OCD has no age limit and can occur even in childhood. The situation of OCD in adults is well-known, but it is staggering when it begins to manifest in children.
The difference between adult OCD and children OCD is that adults can tell something is wrong with them, which will eventually take them to a specialist. The doctor will put them on treatment and guide them towards healing.
Children, on the other hand, have no experience or are not entirely aware of themselves to notice something is wrong with them. When they notice they are doing something strange, like a repetitive action of washing their hands over and again, they feel embarrassed, weird or start believing they are going crazy.
These thoughts will prevent them from admitting to their parents or any adults that they are encountering a problem, due to the fear of being stigmatized.
How OCD manifests in children?
The OCD symptoms are pretty much the same, regarding the presence of obsessions, compulsions, and intrusive thoughts. Children are afraid something that may be harmful, wrong, dangerous or dirty.
The self-awareness though is almost inexistent. If you ask a child why he is washing his hands so many times, he will not know the reason. He will tell you what it is because he feels like it or a “just because” answer. They may also experience the feeling of not “feeling right” about something, from the fear of being unsafe or the fear of losing things.
Because of the latest concern, these children might start collecting items, even though they might seem completely useless to someone, they do have a high importance in the child’s mind.
There are situations when a child will realize they don’t have to repeat a certain behavior regularly. But they will do it because of the increased level of anxiety and the desire to escape from this undesirable state of mind. Unfortunately, feeding these behaviors usually leads to an increase in the severity of OCD, as the obsessions will not go away but rather come back in a more frequent manner.
Most common OCD caused behaviors in children
A child suffering from OCD will have difficulties in enjoying his everyday life. His obsessions and compulsions usually take a lot of time, time that can be spent to make homework, play outside or just spend with the family.
You’ll have to understand that OCD will make children feel embarrassed, guilty and with a low self-esteem because they are not able to control their impulses.
Stress is present almost all the time in the lives of these young ones, because they become frustrated due to the lost time spent on their obsessions, lack of time to do normal activities and not being able to concentrate in ordinary situations.
As a parent, you should watch your child and notice any strange behavior that might indicate OCD.
Here are the most frequent obsessions caused by OCD in children and adolescents:
As a result of these obsessions, here are the most common compulsions:
