9 yr old with fears that his food was poisoned?

[ukisuki]

I have a 9 year old son, who has never exhibited signs of paranoia before.  He has an older brother with OCD and major depressive disorder and a grandmother with OCD as well.

Recently, he had begun making statements that he believes his food and drinks have been poisoned or tampered with.  He purchased a soda from Target, and after drinking some, insisted that is may be poisoned.  I explained that it was totally sealed when he bought it and inquired as to what made him think it was poisoned.  He said someone at the factory could have done it.  Today he opened a can of soda and then asked if it could be too old to drink and unsafe.  I explained that it was a fresh can and should be perfectly fine.  He insisted it probably wasn't and wouldn't drink it.

I asked him about these concerns and he said these thoughts just come into his mind and they do upset him, but he cannot make the thoughts go away.  I am concerned but I don't want to overreact.  Is this concern enough to have him see a psychiatrist, or do I ride this out to see if it is a phase?  With the family history of mental illness, I tend to worry more than I should, but I don't want to ignore symptoms that could be serious.  Worries about food being poisoned just don't seem typical of kids in this age group.

Thank you.
Uki

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Yes, you should go ahead with the psychiatric evaluation. Such symptoms are not at all normal and they indicate either an Anxiety Disorder  (e.g., a form of OCD)or Psychotic Disorder.

[whitemore55]

I think you should consult with a psychiatrist as soon as possible. Your baby is not like a normal child.

[ukisuki]

Thank you.  My instincts were telling me just that.  I think I just needed confirmation to follow them.  I will call my older son's psychiatrist in the morning.