free of this .

Answer 4

No, I'm not a doctor, but my daughter is 5 and I've been around kids this age. MOST kids his age NEVER worry this much about germs. I think the person who referred your son is correct in doing so. He should be able to live his life w/o having to worry about germs all the time. Good luck! I hope you find the answers your son needs.

Answer 5

I have 4 kids..none have done that but my friends 5 year old is the same way....every germaphobic...nobody can make her dinner plate but her mom aand if anyone else add anything to her plate (like a 2nd helping) it is contaminated. Same with her cups. Sounds more like a phobia than OCD. Best suggestion go to a SPECIALIST and remember the Docs aren't always right...if you don't feel they are listening or feel they are going for a simple answer go to a different doc. I wouldn't medicate either..he is still young and may change as he gets older. best wishes

Answer 6

The doctor will be able to answer this question. The fact that your son was referred to the doctor for an evaluation is a big hint that this is not normal. I'm guessing it was a teacher who referred him? The teacher deals with other children that age and should have a good idea of what's typical. I recommend that you take your child to a psychiatrist who specializes in working with children. Best wishes to you and your family.

Answer 7

I was diagnosed around that age due to obsessive behaviors similar to your son's. It definitley sounds like he has OCD. It can worsen, so you'll want to get him help as soon as possible. I was eventually put on medication (many years later in life --- my parents chose to wait and see how things went), but due to negative side effects, I stopped taking it. Although I still have OCD (it's a tough disorder to control, let alone get ride of), I try my best to control it, and for the most part I'm doing well. I think educating yourself about OCD and getting advice from a doctor about how to deal with a child with this disorder could potentially help your son to learn about what he has and how to work on controlling it. --- What I mean is, a doctor, or doctors, might have techniques you can try with your son to help him better manage the OCD, as well as offer advice on coping with him and his illness, to you and the other members of your family.

OCD is a very difficult illness. Not only is it physically exhausting, but it is SO mentally exhausting. Along with my obsessive rituals, I was (and still am) plagued with irrational thoughts and fears. I lived much of my childhood in fear, and I thought I was evil for thinking the things I did. You are doing the right thing by looking into this.

Starting early is your best bet. I'm glad my parents did.

He might need therapy later on in life, and maybe even medication; I hope not, but it's very possible.

Good luck.

Answer 8

don't worry i did it as a young boy too. Plus it is not OCD you should be lucky to have him/her as a child because the care about their own health. It also says to you that your child will not try stupid things as a kid like smoking or drinking. So just relax and breathe you would know if your child had OCD.

For Example

overflipping on and off the lights ..
writing school papers over and over word for word.
also just plain out repeating everything they do.

Your child is okay and it is normal for children not to want thier food touching on the plate. It also contaminates flavor as two foods mixed on your taste buds are not as good as one. in most cases

Answer 9

it sounds like he does have OCD. does he count things alot? recheck things are ordered in a certain way? or is it all about germs?

the best thing you can do for him right now is get him to a mental health specialist to diagnose him and to determine the severity if he does have the disease. it is very difficult to leave with OCD because its characterized by extreme thougths and compulsions that you cannot control, but with congitive/behavioral therapies and maybe medication perscribed byt he doctor he can be functional. but the most important element is that he doesnt feel rejected by his family, it not his fault and alot of people suffer from this disease.

Answer 10

Has he been exposed to people who talk about germs all the time?

My nephew who is 6 years old. Always freaks out if something is made in China. He gets that from his mother.

Not to mention his grandmother is a worry wort.

Answer 11

Yes this is OCD. It depends on how severe it becomes whether it is a serious problem or not. There are varying degrees of OCD. I wouldn't want them to medicate him for it unless it is really severe.Some Dr.'s tend to resort to med.s for everything. Our kids are so overmedicated these days. It wouldn't hurt to see a doctor but think twice about putting him on med.s there are other ways to deal with mild OCD. Good luck!