Understanding
obsessive-compulsive disorder in children
Understanding
obsessive-compulsive disorder in children
As our child grows up and develops new skills, they go through many new experiences. Naturally, some of these experiences may leave them feeling overwhelmed and in some cases, our child may start to have constant distressing and unpleasant thoughts (obsessions).
These may include:
Obsessed about things such as germs
Things not being in a “proper order”
Fearing that they may hurt someone
To quell the distress caused by these thoughts, we may also see them perform repetitive actions (compulsions) which can include:
Tapping on things in a particular way
Washing or cleaning excessively
Repeating certain words or phrases
Understandably, we might consider these thoughts and behaviours as part of the changes our child undergoes during their growing years. However, if these thoughts and behaviours are persistent, distressing, and interfere with their day-to-day living, it may be a sign that they have
obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
As parents, we can play an important role in helping our child go through this difficult journey.
Read on to find out how we can support our child with OCD.
Supporting our child with OCD
Be open-minded
Our child may find it difficult to talk about their obsessions and compulsions. They may have kept them secret for a long time and may be very worried about our reaction.
Seek to understand what OCD is about and what it can be like for our child here.
Be patient and
avoid judging
By being patient and understanding towards what our child is experiencing, we can help them feel more at ease in sharing their thoughts and feelings with us in the future.
Avoid judging them and instead, assure them that we love and support them.
Seek help from a healthcare professional
Healthcare professionals can provide necessary treatment and help.
- If our child is concerned about doing so, assure them that their information will be kept confidential.
- Offer to accompany them for their appointments to show support.
- Our child might feel agitated, tired, anxious, or depressed during the treatment process. Discuss with them about what we can do to help make things easier.
- If they feel like things will never improve, especially when symptoms return or treatment seems hard, offer them hope by reminding them that most people with OCD do benefit from treatment.
Do not help them
with their compulsions
Although it may be easier to go along with it, it is important to gently, yet firmly, refuse to accommodate their compulsions. Instead, encourage them to challenge compulsions where appropriate as these compulsions might worsen if catered to.
We are the best co-therapists to help our child – our gentle reminders about their irrational repetitive compulsions can make them more aware of their concerning behaviours.
Recognise achievements
It takes time for OCD to improve. Hence, we should manage our expectations and recognise small improvements.
Acknowledge that our child is trying their best and that it might take a lot for them to accomplish progress, even if it may seem small to us (e.g. a decrease rather than complete stop in excessively long showers).
Our acknowledgement and words of encouragement can go a long way in motivating our child to keep trying.
Active monitoring
Actively monitoring our child’s progress can help them in their journey to improve. We can:
- Accompany our child to their appointments with the healthcare professionals.
- Read up more on their medication (and possible side effects) to understand what it does.
- Ask the healthcare professional questions pertaining to the side effects and report any behavioural changes we may have noticed.
- Share with our child the positive changes in behaviour we notice during their medication period.
Help them practise
In some treatments, homework may be prescribed to our child. For example, in Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) therapy (the common form of treatment used to treat OCD), they must practise being exposed to the same stimulants in different situations.
We can support our child by helping them practise. Gently remind them about their irrational repetitive compulsions to make them aware of their compulsions during these homework exercises.
Self-care matters
Taking care of our child with OCD while juggling our own life demands can take a toll on our physical and mental well-being. Ultimately, a lack of self-care will make it more challenging for us to care for them.
Practising and prioritising self-care will allow us to recharge and be in a better state to provide our child with the support they need during their struggles with OCD. Take a look at some tips on
managing stress and
emotions to keep ourselves healthy.
