AP41283

AP31283

My Son and OCD

My son is 12 years old and going into the seventh grade this year. I am so nervous for him going into middle school because kids are so mean now days. My son is obsessed with his hands being clean. He has to wash his hands right away if he touches the littlest thing. As his mother, it use to drive me crazy because he would sling water all over the place every time he washed his hands. He washes his hands A LOT! So you can imagine how much our water bill is and how much he has to dry up water. I believe that he has OCD(obsessive compulsive disorder)(Psychology book page 388) When my son needs to wash his hands it is almost like he's in a trance, he can't think of anything other than getting his hands clean. I can talk to him or give him a task and he has no clue what I've said to him until after he has washed his hands. I have learned to adapt to his need for clean hands because the benefits out weigh the hassle. I would rather him keep his hands clean then be dirty and get sick all the time from germs. A group of researchers led by Johns Hopkins scientists say they have identified a genetic marker that may be associated with the development of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).(Science Daily) "OCD research has lagged behind other psychiatric disorders in terms of genetics," Nestadt says. "We hope this interesting finding brings us closer to making better sense of it -- and helps us find ways to treat it."(Gerald Nestadt, M.D. M.P.H.) So in my sons case his obsession with clean hands doesn't affect his ability to be a happy and healthy boy.

References: Psychology book page 388, Science Daily, Gerald Nestadt

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