Over the past 18 months, another suite of symptoms has appeared (as if we didn't have enough already). These basically fall under the heading of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). John washes his hands some 20 times a day, and his skin is permanently chapped. We apply lotion, but that is quickly washed away by the next cleansing episode. Sometimes the bathroom sink is filled to overflowing with suds.
Unfortunately, his OCD disrupts the entire family dynamic. He is virtually unable to do his chores, for fear of "contamination". Since he initially offered no explanation, we assumed it was an expression of defiance, or perhaps laziness. Now we know it is not that simple.
I have my own biases, as do we all, so I naturally assumed his OCD was food related. However, an accidental discovery has all but ruled that out. John and I occasionally spend time at a friend's house, and in that setting his OCD disappears. It reappears as soon as we return home. This suggested a simple experiment. I handed John the tv remote, and he said he was afraid to touch the buttons as usual. "If I do, I'll have to wash my hands afterwards." I then took him and the remote outside, and within a matter of minutes he was pressing the buttons with ease. We went back inside and once again he could not touch the remote. I repeated this experiment several times. The yard is safe, the garage is safe, the car (with its new car volatiles) is safe; but the house is not. The transformation is so fast, his pediatrician believes it is entirely psychosomatic. "An air-born agent wouldn't pass through the blood brain barrier that quickly, nor would it dissipate that quickly when leaving the house. He is having a psychological reaction to your home." In this case the psychologist is right. He is literally afraid in his own home. I don't know what to say or what to do.