[speedbird]

This is a really touchy subject...

I always had OCD. When I was in grade 5, I was obsessed with fictional characters. My compulsion was to act like those fictional characters, because otherwise, I would be "inadequate". This kind of screwed up my social interactions with others, and ruined my family life.

I was always oversensitive as a kid. Maybe it was because of my OCD. Maybe it was because of my Tourette's. Maybe it was because of my bed wetting. I couldn't take jokes or constructive criticism very well. I was like this starting from around 5 years of age, and to this day I still have problems taking jokes. I've come a LONG way though.

My family treated me like any non-oversensitive, non-OCD or Tourette's kid. My brother routinely made jokes that upset me, and gave me criticism that upset me. My mother was nice, but sometimes too strict. My dad was the only person in my family who kind of understood me.

Was the fact that I grew up in a "normal" home without anybody addressing my needs detrimental? Did I need therapy when I was younger?

[Raging Quiet]

I think if you are asking this question, you know the answer deep inside.

[stopdog]

I am not certain what you are looking for here or what difference it makes now if therapy might have been useful to you as a child or not.

I think the answer to would anything have been useful to someone as a child is possibly. It is not a guarantee it would have helped and any number of people on this forum report it having been harmful to them as children.

[RTerroni]

I always ask that question to myself and I'm still not sure if I did.

[healingme4me]

Can't change the past, nor attribute lack of childhood therapy, for where you are today.

There's a variety of reasons, even these days, why children don't end up in therapy. From anywhere from custody issues, to insurance reasons, et al.

One thing, to address, was the teasing nature of your upbringing, how it affects you now, and perhaps a sense of dismissiveness. But keep in mind, parents (most parents), do the best that they can with the resources that they have. (resources, can include, just not knowing anything different, themselves).