Reader may have OCD

June 9, 2012 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I belonged to a little writing group for a couple of years. The leader was an elderly lady who motivated us all to write our memoirs. She had written a couple of books herself.

I loved her dearly but one day when I was having lunch at her home, I noticed that a book lying on a table had some of the pages up in the air, so I suddenly got up to fix it. “You are obsessive-compulsive”, she said knowingly. It was a shock to me. Perhaps she is right but I never thought of it before.

What do you think is at play here? She also told me that I had a big ego. In the past she told me that she loved me so her criticism was hard to take.
[Read more...]

Filed Under: Daily Column, Leading Letter Tagged With: ,

Alternative treatment for Tourette syndrome

February 19, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: My adult son suffers from Tourette syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorder. Because it is a mild case, it doesn’t warrant some of the medications and side effects that are used to treat TS, but daily life can be miserable. Do you know of any supplements or alternative treatments that are now being used to lessen his symptoms?
DEAR READER: I must admit your question took me to my reference material before I could proceed with an answer.
Tourette syndrome is a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary movements and vocalizations known as tics that are classified as simple or complex. Simple tics are brief, repetitive movements that involve a limited number of muscles. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Daily Column, Leading Letter Tagged With: ,

Sunday Column

November 9, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
My husband is 75 years old. He suffers from repeating things. When he locks the car he will go around the car checking the doors and locks several times. When he locks the front door he holds the key in it for several minutes and then tries the lock over and over again. He does this all over the house and when he’s satisfied that everything is locked he puts in keys in his pocket and then pulls them out again and looks at them and then puts them back in his pocket. He also does this several times.

If anyone asks him what he is doing he becomes very upset. His doctor put him on Lisinopril but I wonder if this is the right medication for him. It doesn’t seem to be helping. What type of doctor should he see?

DEAR READER:
Your husband appears to be suffering from a form of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), [Read more...]

Filed Under: Daily Column Tagged With: ,