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: Fear of dirt, germs, and contamination. Constant need for order and symmetry. Being preoccupied with body wastes. The presence of lucky or unlucky numbers. Obsessions of religious nature. The fear of being harmed or potential harm to his loved ones. Thoughts that have sexual or aggressive nature. Intrusive sounds or words. As a result of these obsessions, here are the most common compulsions: Extended grooming rituals, including hand washing, showering, and teeth washing. Rituals including moving only in a certain way, like moving backward or forward, here it can be included rewriting, erasing or rereading. Rituals involving checking, checking of appliances, doors, even homework. Touching rituals, regularly need to disinfect or to undo the touch with a potentially contaminated person. The constant need to arrange or to order things. Counting or collecting items that are apparently meaningless. Rituals that are meant to prevent self-harming or the harming of others.

As in the case of any mental illness, the exact causes of OCD have not yet been discovered. Medical studies try to outline some connection between different types of factors. It is believed that the disease is a combination of multiple factors like genetics, neurological, cognitive and even some environmental factors. Each one contributes, in a smaller or larger percentage, to the development of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Every patient with OCD may have a different story related to how the illness began. So, each case has to be thoroughly studied before knowing how to approach the case. The background of the patient, his health status and the events throughout his life have a share in such medical diagnosis. The most frequent causes of OCD: Perhaps one of the most important causes of OCD is related to the biological part. The brain of an OCD patient is different from a normal brain, comparing the elements consisting of the brain. The differences can be recognized, but it is not sure exactly how they can develop OCD. It is believed that it has a close connection to the part of the brain that govern our primitive behavior. Actions like sexuality, aggression, or the excretions of the body. It seems like somewhere on the way, on the circuit of the brain telling us what action to take according to the present situation, something goes wrong. So, a typical behavior you will have after visiting a bathroom, is to wash your hands to get protection against germs. After you complete washing your hands, your brain records the action and will tell you that you can move on to the next matter. Well, in the case of an OCD sufferer, the brain will malfunction on the moment when he needs to move on. He will wash the hands, but the brain will fail to record this action so he will be receiving continuous commands to keep washing his hands. Serotonin and the hSERT gene are also important factors in OCD. They have a crucial role in transmitting messages throughout the brain. Serotonin is a chemical substance found naturally in the brain, carrying messages around and taking care of feelings of anxiety, memory processes or sleep. The hSERT gene is responsible for serotonin transportation. Another job of this gene is to gather all the extra serotonin, left after a nerve splits it towards the next cell that comes up. In the case of OCD, these genes usually work too fast, and they collect almost the entire quantity of serotonin, leaving none to carry the message to the next brain cell. Other potential causes of OCD: Life experiences can also be a trigger for this illness. If a person learns a negative pattern of their thoughts, the phenomenon can expand into a vortex called OCD. Everybody has intrusive and negative thoughts from time to time. Even you experienced some. But you understood the nature of the thought and moved forward. People with OCD tend to misinterpret this type of ideas. They believe they are imperative and have the tendency to offer them a great deal of attention, which usually leads to deviant behavior. Environmental factors like parenting or stress have little evidence that they may trigger OCD. Although the way a person interacts during childhood, or any experience that one may encounter during young ages, can cause some states of anxiety. Stress is often a cause for intense anxiety and, if left untreated or neglected for an extended period, the anxiety can transform into OCD symptoms. So if you even feel you’re being pulled down by an amount of stress and anxiety you find difficult to manage on your own, it is advisable to seek the support of a specialist.

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The Difference Between OCD and ADHD

MedRition2016-11-16T14:49:33+02:00

Even if they are both mental illnesses, OCD and ADHD are very different. The main differences can be found in the way these two disorders manifest. ADHD symptoms includes hyperactivity, impulsivity and not being able to remain focused. While OCD regards the development of obsessive and compulsive behaviors, triggered by intrusive thoughts. They both do [...]

The Difference Between OCD and ADHDMedRition2016-11-16T14:49:33+02:00

How Do I Know If I Have OCD

MedRition2017-02-10T18:32:50+02:00

It is normal for people to be different and to have different reactions according to the things and the environment surrounding them. Maybe you like being clean all the time, so you spend more time grooming yourself or cleaning the house than the rest of your friends. Maybe you like to have your belonging in [...]

How Do I Know If I Have OCDMedRition2017-02-10T18:32:50+02:00

OCD in Children

MedRition2015-12-17T01:55:38+02:00

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. [...]

OCD in ChildrenMedRition2015-12-17T01:55:38+02:00

What Causes OCD

MedRition2015-12-17T01:55:38+02:00

As in the case of any mental illness, the exact causes of OCD have not yet been discovered. Medical studies try to outline some connection between different types of factors.It is believed that the disease is a combination of multiple factors like genetics, neurological, cognitive and even some environmental factors.Each one contributes, in a smaller [...]

What Causes OCDMedRition2015-12-17T01:55:38+02:00

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