Diagnosing OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) in children

When my son was just 10 years old he had developed some very odd habits that at times could and would be very annoying. He would walk four or five steps and then reach down and touch the ground. When he opened a door, he would have to reach back and touch both the front and back of the door knob two or three times. He would ask me questions and after I gave him answers he would come back to me three or four times asking me if I were sure that whatever the answer was I had given him was correct. At times I just wanted to scream.

While walking down the stairs he would run his hand along the railing. If while doing this he "accidentally" missed a spot, he would have to go back up to the top of the stairs and start all over again. I tried my best to be patient with him, but at times I felt like I was going to explode. I was a single mom of four children working two jobs. He was my youngest child and my only son. He seemed so very different in every aspect then my three daughters. They were forever asking me, "What's wrong with Billy?"

He was an excellent athlete and had played basketball from the time he was four years old. It had gotten to the point where he would literally be running down the court, reach down, touch the basketball court and keep running. He did it so quickly that no one even noticed, until one day I mentioned it to his coach. He watched and saw him do it. He was amazed.

I knew something was not "right." I took him to a Child Psychiatrist. We sat in the room as the Dr. asked him a series of questions, such as, " Billy, what would happen if as you're walking down the stairs running your hand along the railing, you miss a spot and just keep going without starting over again?" Too which Billy responded that he had tried, but can't do it. He "has" to do it "right." The Dr. looked at us and said, "Your son has OCD." I started crying. My son had no idea what it meant. My tears were tears of joy. I was so relieved. I said, "Oh my gosh, thank you so much!" I was afraid he had a brain tumor or something much worse. The doctor laughed. We sat and he shared stories about various people who suffered from OCD including a very popular NBA athlete. This athlete had to tie and untie his shoes at least 30 times before each basketball game. My son liked that.

It was amazing because after my son and I found out that he had OCD both of us were so relieved. I observed him closely and his symptoms improved tremendously. The Dr. explained that his symptoms would come and go throughout his life. He said sometimes they will be more intense then others. The Dr. stated that just being aware of the fact that he had OCD and understood this would help. My son is now 22 years old. Every now and then he does things that I know have to do with OCD and I bring it to his attention and he quickly adjusts. It's an on-going battle, but with knowledge and understanding of his diagnosis we are both a lot more at peace. No more stress about what is "wrong" with my son.