Obsession and paranoia

[flutterby]

Part of the anxiety, and a bigger problem than the regular old anxiety these days, is obsession and paranoia.

When difficult child gets something in her head, she cannot let it go. We spend hours, literally, working out the obsession of the moment. It's exhausting and never ending.

The paranoia is always present, but is a huge problem when her anxiety is high. She will hear and see things that aren't there, phobias grow by the day, etc.

I don't want to add an AP, but I'm thinking we're going to have to because of the paranoia. But, what works with the obsession? She does have some compulsions, but the biggest part of her Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is obsession.

 

[BusynMember]

I thought they used SSRI's for obsessions.
Also there is an older tricyclic...Anafrinil.

 

[LittleDudesMom]

Heather,

I will be the first to say "I am no expert" but I have to feel that her anxiety and obsessions are seriously interfering with her ability to carry on in even a somewhat normal capacity. I think it's time to medicate those issues. At least it's time to try. The quality of her life is seriously low (not to mention how it affects those around her).

Hugs,
Sharon

 

[smallworld]

Heather, it is my experience that the right AP will target distorted and "stuck" thinking. Unfortunately, you will not know what is right for your daughter until you try one. Seroquel helped my son with anxiety and depression. Zyprexa helped my daughter M with distorted thinking around her choking phobia. Unfortunately, APs have a negative side effect profile, but sometimes they are a very necessary part of treatment. In the case of my daughter, Zyprexa was literally life-saving.

 

[Josie]

My daughter is diagnosis'ed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), but hers is mostly the Obsession kind of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

My daughter had a fear of zombies a few years ago. She felt like they were following her up the stairs or would be in another room. A key part of this is that she knew they weren't really, but she couldn't stop thinking about it. I'm pretty sure her psychiatrist at the time determined it to be Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) rather than psychosis because she knew it wasn't real.

She has never been able to tolerate SSRI's very well. For about a year, she was taking only 2.5 mg of Lexapro. Usually, very high doses are needed to help with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

We did intensive CBT/ERP therapy with her. A therapist worked with her on dealing with this fear by acting like it could happen. Because you can never reason away Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). I did not really agree with this when he started, but I see the wisdom in it now. So her therapy was to go in other rooms by herself, thinking about zombies, with pictures of zombies. Even with only her low dose of Lexapro, this worked.

There's a good book called "What to do When Your Child has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)" by Aureen Pinto Wagner. That might help you learn to help her when she gets stuck on these things. One of the main points is that you don't let yourself get pulled into the obsession. Easier said than done, for sure, when a difficult child is insistent on talking it out. But reassuring them, only feeds the obsession.

 

[gcvmom]

husband used to suffer from obsessive and "stuck" thinking -- no phobias, though. The thoughts were pretty much all-consuming and he'd bring it up on a daily basis, multiple times a day -- drove me nuts. He would plan his life around these thoughts. I have to say that he got a lot better once he was put on an anticonvulsant for his seizures (aka mood stabilizer). difficult child 2 also would get the same way -- on a completely different subject matter, but it was the same pattern.

I'm sorry I don't remember what medications your difficult child has tried -- I know she's very sensitive to them physically, and anxious about them as well. Just wanted to share what worked for us. Poor kid, I hope you can figure out something to help her soon!

 

[KTMom91]

No advice; sending hugs. Hope you find something that works for her soon.

 

[Shari]

I seriously disliker risperdal, but it was the medication that likely made the difference between being able to keep Wee at home and not....

 

[flutterby]

Thanks for the tips. We see the psychiatrist again on the 29th. In home therapy started today. I'm not sure what I think about the SW. I guess we'll see.

Sharon, she's been on medications since January. They're helping, but only minimally. We are still playing trial and error.

 

[susiestar]

If these are interfering with her ability to function, is it time for another trip to the hospital?

Sometimes it is the only way to get through to someone with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), to take them out of their familiar situation. Or so we were told about Wiz.

 

[flutterby]

The only reason she was admitted last time is because psychiatrist said she was suicidal to get her admitted. The psychiatric hospital psychiatrist said had she known that difficult child wasn't suicidal, she wouldn't have been admitted.

So, no there will be no hospital. She's not to the point, anyway, where I think hospitalization is necessary by whatever means. But, she did so well in the hospital and in the days after she was released. It would be nice to have that back again.

She seems really sad today and I don't know why. She doesn't seem to either; or she just doesn't want to talk about it. She slept most of the day.

One day at a time...