There are many symptoms associated with OCD children. One thing that you should know that there are many different symptoms that OCD children might display. These are things that you should look for should you feel like your child might have OCD. If your child is one of many children out there that suffer from OCD then you should know also that there is help available.
When you are dealing with a child who is suffering from OCD you will often find that there are chants or rituals that they might say. This to them is away for warding off evil or bad things that they are hoping won’t happen. These things to a child without OCD normally don’t matter. To these children however the fears and anxiety that they experience is very real.
Some of the most common fears and anxieties that OCD children experience are: fear of contamination, dirt, or germs; the desire for things to be symmetrical, orderly, or precise; they may have an obsession with numbers that they consider to be lucky or unlucky; fear of illness; fear of harm of themselves or others that they know; and more. This list can go on and on but these are simply some of the most common fears, anxieties, and obsessions that they have.
Some of the things you may notice these children doing if they have any of the above stated fears or obsessions are as follows:
* You may notice that your child baths or showers more than normal.
* They may wash their hands constantly or even wash their hands multiple times in a row.
*They may walk a certain way and repeat if they didn’t do it the way they thought needed to begin with.
* They may reread things or rewrite things several times.
* You may find that they like to hang on to things that are pointless(hoarding)
* They may have an obsession with collecting a certain object to an extreme
These are only a few of the many things that might be sign that your child has obsessive compulsive disorder. You will find that not all children show these signs. Some may have different rituals that you might not necessarily notice. This is especially true if it is a compulsion that is preformed in private such as bathing. Your child might feel the need to soap and rinse many times but you may simply think that they enjoy a long bath or shower. You should be aware that this could be something more to it like obsessive compulsive disorder.
There are OCD treatments that you can have your child go through to help with their OCD should you get a diagnosis that this is what they have. There is medication, psychotherapy, and even natural ways to treat obsessive compulsive disorder. You should be aware though that even with the right treatment your child may have times of relapse. This is normal and you should be sure not to make the child feel as though they have failed, as this is simply not the case.
You should know that obsessive compulsive disorder can be triggered by stress or environmental factors. For example OCD can be triggered by the death of a loved one or even by something that might seem as normal as starting school. There are normally things that you will notice should this happen to onset the OCD. You might notice things like abnormal use of soap, a utility bill that has drastically gotten more costly, or you child might even ask you to partake in their rituals. Rituals with parents will normally consist of the child asking the parent a question, the parent will then give the answer, and this will continue over again. The amount of times will simply depend on the child and what the ritual is pertaining to.
You should also be aware that strep throat has been known to bring on TICS this has some of the same symptoms as OCD and there for could be mistaken for OCD when it isn’t that at all. TICS are also know as Tourette syndrome. Many children with Tourette syndrome also have OCD. Though the number of OCD children with Tourette syndrome is low. You will want to be sure to rule out TICS being the sole cause of your child’s OCD symptoms.
Should you feel like your child does suffer with OCD then you will want to be sure that you are getting your child in to see a doctor as soon as possible so that you can get a correct diagnosis. Getting the right diagnosis is important in getting your child the treatment that they may need for this condition. When a child has been diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder it is very important for the parent to realize that it is not the child’s fault that they have OCD. It is also important for the child as well as the parent to participate in the treatment of the child as well as to learn as much about the condition as possible. It may also be recommended that if you have a child that suffers from OCD that you try to keep your family routine as close to the same as possible for the child. This will help with some of the OCD anxiety that your child might feel. If things are starting to change to rapidly the child might have a greater outburst of OCD than usual.
You should remember that will all the different treatments that are out there for OCD there is a very good chance that OCD children with have a great chance at finding a method of treatment that will suppress their obsessive compulsive disorder. It may be good for your child to have a few different treatments going at the same time. In most cases medication for OCD is used in conjunction with behavioral therapy(psychotherapy) this is to ensure that the child suffering from OCD gets the best benefit possible from the treatment. Your child’s doctor will be able to let you know what treatments are right for your child and how and when you should get started with the treatments if you are taking a medical approach to the treatment for your child’s OCD.
It is not the case to give up when you just start out to find how to cure OCD! Fight till you win!
Wugn Flyson
