Do I need help yet?

I have a 3 yr. boy. I have watched him for some time now of his behaviors. I believe he has OCD. He has to keep all of his trains in order. If they get out of line he goes and straightens them back up. He cleans his room with out us telling him. He really obsessed with a clean bath room. If the toliet is dirty, something in it or anything around the toliet on the floor he will not use it until it is clean. This is a problem when we go out of the house. He will wait 30 mins to get home before he uses a dirty bathroom. Not all the time, but when he walks on squares. He has to walk inside the squares. I will catch hiim counting things sometimes. I have not noticed any repeatitive manners yet. Just him being very clean and organized. He will not wear shirts with buttons at all, does not like suprises and takes along time to adapt to change. If out of routine for more than 2 days it shows. What do you think? Do I need help yet or am I the one obsessing?

[savik]

I have OCD tendencies and it sounds like your son does too.  I have a thing about nasty bathrooms too so I can relate. As long as it doesn't interfere with grades and things later on--he should be fine.  Take him to a doctor and have him evaluated too.  Is his home life okay? Daycare/Preschool/Sitter?  Does he have any obvious or subtle stressors?  Mine gets worse when I am under stress, it is the mind's way of trying to create control in the immediate environment. Try to prepare him for major changes--I hate changes too--my hardest times were when school let out for holidays and summers.  

He might not have full blown OCD but the tendencies...

[mandylou2]

Thanks for the reply. Well, he is in daycare. They have noticed him cleaning alot and being organized with what he has to work with. When he started daycare about a yr ago he cried everyday for about 2 months until he got use to it. When he switched class rooms to move up it took about 2 weeks before he was comfortable with that class room even though he would see the teacher all day long through out the day. He has really seemed stress over the winter break (2 weeker). He is 3 so it seems as if he is peeing alot on him self and I know its from the change. I have tried to let him know of changes and where we are going and plans so he is aware. He doesnt freak out all the time but will act out or do some other manner that I know its from stress of dealing with the changes. We have a good stable home life, routine, if starts to get out of his routine like bedtime. He will go to bed on his own. You should have seen his room today. It looked like I cleaned it. He made is bed up too. I do know you can have OCD personality disorder  and not the OCD disorder. There is a difference. I dont think its a bad thing that he has OCD and I am a new nurse so I do understand it. I just wanted to get some other ideas on the subject before I go to the doctor. I dont want him to feel different or "bad" at this age. It could hurt him later in life. If anyone else has any info let me know. Thanks!

[ChelsMom]

My earliest memories are only of stress that my mind created with OCD. I always had to go out the same door I went in, in fact, one of the worst things I remember was when the Safeway in my neighborhood got the new doors that opened as you approched!!! I could no longer just go out the door, I could not leave through the IN door, I would try to go out the IN door and my parents thought I was just being naughty... It was very tramatic for me. I was 5-6. I didnt know how to talk about such things, so I didnt. Iam an identical twin, nobody knew why I was so EMOTIONAL and cried and fought things so much. Many people with OCD feel that there is a consequence if the rituals are not done. I lived "KNOWING" that my mommy would be dead if I didnt walk home from school on the exact same route we took in the morning.....Which was pretty much impossible with two big brothers leading the way........When I finally saw that mommy was ok, I immediately went on to the next ritual, to make sure she stayed that way. It was hell. I was 23 years old with a 3 year old and a newborn when I FINALLY saw a Donahue show that was all about ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Untell then, I just thought I was crazy, I had never heard of OCD> Im telling you more than you wanted, forgive me. I have lived with this forever, I think you should take your son to a child psychologist so you can really understand what his motives are. Why does he do what he does? My son showed signs of OCD at about 4, he would put himself inside a circle of his diasaurs and he COULD NOT get out of the circle without great panic and frustration. When he started waking up in the middle of the night, begging me to give him a bath because he felt dirty, I got him into therapy. He saw a therapist twice a week for 2 years, and thank God he seems to be ok now at 17. He has issues with germs, but not dibilitating. OCD runs in families, and my twin developed it in her 20's and my 13 year old daughter suffers from it now also....................................................................Please do find out if he feels any guilt, worry, fear, or even that he is bad,  over NOT doing these things that he does. Take care and please write again.

[ChelsMom]

Im sorry, my last post was to mandlou2 and I said it was for savik....ooopppss