This is the best word to describe what it’s like to have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. And if I had to rank the disorders that afflict LuLu and how they negatively impact her life OCD would be at the top of the list.

OCD is a crazy-making disorder. Unlike other psychiatric disorders, a person with OCD realizes that he/she is not processing the world correctly. OCD is classified as an anxiety disorder and is characterized by obsessive, intrusive thoughts and compulsive rituals. OCD is made worse by anxiety and stress.

If you’re not sure what an obsession... more

The real cost of having a child with ADHD doesn’t have anything to do with the doctor’s appointments or trying various ADHD medications and alternatives. It has to do with the damage to your home and possessions from your child’s inability to sustain attention. I’m not implying that the ADHD child is naughty, just careless.

Our son is only 14, but the costs are beginning to rise. He will take driver’s training this month, and then I imagine he can begin destroying automobiles. Actually, he is an excellent driver. He drives the tractor, the backhoe, and... more

There just isn’t that much information out there on this topic, but it is one that strikes terror in many parent’s heart. LuLu started her period last December. The first one was a momentous occasion that she handled better than I expected, given her trauma background.

After that, her hormonally challenged body decided to have cycles that occurred every 14-16 days. This was just TOO MUCH for poor LuLu, both physically and emotionally. So for the last 6+ months we have struggled... more

My blog-mate Julie’s recent post on “Food Wars” reminded me of the clothing wars we are currently engaged in at our house. While I realize the obsessive compulsive (OCD) aspect of the behavior, I have to wonder if it is also passive aggressive behavior. Why would a young girl want to wear the same outfit several times a week when it isn’t especially cute, flattering, or have a designer label?

Dani, our ten-year-old daughter has been wearing... more

A new study indicates that your body’s skeleton is actually an endocrine organ and that it plays an important part in the body's hormonal system. They found that cells located in bones actually produce a hormone that affects blood sugar levels and fat deposits. One expert in skeletal development, Gerard... more

Help me Obi wan! LuLu’s OCD has manifested itself in the last 6-12 months in a very troublesome new way: food obsessions.

She will literally get “stuck” on a new food and negatively obsess on all the foods she can’t have (dairy). Then will insist that she can only eat the one food that she’s stuck on. This week it’s hummus.

Now there’s nothing inherently wrong with hummus. It’s just that serving it for every meal seems a bit problematic. And, ultimately what happens, is that she burns herself out on the obsessed food, refusing... more

As odd as it sounds, doctors and researchers are discovering that young children diagnosed with ADHD who also have sleep problems (likely brought on by not being able to breathe correctly while sleeping, due to enlarged tonsils) can benefit from tonsillectomies. A study out of the University of Michigan showed that 50% of the children with ADHD and sleep-disordered breathing in their study improved to the point where they no longer had ADHD.

This article... more

MRI scans and DNA research revealed that children with the version of the dopamine D4 receptor gene, 7-repeat variant, with ADHD started out with the thinnest cortex areas of the brain. This area of the brain is important for controlling attention (right orbitofrontal and posterior parieto-occipital). However, 3-D MRI scans revealed that teenagers with this variant and ADHD ended up with normal thickness in the areas on the right side of the brain’s outer mantle, or cortex, resulting in clinical improvement by age 16.... more

Depression is a tricky thing. For some people, it can hit them all at once, like a paralyzing wave. But for most it just sneaks up on you. If you’re like me, you have lots of external reasons to be depressed – raising a challenging child, coming to terms with that child’s disabilities and what the future might hold, financial strain due to the need to quit my job to care for my child, the emotional and financial burden of a lawsuit with the school system…just to name a few.

So, I’ve got lots of reasons to be depressed. But my goofy thought... more

Our Super Dad has restless leg syndrome, but did you know that it is common in children and teenagers too. Our one-year-old adopted daughter constantly moves her legs in a running motion. When our daughter is sitting in the shopping cart, her car seat, and her highchair her legs are moving non-stop. Could our adopted daughter have restless leg syndrome?

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) usually occurs in bed at the end of the day or while seated. RLS is a common neurological disorder where the... more