Child OCD

[Lisaa]

Hi I'm new to this site and am so glad I have found this as there is not a lot of help out there. I have a 8 year old girl with severe OCD any tips on helping her would be great. Calming tips she doesn't sleep much at the moment and getting her ready for school in the mornings is a nightmare. Any dos and donts for me? 

Thanx xxx

Edited March 4, 2017 by Lisaa
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[snowbear]

Hi Lisaa and welcome to the forum!

I've moved your question here to the friends and family section where parents in the same situation are supporting each other.  

Has your daughter been referred for therapy or had any treatment yet? A self-help books for parents might be useful to read if you're stuck on a waiting list. Perhaps one of the parents can suggest a good one that they've read. 

The usual advice for parents is don't allow family members to get drawn into doing rituals and don't give too much reassurance as it may seem to solve the problem in the short term, but it feeds the OCD and soon the sufferer is asking for more reassurance.

The main 'do' is to educate yourself about OCD as much as possible so you know what your child needs from CAMHS and from you. Then talk to her about her thoughts and feelings and keep the lines of communication open so she feels supported. 

It's worth exploring the main charity pages. To start you off you may find these useful :

friends and family advice

parent's guide

Any questions just post here and I'm sure one of the other parent's will be happy to share their knowledge.  

[carolj]

Hi Lisaa

I dont normally recommend books and certainly ones I haven't read, but on the other hand Adam Shaw, an ex-sufferer is well respected, having started his own foundation alongside his therapist and was on This Morning recently talking, eloquently, amongst the usual TV nonsense.

He has a complete guide for families, which may be of help to you.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anxiety-Worry-OCD-Panic-Attacks/dp/1911246054/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8