My son has OCD for showering does anyone else have family doing this? he wants to shower at least 4 times a day…This is when he does a lot of responding to the voices and at the minute they are really nasty voices…is this common?
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My son has to wash his hands every time he touches a doorknob. He showers daily and we have heard him talking/laughing while doing so - and we suspect he is talking to his voices.
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It seems they like to get away in their own space to talk to the voices…my son’s voices are not so nice right now…he is arguing with them and the language is awful 
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I’m sorry to hear that. My son hides from me/us that live with him so we haven’t figured out details yet. Diagnosed 7 months ago. I guess we should be glad they shower - some do not : )
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I am sorry Kathy, it so stressful when they are agitated with their voices. When my son lived with us, he used to retreat to the bathroom to talk to his voices.
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Aww thank you…
Yes it is stressful, I have his neighbours ringing or texting me to say he is loud and they ask me to sort it out…if only it was that easy! its so hard coping with all of their complaints too…are you the same?
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How old is your son? I think they all try to hide things, can’t be easy for them…
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I was the closest neighbor until recently. Mine has moved to a new apartment instead of living in the garage apartment on our property. I am pretty much expecting the calls from his landlord to start at any time.
Mine will also call the sheriff to report that I am harassing him “in a video game”. The sheriff called me at 1am once asking me to get him to stop calling 911.
His latest trick in December was to set off his car alarm for hours at a time.
This sort of thing won’t go over as well in a city neighborhood.
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My son is quiet. He is 28. I only get complaints from my boyfriend (that I lieve with) that my son has eaten something wanted to use. I tell him - label your food. He won’t eat what he is not supposed to. The added complaining definitely adds to the stress on top of what we are doing through. Does your son listen to music? Perhaps some wireless headphones would help. 'Course that wouldn’t work in the shower. Or maybe a eco dot that he can ask to play different songs while in the shower?
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Yes he used to listen to music all the time, I got him wireless headphones but he dismanteled them the music was dance music and to be honest not relaxing at all…
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Its hard…we live on pins! always waiting for something to happen on a daily basis…
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Living on pins is really awful isn’t it? When my son went on a huge yelling spree last year, we all got so jumpy - even our dogs got jumpy.
Months later we played just a bit of one recording we made during one of his really violent sounding rants to make sure we hadn’t erased it and our dogs jumped up and shook. I think we are all going to take a while to recover from having him live next door.
We are hoping that since the area he has moved to has better mental health services, maybe we have a better chance of him getting the help he needs. Our area does not have Critical Intervention Teams. His new location does.
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@hope, I’m so glad your son is living somewhere with better supports in case his illness gets even worse.
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Can he be using the shower as a way to address the voices privately?
Our son uses headphones to block them. He started it on his own, and it works sometimes. Took me a bit to understand. He says with the meds (and he likes how they are right now) he only hears “static”. It’s irritating, so he uses the earbuds to block out the sound in order to fall asleep.
BUT, he is germ phobic to a degree. For us, it’s anyone touching his food, particularly his older brother.
Just don’t. It’s “clean” or “dirty”.
If Dad or I serve the food, it’s “clean”.
DONT touch the food.
And, make sure there’s soap for washing hands.
He does this…ALWAYS. Which is only “odd” in that the other two guys in this house DO NOT.
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Oh sorry for the delay…had calls from my sons neighbours last night that he was shouting and arguing with all his windows open…stressful evening! .me and my partner had a huge fall out…he told my sons neighbours that my son had been messing with the electrics and now they all know in the street grrrr! they went around to his flat and took his dog (Molly) to his neighbours upstairs saying I had given them permission to take her…I just found out an hour ago and I am fuming! how dare they! they think she is scared of my son shooting and maybe it does frighten her a little but she loves him and cuddles up with him on sofa at night, I bought her for company for him and he loves her…
sorry for ranting!
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@Kathy I believe they had no right to take the dog away. I wonder if telling your son that the dog was scared could possibly get him to talk softer. (I’m also guessing you mean shouting and not shooting in your post : ) Sorry to hear times are a little rocky. I would be fuming as well!
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Me too Hereandhere -me too. His dad is so hopeful, we both are -
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ARGH! So frustrating for you, I am so sorry Kathy. What a horribly, terrible evening. His dog will be more frightened about him shouting if she can’t see him.
My son would probably go ballistic if someone took one of his cats during an episode.
They had no right, and your partner had no right. I am so sorry, my husband just loses it when my son gets going - then I have two agitated males on my hands. My husband has actually yelled at our son in the middle of an episode, telling our son he has schizophrenia.
When Jeb is mid episode, it feels like he is driving a wild train around here and my husband jumps right on that wild train.
Rant all you want -
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You sound like you are just like me…stuck in-between being the referee…I think as females we can handle it better and with more compassion, our children must be going through hell trapped with those voices 24/7…
I took up yoga to get my own head space and it really helps…I got up this morning after sleeping in separate beds and not speaking a word to my partner all last night went straight to to yoga 9am and when I came home my partner has gone out, prob for the day sulking! I don’t mind, enjoy the space sometimes 
I will be visiting Tom (my son) this afternoon and retreiving his puppy from his neighbour upstairs…I had a fall out with her last summer she was dictating that Tom should take Molly out for more walks and bla bla bla, hes 30yrs old…she was constantly ringing me complaining about all kinds…then we had a face to face conversation which ended in me telling her to keep her nose out of Toms business, leave him alone & get out leave his flat…she still kept on shouting for 30mins or so from outside his window…hence we no longer speak…which is a god send ) another reason she will not be keeping hold of Molly… Its hard for Tom to keep a regular routine with Molly when he has no routine in his life…his neighbours can’t see that…Am I wrong do you think?
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Ok brace yourself for this one…“my intelligent husband” actually said to our son in the middle of my son’s psychosis “I hope you don’t kill us in our sleep.” This was about a year ago but I’m like Geez, thank you so much. I can’t believe he said that.
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