OCD Action

RUNAMC
Member

I'm 30 years old and I have a cousin, also a 31y.o. female who suffers from OCD. Her behaviour has become increasingly alarming and I feel it is time to have her scheduled. She has a 12 y.o. daughter who I believe is being neglected due to her mothers mental illness. This morning my cousin physically assualted her mother (my aunty), then proceeded to throw a pair of gardening scissors at her back which fortunately missed (Becuase she moved..) I live 3 hours away but have spent all day on the phone with various mental health teams located near my cousin and also made my 11th report to Child Protective Services here. I would greatly appreciate hearing from anyone who has been through similar as I am not having any luck getting my aunty to make a police report or report her daughter to childrens services. I am concerned that my cousin will cause serious physical harm to anyone that challanges her behaviour at the moment. Concerned

Sun Jan 30 2011 6:32:45 #
Christiano22
Moderator

The OCD Action helpline number is 0845 390 6232. You may find it usueful to speak to someone there.

Regards,

Christian

Sun Jan 30 2011 11:02:38 #
Tess
Member

Hi runamc
If your aunt does not want to report her daughter then I think you have done all you can, you have reported your concerns to the various authorities and I think you have to leave it in their hands to take whatever steps they feel necessary for the welfare of the entire family.
I see from your profile you are a nanny so I assume you work with children and you are obviously worried about your cousin's child but the situation may be very complex and removing a mother from her daughter because the mother is ill with OCD may not necessarily be the best course of action for either of them.(I am assuming this is what is meant by "scheduled" as it is not a term we use in the UK). If the mother is refusing any treatment for her OCD then that is a different matter but again it is down to the authorities. Eleven reports to the Child Protection Services is more than enough for them to have taken your concerns on board. OCD gets worse under stress and by persisting in contacting the authorities you might even be aggravating the problem. Living so far away you cannot take personal responsibility for this.

Sun Jan 30 2011 12:00:04 #
paulkoca
Member

Hi, as an ocd sufferer for many years, who now is managing the condition thanks to cbt, an ocd support group & medication, i just wanted to say that i have many friends who suffer this condition but it is rare to attack someone. I know that throwing scissors is very serious and worrying of course. My point is that ocd sufferers who i know who get thoughts of violence eg pushing someone under a train, are appalled by these thoughts. They are appalled because they are decent people. I'm wondering if your cousin has another condition as well as the ocd. Anyway i think its good for your cousin's daughter that you are looking out for her as obviously a child's welfare & development is very important. I belong to a group called oca (obsessive compulsives anonymous) & you & your cousin would be welcome at our meeting on thursday evening. Paul

Wed Mar 2 2011 16:58:33 #