How Can You Tell If Your Child Has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?

Health & Medical Blog

OCD is a condition that can present itself in childhood. As a parent, it will be easier for you to identify OCD and get your child a proper diagnosis if you know what symptoms to look for. This FAQ will discuss some of the warning signs of OCD and will help you know where to turn if you believe your child has OCD.

How can you tell if your child has OCD?

OCD can present itself in different ways depending on the child. Children with OCD will often have a preoccupation with a specific type of object or idea.  The most common preoccupations of people with OCD include dirt, germs, household items, religious iconography, precision and orderliness, fear of harm, and specific words or sounds. If your child displays particular interest in something to a degree that is disabling and socially unusual, this could be a sign of OCD. Other warning signs of OCD include:

• Ritualistic behavior. Your child might insist on going through rituals relating to cleanliness, checking to see if locks are enabled or disabled, avoiding contamination, self protection and entering and exiting rooms. Sometimes children will keep these rituals secret, even from their parents. Other children may insist on parent participation. When parents are asked to play a role in the rituals, they may be asked to touch a specific item at a specific time, say specific words or engage in some other planned behavior over and over again.
• Over-use of soap and chapped hands. OCD patients often go through an inordinate amount of soap and may spend more than the normal amount of time washing their hands. Because of their frequent and diligent hand washing activities, children with OCD often have irritated and dry skin on their hands.
• Slowness with school work. The precision that OCD children often display can lead them to take an extra long time with their school work. When the school work is finally turned in, it's common for papers to have been erased so many times that it has worn through.
• Inappropriately large loads of laundry.  Children with OCD will wash their sheets, towels and clothes far more often than children without OCD.

What should you do if you believe your child may have OCD?

Taking your child to a psychiatrist for diagnosis and prescription medication is one of the first steps. Children with OCD often benefit from medications that help with impulse control. In addition, children with OCD can benefit from behavioral therapy that exposes them to their fears gradually, to help them develop a tolerance. If you believe your child may have OCD and needs a diagnosis, contact an experienced healthcare professional. To learn more, speak with someone like Commonweath Affiliates PC.

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4 February 2016