As I read the article about treating severe depression with deep brain stimulation (DBS), I couldn’t help but wonder if it might offer hope for other disorders. Could it possibly help severe cases of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), too. Originally used to treat people with Parkinson’s disease, researchers found that 50 percent of those treated with DBS also showed a reduction in depression symptoms. Requiring a minimally invasive surgical procedure, deep brain stimulation is achieved by the placement... more

One of my readers asked how I was able to get LuLu (queen of OCD with a capital O) to skip test questions and move on to the next one when she immediately didn’t know the answer. I’m not sure how much my actions are the direct cause of her new-found ability to do this. But here’s what I did toward that goal.

LuLu has been home with me (out of her brick & mortar public school) for a little over two years now. When she first came home, I was reeling from the shock that I was now totally responsible for my child’s education (and was mounting a due process case against... more

Does your adopted child have a self-image disorder? Perhaps your adopted child is suffering from a body dysmorphic disorder. People with this condition are convinced that they are ugly. Apparently while processing things that they see which includes their own image, they have some sort of glitch in brain processing. Those with body dysmorphic disorder besides having a dramatically distorted self-image, also have obsessive thoughts about minor, or imagined defects in their appearance. While the exact cause of the disorder is unknown, experts agree that genetics as well as... more

Tics are involuntary movements that can only be suppressed for a short time with considerable effort. They are not rhythmic; they are rapid, purposeless, and repetitive, movements that are nearly identical to one another. Tics may be simple such as excessive blinking, grimacing, or head jerking and may have begun from nervous habits. Tics may also be complex, as those in Tourette's syndrome, and may resemble fragments of normal behavior.

Many simple tics begin in childhood and disappear without treatment.... more

When I read these statistics on kleptomania, I wondered if the researchers who wrote this had considered children with fetal alcohol syndrome or children who have been in foster homes or orphanages. The Mayo Clinic article said that they think kleptomania is uncommon; that it begins in adolescence or in a person’s twenties but in rare cases begins in early childhood. They went on to say they believe that, less than five percent of shoplifters... more

Today’s agenda included our monthly trip to the psychiatrist. Even though LuLu loves our psychiatrist, she hates the appointments, as she really hates rehashing all the things that have happened over the month and talking about the “why” behind her behaviors (like any of us really know what the “why” is).

However, today she did better than usual at that appointment and then came home and did all the helpful things I blogged about earlier.

So, it felt... more

I have a friend who refers to raising children as “being pecked to death slowly by chickens”. Now I suppose that analogy is more apt for a mom of several children, especially several small children all needing lots of individual attention. But for me, most days LuLu is enough.

Yesterday was a rough day for poor LuLu. She hadn’t slept much (about 3 hours), and was having rather severe GI discomfort. Because she was wide awake at 2 am and still at 5 am, we started school then (her idea). She did remarkably well and then crashed for a nap. Surprisingly she didn’t nap again in the afternoon.... more

I realized that in my last blog I gave some very clinical answers to the question “what to do about OCD?” But that doesn’t always help those of us in the trenches. Although each child is very different and those who suffer from OCD have very different obsessions and compulsions, I’m going to offer up some of the things that have worked for LuLu.

Keep in mind that not all these things work all the time. And that no matter how hard I try, I sometimes can not remember to pull out some of these tools, nor can... more

There are two basic courses of action for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder recognized by the mainstream psychiatric community. One is to medicate with an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor ), medications such as Paxil, Zoloft, Lexapro or Prozac. The other is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Both have shown to be very effective for treating/managing OCD.

Medications

Although not a “cure” for OCD, medications are often a first-line treatment for anyone who has moderate to severe OCD symptoms. Because SSRIs allow the serotonin to remain available... more

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