Published on 12, July, 2020
14 year old has been diagnosed OCD and is seening CAMHS. Psychiatrist we paid to see suspects Aspergers but we're still waiting for CAMHS on this.
His behaviour is all around the time he takes in the toilet/shower and how things have to be clean. Most counsellor can get out of him is "it stresses me out" but no signs of something bad will happen if I dont etc.
We've found also, he gets worse at times when you mention it. Almost sometimes as if hes got a bit of power (Im in the bathroom and you cant get me out) and he likes it.
In a private chat with counsellor she says it may be more Aspergers/getting hung up on this and bad behaviour more than OCD.
Any comments?
I can understand getting hung up on a ritual and feeling compelled to complete and repeat it, as an adult with Asperger's but not OCD. It stresses me out too if I need to do something like that and, for any reason, can't. Or if I'm interrupted (Purely because I find it difficult to relax or concentrate on anything else until I complete whatever it was. I don't feel the need to start all over again I just want / need to complete it NOW.). Compulsions and routines such as these are almost impossible to ignore, almost but not entirely! In my experience they become easier to manage / control as you get older.
As for the "bad behaviour", I'm not sure. If he's rushing into the bathroom deliberately ahead of someone who's just said they were heading there (and it's not his usual time for going, for instance) then that does sound like a bit of a power play but it's difficult to say for sure without knowing all of the details. If he has a schedule and someone else tries to interrupt it, that's probably not bad behaviour so much as him feeling anxious that his routine is being messed with - which can actually cause quite a bit of anxiety.