Obsessive behavior is a feature of obsessive-compulsive disorder, a common disorder in children and adolescents that can be successfully managed. If you are the parent or teacher of a child with obsessions and compulsions, learn all you can about the condition to help the child understand his disorder and learn coping strategies.
Obsessions And Compulsions
Obsessions are thoughts, images and impulses that are perceived to be illogical, intrusive and bothersome. Compulsions are unwanted behaviors that a person feels he has to perform to get rid of anxious feelings. Many people have unrealistic worries or follow irrational routines, but obsessions and compulsions are different. They seriously interfere with normal functioning and occupy more than an hour a day. If obsessions and compulsions are disruptive to functioning, obsessive-compulsive disorder may be diagnosed. Examples of obsessive-compulsive behavior include excessive hand washing, counting, checking and praying. They occur in 2 percent to 3 percent of Americans, according to Harvard Medical School. Between one-half and one-third of people who experience obsessions and compulsions are younger than age 15.
Anxiety Disorders
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a type of anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are characterized by abnormal or inappropriate anxiety. Anxiety symptoms can include increased heart rate, tensed muscles and sometimes an acute sense of focus. Although anxiety is a normal response to fear, it can be a symptom of a disorder if it occurs when there is no reasonable reason to be afraid and no other medical reason is to blame.
Risk
Obsessions and compulsions are more likely to occur in families. The risk of developing OCD among family members of someone with the disorder is 9 percent. Obsessions and compulsions may be caused by Group-A beta-hemolytic streptococcal infections, common childhood illnesses that include strep throat and scarlet fever. In some cases, the body produces antibodies that attack its own tissues. If the antibodies reach the brain, some researchers believe that pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders, or PANDAS, results, according to Harvard Medical School. This disorder produces symptoms similar to that of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Biology
People with OCD show abnormal brain activity in imaging studies. The activity occurs in the circuit between the frontal lobes of the cerebral cortex and the basal ganglia, a region involved in the control of body movements that is activated especially during repetitive tasks. One theory is that in people with OCD, the basal ganglia in the brain does not protect the cortex from receiving irrelevant information.
Treatment
Children with obsessions and compulsions are typically treated with behavior therapy and/or medication. One method of behavior therapy is exposure and response prevention. In this type of treatment, they are exposed to an obsession-provoking situation and then prevented from engaging in compulsive behavior. An alternative treatment is exposure in imagination. In this treatment type, the child imagines the most feared consequences of not engaging in a compulsive behavior. Older children may benefit from cognitive therapy, in which they question the need for their obsessions and compulsions. Anxiety-managing techniques, including relaxation therapy, can also be helpful. Six drugs are thought to be beneficial in treating those with obsessions and compulsions: tricyclic antidepressant clomipramine, or Anafranil, and the five selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors; fluoxetine, or Prozac; sertraline, or Zoloft; paroxetine, or Paxil; fluvoxamine or Luvox and citalopram, or Celexa.
