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How helpful is a diagnosis?


Guest fairycakes

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Guest fairycakes

Firstly could I just say thank you for the existence of this forum - I had no idea places like this existed and suddenly I feel better already!

My son is 6 and matches every description of OCD on here and elsewhere - he's currently in a difficult dip but is already having better days. He's always been a very bright and sensitive little boy and we are homeschooling him along with his younger sister (our eldest daughter is in school and we have a baby boy too) because we have much more freedom and flexibility to meet his needs and interests with a low ratio of children to adults and it works well for all of us.

My question is, do we 'need' a diagnosis? We're reading a lot about CBT and I've used it in work previously, and we're also trying alternative therapies alongside, but I don't know whether to pursue an official diagnosis at this stage or not. He's worried about seeing doctors and I'm not sure if there's anything more we would be offered at this stage - we've seen camhs previously when my eldest daughter struggled with anger issues and I know how overstretched and under-resourced they are here... Also I feel slightly hesitant that our homeschooling would make us a red flag and cause stress for all of us. That shouldn't happen but I've heard horror stories about it! I think that's my own anxiety though, it isn't a barrier to pursuing a diagnosis if that's the best thing for my son.

So I'd just love to hear any thoughts on whether a diagnosis will make any difference? I know he has this and the CBT resources we already have are good, so will it benefit us to have a diagnosis or would it just be an unnecessary stressful process for us all?

Thank you for taking the time to read this :original:

Claire

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Guest worriedmum

Hi Claire,

Welcome to the forums. Sorry to hear about your 6 year old son, but it does sound like you have a good grasp of things. People differ with how they feel about diagnosis and labels, especially for children. Personally, we took our then 10 year old son to the GP and were referred to CAMHS for CBT. Although we had access to some CBT at home ourselves, he was very depressed at the time and we felt we needed a firm diagnosis and clear guidance, treatment and support. However, he was also very willing to go to the doctors and begged us to take him. If your son is really anxious about going to the doctors, and you have a good grasp of CBT techniques and are making some headway with it, then I don't think you should feel pressured to take him at this stage.

I guess a diagnosis would mean you know 100% that he has OCD and hopefully he'd be offered CBT... however, what you are doing at home might be just as good if you are already familiar with the therapy. I have also heard that some doctors are hesitant to diagnose OCD in children as young as 6. One thing that made a difference for us was that by having a nurse come and do the CBT with our son, it meant that we were not directly involved for that time, which gave us a bit of a break as well as some support. So, perhaps that's something to consider... if you feel overwhelmed and out of your depth, or his symptoms are worsening, then maybe a trip to the docs would be in order.

On a side note, don't feel pressured re the homeschooling side of things, it's your choice to do that and it should not affect how they view your son and family. Take care and let us know what you decide.

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I'm no expert but I have heard that the younger the child, the more difficult it is to diagnose OCD. Diagnosing OCD in children is more challenging than for adults.

It sounds like you have things well in hand. I wouldn't be too concerned about getting a diagnoses at this point. If things change in the future, for instance if his symptoms get worse, his anxiety rises or he is spending inordinate amounts of time on compulsions, by all means take him in.

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