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.
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
https://adaa.org/sites/default/files/How-to-Help-Your-Child-A-Parents-Guide-to-OCD.pdf
https://childadolescentpsych.cumc.columbia.edu/professionals/research-programs/y-team/ocd-treatment
https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/ocd/what-is-obsessive-compulsive-disorder
What Is Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia? Recognizing the Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments
Most of us really enjoy being at home. It's a place with all our favorite things. It contains familiar faces and special memories. It houses our family members and pets that we love. It’s a safe and comfortable place to be.
This love of familiarity is often felt by our children as well. They like having their own space, a reprieve from an often demanding outside world.
Sometimes, however, it's more than that. What if your child never wants to leave? What if leaving their home or safe space causes them to spiral out of control, having panic attacks or uncontrollable irrational fears? It may seem like something more than average anxiety. It may be panic disorder with agoraphobia.(1)
Most of us really enjoy being at home. It's a place with all our favorite things. It contains familiar faces and special memories. It houses our family members and pets that we love. It’s a safe and comfortable place to be.
This love of familiarity is often felt by our children as well. They like having their own space, a reprieve from an often demanding outside world.
Sometimes, however, it's more than that. What if your child never wants to leave? What if leaving their home or safe space causes them to spiral out of control, having panic attacks or uncontrollable irrational fears? It may seem like something more than average anxiety. It may be panic disorder with agoraphobia.(1)
Panic Disorder
Panic disorder is part of the family of anxiety disorders. It is characterized by sudden, unexpected episodes of intense fear. These episodes are often called panic attacks, and they cause extreme physical and emotional discomfort. Panic attacks can feel so intense that the person may mistake them for a heart attack or other physical issue.(2)
The symptoms and duration of panic attacks vary from person to person. Some people only experience one panic attack that lasts a few minutes, while other people may experience multiple panic attacks in a row with the whole episode lasting hours.
Sometimes it’s easy to pinpoint what triggers the panic attack, but other times they can pop up with little warning or explanation. With therapy and self-reflection, a person experiencing panic attacks may be able to anticipate the attacks and take steps to prevent them or decrease their severity.
Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder that involves an intense fear of being trapped.(1) What exactly ‘trapped’ means can vary from person to person. Some people with agoraphobia feel trapped by small or crowded spaces. This could include places like elevators, the movies, or large events.
Conversely, others feel trapped by wide-open spaces, such as a bridge or park. Being in these situations can cause panic attacks. In some cases, the person does not even have to be in the situation for a panic attack to be triggered. They may simply be thinking about the anxiety-inducing place or be on their way to such places. Because of this, those with agoraphobia tend to avoid these situations if at all possible.
Symptoms
When a child experiences panic attacks along with their fear of being trapped, they may be diagnosed with panic disorder with agoraphobia.
Physical symptoms of panic disorder with agoraphobia include:(2)
Panic attacks
Rapid heartbeat
Difficulty breathing
Pressure or pain in the chest
Headaches
Stomachaches
Shakiness and/or tingling in hands and limbs
Feelings of weakness
Excessive sweating
Fatigue
Insomnia
Children may also experience emotional symptoms such as:
Feeling trapped with no escape
Sensing that something bad is about to happen to them
Fear of open spaces or enclosed spaces
Fear of long lines or crowds
Feeling like they are losing control or dying
Difficulty concentrating
Intense fear of separating from parents
Refusal to go to school or leave home
Feeling anxiety in anticipation of a feared situation
Expecting the worst possible consequences if in open or enclosed spaces
Avoidance of situations that may lead to the feeling of being trapped
These symptoms will often begin to interfere with a child’s day-to-day life. School may become more difficult. They may not get enough sleep at night. Concentrating on academic and fun tasks alike may be harder. This is the point at which a mental health professional is needed.
Causes
Panic disorder with agoraphobia is caused by three main factors: predisposition, genetics, and environment.(3)
Children’s personality or tolerance for stress can make them predisposed to developing anxiety disorders. Children with a family history of mental health illness are more likely to develop a mental illness themselves.
Certain experiences or events that invoke intense fear in a child can also bring on panic disorder with agoraphobia. A child may have a traumatic experience in a crowded or enclosed space. Or they may experience a traumatic event in some other part of their life, like a car accident, abuse, or parental divorce, and that event manifests into panic disorder as agoraphobia.
Treatment
Like with many other anxiety-related disorders, cognitive-behavioral therapy is the most widely-recognized and evidence-based treatment for panic disorder with agoraphobia.(4)
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of talk therapy that helps children recognize what their thought patterns are and how they may be affecting their emotions and behaviors.
CBT will walk a child through how the outcome that they are imagining is not realistic. It is easier to recognize that these outcomes are not realistic when a child is not in the midst of a panic attack, but they also need to be able to recognize this when they are in the moment. So, CBT gives tools, such as self-talk or relaxation techniques, to use when the fear and panic are starting to build.
A mental health professional will likely also use Graded Exposure. In this CBT technique, a child will slowly face their fear, employing the techniques CBT has given them to keep them calm. They will start with a situation that only makes them slightly uncomfortable and then work closer and closer to the feared situation.
An example of this would be starting off by being in a small space with one person, then with two or three people. Then, perhaps the child would be in a space with four or more people that is also noisy. Slowly they would go to places with more and more people until they can manage their anxiety effectively.
Implementing CBT Techniques
Children learn by seeing. They learn by watching someone walk through a situation and then mimicking what they saw.
If your child is suffering from panic disorder with agoraphobia, you may be struggling with how to help them, particularly if you don’t struggle with the disorder yourself. You don’t fully understand what they are experiencing or what their anxiety feels like.
Books like, Pablo Parrot Is Afraid of Being Trapped!, provide a great solution to both of these issues. Part of Dr. Madeleine Vieira’s anxiety disorder series, I’M AFRAID, this book specifically focuses on panic disorder with agoraphobia. Pablo Parrot experiences all the feelings and emotions that your child is about being trapped in certain situations. Your child will see themself in Pablo.
Pablo Parrot can help your child practice the CBT techniques, like Graded Exposure, that they are learning with their mental health professional. You will also get to play a vital role in your child’s treatment as you work through the exercises with your child. You will have actionable steps to help your child work through their anxiety and fear.
On the days when facing their fears feels extra tough, books like Pablo Parrot Is Afraid of Being Trapped!, can provide a reprieve. Your child will know they are not alone and they are strong enough to face their fear.
To learn more about the I’M AFRAID series, click here.
Medication
If the symptoms of panic disorder with agoraphobia persist even with therapy, medication such as SSRI may be recommended.(1) Medication should only be used under the direct guidance of a mental health professional and a doctor.
Panic disorder with agoraphobia can feel like a beast that needs to be tamed. It can rearrange your whole schedule if your child struggles intensely with leaving the house.
However, with the proper treatment, and enough time, returning to normal life is possible.
Would you like more information on childhood mental health? Check out my podcast, Genius Little Minds, for new episodes every two weeks.
Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter to hear about new blogs and podcast episodes!
References