OCD Or Just a Child Thing

Since I'm not a doctor, I obviously can't diagnose, but I did want to share my own experience.

I am 30 years old and I am nearly positive that I have OCD. I am currently booking an appointment to be officially tested. That having been said...

When I was young, like your daughter I did the EXACT same things. Before I learned to tie my shoes, and my mom would do it (and really even after I learned), I would cry every time because she would tie one and then the other and it wouldn't be as tight or it would be tighter than the first one. So, we would have to redo them, over and over. I STILL have this issue, only I don't cry about it anymore, I just keep retying.

Also, my food could NEVER touch either. In fact, I wouldn't allow anyone to put vegetables on my plate with my food. I would wait until I had eaten everything off the plate and THEN I would have the veggies, because I didn't want the juice to touch my food. I also only ate one item at a time. Once that item was gone, I'd move to the next. I have outgrown this, thankfully.

As for how she feels about her clothes. I did have and still have this problem. My "left" side of my body seems to be "bigger" than the right side. So, my shirt sleeves are tighter on the left than the right, etc. I redo my hair (ponytail) TONS during the day because it's too loose, or too tight, or too much to the left or the right, etc.

Those are just a few minor examples. And, for me, it got worse as I got older. And, I started having the obsessions as well as the compulsions when I was a little older.

This is currently affecting my marriage (not to the point of divorce - I have a very understanding DH). But, it causes irritability. And, I don't adapt well to change either.

Anyway, sorry for the novel, but I would say to have her at least evaluated. I don't think there is any harm in having an evaulation and if it is OCD, then the sooner she learns how to cope with it, the better. My parents didn't know there was anything wrong, they figured I was just a picky kid. It would have been so much better and easier for me, if I had learned long ago about OCD.

Best of luck to you both!

J.-

You should definitely take your daughter to see a psychologist or developmental pediatrician. What you describe could be a sensory integration disorder, OCD, mild autism or probably a number of other conditions.

Good Luck,
K.

J.,
I am a certified parent coach and have worked with a few other parents with issues like this. I like the idea of picking out the clothes the night before...also it sounds encouraging that you said it helps some. What else do you do that seems to work with her? Is this an issue that has just come up or has it gone on for some time? If it did come up all of a sudden, when was that? Was there a change or event surrounding the issue? Have you asked her to sit down with you and come up with a plan that could help her?

What you describe sounds like some classic ocd symptoms.
Every child is different and although at 6 yrs old it could
be a phase. Sometimes ocd starts out with telltale signs,
and then at some point the child can't deal with that
feeling in their head (some kids say its like torture
in their head) and the ocd can
become so severe it interferes with day to day life.
I would defintely talk to your pediatrician about this.
He or she can help guide you in the right direction
whether it could just be a phase, or infact some type
of anxiety disorder.
OCD symptoms come out when the child feels like everything
around them is out of control, so they find something
in their life they feel they can control, like she is
doing with the clothing. The new baby could have
triggered these behaviors that might have been lying
beneathe the surface before and now have come out.
A new baby is a big change in her life, she may feel
things are out of her control, and if she truly has
ocd then she is using the clothing for her control.
There are different compulsions & rituals with children
with ocd. Some wash their hands all day long,
or can't touch certain things, some can only eat certain
parts of food like half a chicken nugget and believe
the other half is contaminated and leaves it on the
plate, or limit what they eat to only a few certain
foods, this is their way of being in "control",
this can also happen with the clothing as you describe,
the child is convinced that if they
wear a certain color or shirt on a certain day that
it is bad luck, when they put it on they get that bad
feeling, so they change again and again til that
bad feeling is gone and it feels right. They believe
if they do or don't do certain rituals something
bad will happen to them or a family member and
it is very scary for a child.
They can have a hard time sharing these thoughts
with you, they are scared and don't understand them.
So please do seek out a doctors opinion, hopefully
it is just a phase and nothing to worry about, but
I would rather be on the safe side and have it
checked out.
A good psychiatrist or behavorial therapist can
help diagnose and treat ocd and anxiety disorders.
Goodluck!

I would talk to her pediatrician about it, it doesn't sound normal. I know alot of ppl who have the food not touching issue but that is just one small piece of what you describe. I wonder if she could be allergic to cotton or something like that and maybe the clothes itch her, or maybe she is allergic to the detergent you are using. That is the only alternate explanation I can think of.

Since you are having concerns take her to her pedi and ask for a script to go see an occupational therapist and let them test her and then go from there. my son has sensory intergration disorder and he doesnt like his food to touch and he will only eat raw veggies cooked ones make him vomit.he doesnt handle change well and when i was at the hospital having my daughter he threw up everyday till i came home..he has a hard time with socks he will only use certain pillowcases and blankets..going to the ot was the best thing i ever did..it has helped but it is still a battle somedays...if you would like to talk send me a private message..oh by the way my son is 7 now this started when he was about a year old

Sound like sensory disorder. An occupational therapist should be able to help. Discuss this with your pediatritian because you will probably need a perscription or referral to see one. Don't take no for an answer from your Doctor. You know your child best. She can't help this.

I wouldn't rush her to therepy. I have a step son who is 18 now and and has never had his food touch. He is particular in sharing food etc but this is just him we all have quirks. My other son who is also 18 used to have a fit when it was time to change from shorts to long pants for winter. He did this every year when he was younger. His socks would bother him so he would turn them inside out for years. Again just a quirky thing. My daughter who is 17 used to wear nothing but those spandex type pants (leggings from Target) for years because she hated how the regular pants felt. She would cry because her pony tail wasn't just right and went to school in tears sometimes. My 5 year old gets attached to a shirt and wears it for a while then gets attached ot another shirt or pants and such.

Don't fret she will grow out of it.