What is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder? With 3 Paths to Recovery

If you’re noticing signs of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in your child or if they’ve recently been diagnosed with OCD, it can be difficult to know what to do.

This mental illness is often misunderstood because of its representation in the media. It’s often described as simply liking a clean room or keeping things a certain way. Clinical OCD is much more intense than this. It often needs professional intervention for the person to be able to live a normal life.

So, what are the signs and symptoms of OCD in children? How can you help after a diagnosis of childhood OCD? It’s all outlined here.

Signs and Symptoms

The hallmark symptom of OCD is ritualistic behaviors. These ritualistic behaviors are done repeatedly and excessively. Some ritualistic behaviors include washing hands, rechecking items like ovens or door locks, putting things in a particular order, counting the same set of objects, repeating certain words or phrases, or separating food on a dinner plate.

OCD behaviors are different for every individual. This list of behaviors is not exhaustive. Any behavior that is done over and over excessively may be a sign of OCD.

Other emotional symptoms of OCD include:

• Intense worry or fear about having things in a particular order

• Extreme fear of germs, dirt, or bodily waste

• Constant doubts about something being done, like the door being locked or the oven being turned off

• Strong need to have tasks done perfectly

• Compulsion to touch or count objects

• Destructive thoughts

• Lack of self-esteem or self-confidence

• Difficulty concentrating at school or home

• A sense of panic if they aren’t able to perform their rituals exactly as they’d like to

A sufferer of OCD may also experience physical symptoms from their mental state. These include:

• Racing heart

• Headaches or stomachaches

• Shaking and trembling

• Difficulty breathing

• Feelings of weakness

• Intense fatigue

• Sweating

• Difficulty sleeping

When these symptoms begin to interfere with a child’s ability to function normally is when they need professional help.

Risk Factors

Many of the risk factors of OCD are very similar to other anxiety disorders. The four risk factors are predisposition, genes, environment, and biological processes.

Predisposition refers to the fact that some children are less capable of handling stress well and are more prone to anxiety. Genes, or a family history of OCD, make a child more likely to develop the disorder.

Certain environments may be a factor in the development of OCD. Some of these situations include parental divorce, a death in the family, the birth of a sibling, moving, attending a new school, or experiencing trauma.

Specific biological processes have been suspected to be linked to OCD. These processes are an imbalance of serotonin or a strep infection.

Ways to Help Your Child

So, what if you’ve already seen the signs and received a diagnosis of OCD for your child? Here are some steps you can take to help them.

Learn More

It’s very difficult to help someone with an issue that you do not understand. So, learning more is the first step.

OCD Awareness Week is fast approaching. In 2022, it will be celebrated from October 9th to the 15th. The International OCD Foundation hosts the event, providing videos to watch and events to participate in.

The theme this year is The Road to Reclaiming Your Life. This theme encompasses the idea that with the right treatment and support from those around a person, full recovery from OCD is possible.

Learning more about OCD is beneficial for everyone–not just those suffering from the disease. Understanding better the experiences of those with OCD gives us compassion and ways to help them succeed.

All events are free, and you can click here to check it out.

Speak to a Mental Health Professional


The first line of treatment for OCD is most often therapy. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in particular is very effective in treating OCD.

CBT helps a child recognize what their thought patterns are and how those thought patterns may be affecting their behavior. By changing their thoughts, they are able to change their actions.

When treating compulsive behaviors, CBT often employs Exposure Response Prevention. This technique supports children while they face their fear of not giving in to compulsive urges. Children slowly work through more and more difficult and scary scenarios. Eventually, they can resist engaging in all of their previous compulsive behaviors.

This approach, while effective, takes a lot of work. It can help if children can see that the hard work is worth it. My upcoming book, Khloe Kitten Is Afraid of Germs!, does just that.

Khloe Kitten experiences compulsive urges around germs, like many of those who suffer from OCD do. She wants to go down the slide like all her other friends do, but she has too much fear. She employs Graded Exposure to slowly expose herself to germs and overcome her fear and behavior.

As your child works through a stepladder approach in therapy, they will be able to see themselves in Khloe Kitten. They may be working on different compulsive behaviors, but they will recognize her feelings and fear.

A child will know that if Khloe Kitten can do it, they can do it too. They also may better understand what their therapist is asking them to do.

Also, each book comes with an About Anxiety page, a Coping Strategies page, and a Stepladder page for parents. Each page will equip you with more information to help your child.

A therapist may also employ other strategies of CBT to help your child. These could include role-playing exercises, teaching positive self-talk, introducing relaxation techniques, and talking through how their thoughts or fears are irrational. Your therapist will create a unique treatment plan for your child.

Medication

If various types of therapy don’t bring enough relief for your children, medication may be a helpful option. Anti-anxiety medications should only be used under the supervision of a pediatrician and psychologist.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder can be frustrating and confusing for children and parents alike. However, with the right treatment and support, it’s possible for most children with OCD to lead a productive life.

To learn more information about various mental health illnesses in childhood, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter or check out my podcast, Genius Little Minds.

References

1. https://adaa.org/sites/default/files/How-to-Help-Your-Child-A-Parents-Guide-to-OCD.pdf

2. https://www.cedars-sinai.org/health-library/diseases-and-conditions---pediatrics/o/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd-in-children.html

3. https://childadolescentpsych.cumc.columbia.edu/professionals/research-programs/y-team/ocd-treatment

4. https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/ocd/what-is-obsessive-compulsive-disorder

5. https://www.mdedge.com/psychiatry/article/59075/neurology/obsessive-compulsive-symptoms-can-manifest-through-adhd

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“Creating Hope Through Action”: Understanding and Preventing Suicide in Children

Suicidal thoughts and ideation are always serious problems. If you or your child are struggling with suicide, reach out for help right away by calling a suicide hotline or reaching out to a mental health provider.


Suicide is a tough topic. It’s even tougher when we’re talking about suicide in childhood.

However, it’s an important one to understand because prevention means that precious, young lives are saved.

So, what are the signs of suicidal thoughts or behaviors in children? How can you help a child who is thinking about suicide? Let’s dig into it.

Prevalence of Suicide in Children

Unfortunately, suicide among children is far more common than people often think.

While it’s difficult to know exactly how often suicide happens in every country, worldwide, it is estimated for 15- to 19-year-olds, suicide comes in as the 4th leading cause of death.(3)

The World Health Organization estimates that 700,000 people worldwide commit suicide every year.(4) About 11.5% of those are committed by individuals 24 or younger.(5)

Suicide prevalence and information does vary from country to country. One survey in Great Britain found that by the age of 17, 7% of children had attempted suicide.(8)

In the United States, the Center for Disease Control has reported that suicide is the eighth leading cause of death among five- to eleven-year-olds.(1) Even worse, suicide is the second leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds.(2)

Indicators of Suicidal Thoughts or Ideation

So, how can we be on the lookout for symptoms of suicidal thoughts or ideation?

Being attuned to your child’s mental health and mood is the best way to prevent suicide. If you are aware of what’s going on with your child, you will be much more likely to notice when something is off.

Some signs that you can be on the lookout for include:

• Feelings of persuasive sadness or anger (2)

• Problems with attention and hyperactivity

• Increased stress or pressure to succeed

• Feelings of self-doubt

• Changes in sleeping or eating habits

• Physical symptoms like stomach aches or headaches
  

Children may make comments like, “I wish I was dead,” or “Soon, I won’t be a problem for you.” They may exhibit an unusual interest in death or dying, asking you questions or seeking out books or media to view on the topic.

You may also notice that they’ve recently withdrawn from activities with friends or family. They might have stopped doing things that they enjoy.

Often, children will also have problems at school before a suicide attempt. This could be simple disciplinary problems or issues with friends. It could also be more extreme like recently being suspended or expelled.

Risk Factors

While everyone should remain vigilant for suicidal inclinations in any child, there are some risk factors that make a child more likely to experience suicidal thoughts.

First and foremost, suicide is a sign of poor mental health. Any child that is struggling with a mental health disorder like depression or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is more likely to attempt suicide.(1)

Other risk factors include:

• Being male (6)

• Traumatic events like abuse or neglect

• Parental divorce or custody disputes

• Parental substance abuse

• Family history of suicide

• School problems like expulsion or changing schools

• History of suicidal thoughts or behavior

• Prior psychiatric hospitalization
  

Any suicide attempt deserves a full intervention and treatment. A recent study showed that young children who attempt suicide are six times more likely to attempt suicide again in their adolescent years. They need proper help to get on the right path.(7)

How to Help

Starting a conversation about how your child is feeling is a great first step. Ask questions like, “How are you feeling today? You seem a bit sad.” Try not to put thoughts in their head but make them feel comfortable enough to tell you how they’re really feeling. Be sure to tell them that you care about them deeply.

Seek out professional help when traumatic situations happen or you notice your child is struggling. There are family-based interventions and trauma-informed approaches that can help everyone in your family process traumatic events better. Remember, while it’s never too late to seek out help, early intervention is almost always easier and more successful than later intervention.

Take any suicidal statement seriously. While it can be easy at times to write off what children say as a vivid imagination or that they don’t know what they’re talking about, suicide is one topic that never falls into either of those categories. If you ever hear a child make suicidal statements, seek help for them immediately.

World Suicide Prevention Day - September 10th

Every year the International Association for Suicide Prevention hosts World Suicide Prevention Day. This year, events will run on September 10th.

There are many organizations and groups worldwide that will host walks, speeches, and other events to help spread awareness about suicide prevention.

If you are looking for more resources to deepen your knowledge about suicide prevention, this event can be a great resource.  You can also look up what events may be happening near you by visiting their website here.

Creating Hope Through Action

The theme picked this year is an indicative of the changes that children today needed. Suicide rates among all people, even the youngest populations, are on the rise. We need change.

Events like these let those that are struggling with suicidal thoughts know that we care about them, that there is hope for tomorrow. Every action that you take and every word that you speak about suicide prevention gives hope to someone who is desperately looking for someone to help them.

“By encouraging understanding, reaching in and sharing experiences, we want to give people the confidence to take action. To prevent suicide requires us to become a beacon of light to those in pain.

You can be the light.”

You can be light and hope to a child struggling with suicide by reaching out, checking on them, and getting them the help that they so desperately need.

We’re in this together. Together we can make changes to our mental illness services, approaches to trauma, and general mental health practices to positively impact suicide rates.

It’s possible. We can change the world one child at a time. Let’s go create hope through action.

For more tips and insight on child mental health, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter or check out my podcast Genius Little Minds.

References

1. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/news/research-highlights/2021/understanding-the-characteristics-of-suicide-in-young-children

2. https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Teen-Suicide-010.aspx

3. https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/family-resources-education/700childrens/2021/09/understanding-why-kids-die-by-suicide

4. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/suicide

5. https://afsp.org/suicide-statistics/

6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27647716/

7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10596249/

8. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/feb/21/uk-17-year-olds-mental-health-crisis

4 Reasons Why You Should Maintain Bedtime Throughout Summer Break

Days full of adventures may be the best part of summer. Whether you’re basking in the sun or hiding from the weather indoors, there is so much fun to be had. Some of us get to spend extra time with our children, maybe even take them on outings to the zoo or park.

In all the hustle and bustle, it’s easy to push bedtime back by just one hour today and maybe 45 minutes tomorrow.

While all the time spent exploring, learning, and enjoying each other’s’ company is a wonderful part of summer, sticking to a sleep schedule is also important. Our children’s bodies and brains thrive on adequate sleep. High-quality sleep habits are as essential a need as food or water.

Let’s dive into the benefits of children getting consistent, quality sleep.

1. Better Brain Function

Many of us know that getting enough sleep is essential for children to be able to learn in the classroom. Research has shown that children not getting enough high-quality sleep translates into trouble concentrating and negatively impacts their ability to learn.(1) These negative effects are especially stark in younger children because their prefrontal cortex is still developing.

Summer is not a time that our children stop learning. They can learn about butterflies and other types of insects as they play out in the garden. They can practice letter writing in a sandbox. Rainbows teach about colors and lights, while baseball teaches about physics.

Learning can happen in so many moments during school breaks. Maintaining an age-appropriate bedtime and, if necessary, nap schedule will prepare your child’s brain to absorb every new thing.

2.  Increased Emotional Regulation and More Positive Behavior

We’ve likely all seen a toddler having a meltdown mid-afternoon and thought, “Poor baby, they probably need a nap.”

Poor sleep triggering intense, negative emotions happens in the early years of life and throughout childhood. Even as adults, many of us experience a lack of control of our emotions after a certain number of hours awake. Maybe you’ve found yourself in tears because your favorite food isn’t in the fridge after you’ve spent the last few nights awake with the baby.

Children experience the same thing, just much sooner. Getting enough hours of sleep at night helps a child be in control of their emotions and behavior.(2) Good sleep helps them to stop and think before making decisions, so their behaviors may not be as impulsive. 

Inattentive behaviors are also much more common when a child isn’t taking good naps during the day or isn’t getting enough sleep at night.(3) You may notice that your child doesn’t listen to instructions well or jumps from task to task after they’ve slept poorly or didn’t get to bed on time.  

3. Greater Motor Skills

Your child focuses hard to get those tiny Lego blocks to click together. Or their brows furrow in concentration as they work on their typing skills at the computer. Their little fingers work so hard to move in just the right way to execute a task.

Research has shown greater fine motor skills in children that got adequate day and night sleep over those who didn’t.(4) Children as young as six years old were able to reap these benefits from sufficient sleep.

You may also see increases in their gross motor skills with adequate sleep. They may be able to go across the monkey bars faster or climb higher on the jungle gym. Their balance will also be better as they tetter across the balance beam or tiptoe from one garden rock to the next.

Play is a child’s work, and they need their motor skills to play and learn. Keeping those skills sharp with adequate sleep is essential.

4. Enhanced Memory

Not only are children able to learn better if they've gotten adequate sleep, but they are also able to remember those lessons better.

Memory consolidation happens while we sleep. Young children have smaller stores for short-term memories than adults do. Think of it like them having a child’s size glass and you having an adult-sized one that you both fill from the same faucet. The child will need to empty theirs much sooner.

Daytime sleep allows them to empty their cup, or short-term memory, into long-term memory. Having shorter intervals between bouts of sleep allows them to retain more information in the long term. One study showed this as preschoolers who consistently took a midday nap were better able to retain information that they learned in the morning.(5)

The results emphasized the importance of daytime sleep in this group. Even an adequate number of hours of nighttime sleep did not reap the same memory benefits as a daytime nap. If your child doesn’t want to take a nap, try having them rest or have quiet time in the middle of the day. You may see some of the same benefits.

Inadequate Sleep Aggravates Mental Illness

All of these benefits of sleep are great. However, it’s good to recognize the flip side as well: not getting enough sleep leads to negative outcomes.

Pre-existing mental illness can be aggravated by a lack of quality sleep.(6) Emotional disorders and behavioral disorders are especially affected. Poor quality, and insufficient sleep can also be a risk factor for developing new mental illnesses.

Protecting bedtime and naptime is essential to caring for our children. They are equipped to thrive with adequate sleep.

So, stick to the nightly routine even when they protest and know that they will be rested and prepared to go again the next day. If the schedule gets off one night, get right back on it the next day. Don’t let a late bedtime become a summer habit. This way your child will be happy, healthy, and ready to enjoy every day.

Enjoy the summer break!

Want to learn more specifically about infant sleep? Check out my recent Genius Little Minds podcast episode that answers all your infant sleep questions!

Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter to stay up to date on all my new blogs and podcast episodes!

References

1. Dewald, J. F., Meijer, A. M., Oort, F. J., Kerkhof, G. A., & Bögels, S. M. (2010). The influence of sleep quality, sleep duration and sleepiness on school performance in children and adolescents: A meta-analytic review. Sleep medicine reviews, 14(3), 179-189.

2. Beebe, D. W. (2011). Cognitive, behavioral, and functional consequences of inadequate sleep in children and adolescents. Pediatric Clinics, 58(3), 649-665.

3. Fallone, G., Acebo, C., Arnedt, J. T., Seifer, R., & Carskadon, M. A. (2001). Effects of Acute Sleep Restriction on Behavior, Sustained Attention, and Response Inhibition in Children. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 93(1), 213–229. https://doi.org/10.2466/pms.2001.93.1.213

4. Yan, J. H. (2017). Children benefit differently from night-and day-time sleep in motor learning. Human movement science, 54, 297-307.

5. Kurdziel, L., Duclos, K., & Spencer, R. M. (2013). Sleep spindles in midday naps enhance learning in preschool children. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(43), 17267-17272.

6. Dahl, R. E., & Harvey, A. G. (2007). Sleep in children and adolescents with behavioral and emotional disorders. Sleep medicine clinics, 2(3), 501-511.