mental illness

[Tanee]

Hello, my daughter was diagnosed last year at the age of 12 with OCD, however she has had strange behavoir since she was a baby.  the first instance was when she was 10 months old and the head of her doll came off, she was mortified.  Now she is taking zoloft for OCD but she also thinks people are watching her in her room and the bathroom, she has been sleeping with me the last 2 months.  She does not have many friends and does not do the normal things teens do.  she does not like to bath or cut her nails, she does not shave her underarms unless I tell her she has too, or I tell her to clip her nails, I am afraid she has schizophrenia, her grandmother had it, I really never knew her grandparents from her fathers side, she never met her father or his family, he has never wanted to see her, she does not know that, my family also has mental disorders, I have always thought that my father had parnoid schizophrenia.  My daughter is in advanced classes in school and gets As an Bs.  She is a sweet girl, sometimes losses her tempter but very nice

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

I'm assuming that your daughter is under the care of mental health professionals, since she is being prescribed Zoloft. Sometimes OCD symptoms can include psychotic-like behavior, and sometimes it is difficult to discern the precise nature of the symptoms. When OCD is accompanied by psychotic thinking or perceptions, a brief time on anti-psychotic medication can be quite useful. You'll want to discuss all this with the doctor who prescribes her medication.