My 14 year old daughter has ocd, she used to have intrusive thoughts that she seemed reassurance for all of the time, this was when she was around 8 , this continued for a while and then seemed to subside, she started her periods early at 9 and once this happened, things seemed to calm down. She is now14, at Xmas she had a friend to stay who picked her nose in the bed they were sharing and Gracie has to go into another room for fear of the bogie being in the bed. The next day I changed the covers etc and TK kings went back to normal. Since this things have got worse about 6 weeks ago a boy at her school who she says always picks his nose, touched her coat, and then the girls she sat next to on school bus picked her nose and she though the bogie must be on her, she came home took her stuff off outside door and showered, that was last time I could get her to school, now we can’t nose breath, touch our faces, itch nose without her going into a major melt down as then we may touch something, etc etc and so the contamination begins, we went to a clinical psychologist who had a bogie up her nose, I had to pay 95 pounds and we were there for ten Mia as she got so distressed and had a major panic attack, she got home had to put all of our clothes in
Bin bags and both had to shower, I had to clean car out and everywhere. This is a regular thing, I could be crying and all she worries about is if snot is coming out of
My nose, she is normally as caring lovely placid child and now she is abrupt, angry and doesn’t really care anything, her older sister hardly comes home now and when she does is accused of breathing on her and ruining the whole day. We have seen
Counsellors who don’t help and I am currently in a waiting list for an ocd centre where the therapist have all experienced ocd. I think it will be an intensive course, just wondered if anyone had done this intensive therapy and how it went and is anyone else had the trigger of bogies- snot, even if a bit of food she has left in her area that we can’t go in she will convince herself it’s a bogie.
Her bedroom
I’d her safe place she says, so none can go in and one sofa and a place in front of the fire!!! 6 weeks ago things were so different, although she never put her toothbrush with ours and used her own towel etc, we aren’t allowed to hug her for fear of us
Nose breathing!
Just wondered if anyone had any advise for parents too
Many thanks
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Bunchy180
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I had a spell in an OCD unit a few years back, where I had intensive treatment. I admit that I wasn't keen on being away from my home for four months but I actually found it really helpful. The place I was in was in Springfield Hospital in Tooting, which takes patients from all over the country.
I take it that the unit where your daughter is being offered a place is different but I really would give it a go.
The treatment I received was fairly intensive but my therapist took a gentle approach and didn't force me or use flooding techniques. In many ways the regime involved a certain amount of control and monitoring which to me as an adult felt a bit infantilizing, but it's necessary! At fourteen your daughter may feel that they are treating her as a child just when she is spreading her wings, but she must understand that the hospital has a duty of care which does involve ticking a lot of boxes that to her might feel unnecessary.
I did have leave to go home from Fridays to Sundays, so I could make sure my home was in order, pay bills over my computer etc. Of course that's not something your daughter would have to do, and with smartphones and the like, she would be able to keep in touch with family and friends.
As for you, there is support for parents and carers. Most therapists tell you that you mustn't enable or facilitate her OCD behaviour, and to some extent this is right, but in practice you will have to go along with her OCD to some extent, just to make things bearable for you as well as her. But don't go along with it more than you can help, and don't do everything for her.
It might help you to get one or two self help books, as many of these have sections aimed at family and carers. There are also books on OCD aimed at children and teenagers.
I'm afraid that NHS services are overstretched, but when you can access them they are very good. Make sure you keep in touch with her school and the local authority so they understand her problems. Having OCD is difficult for the patient, but also difficult for those around them, but there is plenty of help.
Hello, I have been down to Springfield Hospital four times and I am the first female on the waiting list to go down there sometime after lockdown, because apparently Dr Drummomd has had to close the ward right from the start of it and whoever was in there had to be sent home and they will also go on the waiting list for re-admission, some had inly been there a week or two and others halfway through treatment so they will get priority over myself and others. I have been waiting since last July.
I had a wait of several months. But I found it very helpful. The problem is that it can only take up to about 14 patients at once, and it serves the whole country. There is a big need for other facilities offering a similar service to be opened in other parts of the country. It must be frustrating for those who have had their treatment interrupted and those who, like you, are waiting for it.
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