Pediatric question

[miro]

Hello,
I'm a newbie and am in need of advice. My 8 year old son has developed some habits that I don't know how to deal with.

He's a very good student and is also very popular with many friends, he seems to be well adjusted. When he was first learning to spell in school he developed this compulsion to spell every word during a conversation, he did this in his head but became an issue when he said he couldn't control it. After my wife and I talked to him and explained that he can control his thoughts he gradually stopped doing it. We were careful to not blame him or put any stress on him and it seemed to work.

His latest compulsion comes from a vulgar sexual phrase he heard in a movie, he hadn't heard this before so it was new to him. He repeats it uncontrollably in his mind, at first (6 months ago) it was constant according to his ability to describe it, currently it's 5-10 times a day. This worries us because it bothers him, he wants to stop but hasn't been able to yet.

Should I be worried? Is this normal? OCD?

Thanks

 

[lammers1980]

Sounds like it possibly could be OCD. This disorder often first presents during childhood in a lot of cases. It reminds me of certain things I felt as a kid aslo (me being an adult who remembers having OCD symptoms since around 7 or 8). I remember seeing or hearing things that would then stick in my head for days, weeks, months even. However, before jumping to conclusions, you should probably see a doctor. Also, maybe you should try observing these patterns and if the continue for a sustained period or keep reoccuring maybe a visit to the doc. would be in order.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Or possibly Tourettes syndrome.

Since this seems to be a recurring problem which bothers your son, I would also suggest having him evaluated by his pediatrician or a child psychologist/psychiatrist.