Understanding obsessive compulsive disorder is important for parents and other family members, as well as teachers.
“It is reported that
approximately 1 million children and adolescents suffer from OCD in the United States
Healthyplace.com,
(2) a mental health website, uses the words scared, alone and out of control to
describe what a child is feeling, when he or she has obsessive-compulsive
disorder. Because OCD may be a family trait, it may not always be recognized or
diagnosed immediately.
How can one recognize the early
signs of OCD in children?
Evidence of persistent rituals
or repetitive behaviors by a child is a good indicator of OCD. Obsessive
thinking or fixed thought patterns, lead a child to do the same thing
repeatedly.
Why does this happen?
At times, OCD may begin when the
child imitates a behavior of a parent or another person. The child sees a
particular behavior being rewarded or punished and seeks reinforcement for that
particular behavior, by doing it repeatedly and thus, gaining attention.
Repetitious behavior may be
something that a parent does unknowingly. To a child, it may appear to be approved or accepted behavior, but it may go to an extreme and becomes a
compulsion. In other words, that behavior becomes repetitious, even though there
is fear of punishment. The thought or idea initiating the behavior is fixed in
his or her mind. Not to respond in that way to that particular stimulus appears
wrong to the child.
John
March, MD., suggests that there is a “short circuit’ in the brain’s “worry
computer”. (3)
Children may become embarrassed
at their need to perform certain actions and attempt to hide them. Parents will
also cover them up to protect their children, at times.
These kinds of behavior may
include the child doing things like repeatedly washing his or her hands, which
may be rooted in a parental obsession with germs. A child may have the need to
keep everything in exactly the same place all of the time. Is the mother or
father figure doing exactly the same thing?
Note that the obsessions and
resulting compulsive behavior patterns that children develop are not always rooted
in what the parents are doing or not doing. It may be a fixation in their
minds, thus, blaming parents is not necessarily appropriate. For example, a child
may repeatedly check something like a bedroom light fixture. Perhaps this is
rooted in his or her fear of the dark.
A child may have a tendency
towards keeping all of his or her toys in order and then suddenly, for some unknown
reason, this becomes an extreme, compulsive behavior. This may happen when a
second child comes into a family and the child fears the loss or misplacement
of his or her possessions. Fear and insecurity are often contributing factors
to obsessive-compulsive behaviors.
Children invariably have a
desire to succeed and seek perfection in what they do, whether it is school,
sports, peer group activities, competitions, or whatever. Repetitive behaviors
often tend to reinforce or increase the likelihood of success. If success or
winning becomes an obsession, then it can become an unhealthy situation.
An example of this might be a
child seeking to achieve a high level of success at school. He or she may be
continually erasing his or her writing, seeking perfection or to gain top marks
in his or her class. It may become so obsessive that the eraser marks go right
through the paper.
Perhaps the most important
thing is to recognize the reality that a child with OCD is not necessarily in
control of his or her thoughts or actions. In other words, when repetitive
behaviors are apparent, seeking professional mental health guidance is
advisable.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
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