Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, is a fairly common form of mental illness. It can be mild or severe and its impact on your daily life can vary. Although you may think of OCD as affecting adults, it also can affect children. It is important to be mindful of the fact that children with OCD have special needs requiring extra consideration. It can be challenging to parent children with OCD, but patience and care can help you meet their needs.
Prevalence and Definition
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a condition in which a person feels strong urges to perform actions in a ritualistic or tightly controlled manner. He may experience intense fear and distress if he is not able to perform their ritualistic behaviors. According to the International Obsessive Compulsive Foundation, 1 in 100 adults has the disorder, as do at least 1 in 200 children.
Symptoms
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a form of anxiety disorder. Children with OCD have excessive fears and the compulsions are a reaction they use to try to manage their anxiety. KidsHealth.org describes kids with OCD as having "overactive alarm systems" in which ordinary threats seem much greater and more threatening. Even if children know on some level that they do not have to do the rituals, their anxiety is so great that they fear not performing them.
Support
Children with OCD need parental support. Even though it can be difficult to understand why the child's fears are so out of control and are often overblown, the child experiences them as very real. Validate the fact that they are experiencing fear and do not belittle them. Children with OCD often feel terrified and need help controlling their reactions. Calmly showing the child why she does not need to be afraid is more reassuring than just telling the child to stop and more effective than allowing her to repeat her rituals. Show the child that her fears are manageable.
Accommodations
Parents want to help their children feel better, so it is tempting to allow the child to complete the rituals associated with OCD. However, a report from the University of Florida states that this may be a mistake because allowing children to complete the rituals may reinforce the validity of the OCD. Parents should teach the child cognitive-behavioral techniques instead, which helps the child understand that nothing bad will happen to him if he does not complete the tasks.
Greater Help
Children with OCD can have symptoms so severe that it interferes with daily functioning. It may be a sign of a further problem if your child's anxiety is causing him to have trouble maintaining normal sleeping or eating habits. A child psychologist may be able to teach your child techniques to manage the anxiety. Medication is available for OCD, but it should be a last resort.
