concerned parent
05-22-2013, 09:42 PM
Hello, I'm new here and was hoping that I might use this forum to get some advice about my daughter. I've been doing a little research and I believe she may be showing signs of OCD. Things have begun to worry me, particularly the last couple of days where she has broken down and told my wife that she's recently been having thoughts about hurting people.
Some background - my wife has a history of anxiety, depression and anorexia. She's doing very well these days and has benefited from some compassionate counseling and some close friends who are very supportive. From my readings, am I right in thinking that there's a clear hereditary link? All three of our children have shown signs over the years of anxiety - my son recently battled panic attacks after being shouted at during his job at a supermarket. My middle daughter used to struggle with insomnia and is showing signs of being a perfectionist - she puts in so much effort into her schoolwork and throws herself into everything at 110%.
However, my main concern at the moment is our youngest daughter. She's 11 and is very much the "baby" of the family. She always acts far younger than she actually is and is starting to become ostracized at school (to a small degree). It seems to me that she is a fairly anxious girl, although she appears very happy. She worries about being left alone, even for a few minutes if we need to run down to the shops (we would leave the other two older kids in charge). She worries about watching any movie that's not "G" rated. She's also very fidgetty. For a year or so she was chronically making "finger puppets" with her hands and couldn't seem to stop, even while she was eating. Then she moved onto tapping the table, as if playing the drums. Lately she's been whistling non-stop.
None of this has been a major cause for concern to my wife and I. So far we've been content just to keep an eye on things and have thought that her anxiety about parental separation and tapping / whistling would cease as she gets older. I suppose that I am a bit wary, given the family history.
Anyway, for the last two nights she's burst into tears and told my wife that she's been having thoughts about hurting other people - it's scaring her and us.
My first thought was to get a referral from our doctor for some professional help - nip things in the bud before they escalate. However, I'm a little concerned about creating a potential dependency on therapy. Given that these thoughts about hurting people have only just reared, should I wait and see if they pass, or should I seek help immediately? My wife has asked her whether she has seen anything scary / confronting in the media - she tells her that she hasn't and we're usually pretty guarded about what she watches / reads etc.
One possible source for these thoughts is that a couple of weeks ago she was sat next to "the naughiest boy" in the class, who told my daughter that he couldn't wait to grow up so he could kill someone. My daughter was a bit shocked by this so I'm wondering whether she's been dwelling on this...
Anyway, if anyone has any thoughts / guidance / suggestions then I would be extremely grateful.
Thanks so much
Jason
Some background - my wife has a history of anxiety, depression and anorexia. She's doing very well these days and has benefited from some compassionate counseling and some close friends who are very supportive. From my readings, am I right in thinking that there's a clear hereditary link? All three of our children have shown signs over the years of anxiety - my son recently battled panic attacks after being shouted at during his job at a supermarket. My middle daughter used to struggle with insomnia and is showing signs of being a perfectionist - she puts in so much effort into her schoolwork and throws herself into everything at 110%.
However, my main concern at the moment is our youngest daughter. She's 11 and is very much the "baby" of the family. She always acts far younger than she actually is and is starting to become ostracized at school (to a small degree). It seems to me that she is a fairly anxious girl, although she appears very happy. She worries about being left alone, even for a few minutes if we need to run down to the shops (we would leave the other two older kids in charge). She worries about watching any movie that's not "G" rated. She's also very fidgetty. For a year or so she was chronically making "finger puppets" with her hands and couldn't seem to stop, even while she was eating. Then she moved onto tapping the table, as if playing the drums. Lately she's been whistling non-stop.
None of this has been a major cause for concern to my wife and I. So far we've been content just to keep an eye on things and have thought that her anxiety about parental separation and tapping / whistling would cease as she gets older. I suppose that I am a bit wary, given the family history.
Anyway, for the last two nights she's burst into tears and told my wife that she's been having thoughts about hurting other people - it's scaring her and us.
My first thought was to get a referral from our doctor for some professional help - nip things in the bud before they escalate. However, I'm a little concerned about creating a potential dependency on therapy. Given that these thoughts about hurting people have only just reared, should I wait and see if they pass, or should I seek help immediately? My wife has asked her whether she has seen anything scary / confronting in the media - she tells her that she hasn't and we're usually pretty guarded about what she watches / reads etc.
One possible source for these thoughts is that a couple of weeks ago she was sat next to "the naughiest boy" in the class, who told my daughter that he couldn't wait to grow up so he could kill someone. My daughter was a bit shocked by this so I'm wondering whether she's been dwelling on this...
Anyway, if anyone has any thoughts / guidance / suggestions then I would be extremely grateful.
Thanks so much
Jason