Children and OCD – Can Children Also be Affected?

According to the general opinion OCD occurs only in adults but it is not true as children can also suffer from the obsessive compulsive disorder. The arrival of OCD in children and adults is different as there are lots of other differences in them too.

When obsessions and compulsions are noticed in children before the age of puberty it can be categorized as childhood OCD. On an average 1 to 3 % of the children suffer from OCD. It makes its first appearance around the age of 10. OCD has been noticed in children as young as 5 or 6 years of age. The interesting fact is that boys are affected more by the onset of childhood OCD and such boys are also prone to tic-disorders.

Children are generally frightened about the death of their parents. Most of their obsessions and compulsions revolve around the members of the family. They are always in the fear that there will be harm to them or the family members. In general they check and re-check the doors and windows of the house as they are afraid that they may have been left unlocked. The slightly elder kids may fear germs which turns them into compulsive washers of the hands or frequent showers. Children suffering with OCD may start to hoard things.

Often children are frightened to share their problems with others. The fear of being called crazy inhibits them from communicating with their parents about their fears and compulsions. Parents should be observant about their child’s behavior and should try to communicate with the children to understand their problem better. Timely professional help can be obtained to get rid of the problem. It is easily curable with the help of psychotherapy and medication wherever required. Children have to see a children or adolescent psychiatrist to take appropriate action for the complex situation created due to OCD.