Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) In Children And Teenagers

OCD is a type of anxiety disorder, which means it causes your child to experience extreme anxiety in their day-to-day life. Children and teenagers with OCD treatment will often be unable to do simple things like getting ready for school or socialising with friends. It can take an average of 18 months from the first signs of OCD before they get treatment, which means that they could have this condition for years before anyone realises there's something wrong.

OCD is a type of anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are characterized by excessive feelings of fear and worry that interfere with daily activities. OCD is an anxiety disorder that causes the sufferer to have unwanted and repeated thoughts and behaviours that they feel they cannot control. OCD can cause significant distress in daily life; however, treatment can be effective in managing OCD symptoms.

Obsessions are unwanted, disturbing thoughts that repeat over and over in your head. 

Compulsions are repetitive behaviours that you feel compelled to do. For example, if you have an obsession with germs or dirt, you might wash your hands repeatedly until they're red and sore.

You may also have other symptoms of anxiety, such as:

- Feeling tense or nervous a lot of the time
- Worrying about things out of your control (for example, what other people think of you)
- Having trouble sleeping because of worries and fears

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder treatment can have a huge effect on your child's day-to-day life and their ability to do simple things like getting ready for school or socialising with friends.

If your child has OCD, they may:

- Feel the need to check things over and over again (for example, the light switches in their room)
- Struggle to stop thinking about certain thoughts or images (for example, how something will happen in the future)

The average time from the first symptoms of OCD treatment is about 18 months. As a parent, you may be asking yourself why it can take so long for your child to get help.

It's important to understand that teen with OCD often don't recognize that they have it, and this delay in seeking treatment makes sense when you realize just how hard it can be for children and teens who do have OCD treatment to admit that there is something wrong with their thoughts or behaviors. There are also many misconceptions about what OCD looks like in children and young adults—and many families are reluctant to believe their child has an illness requiring professional care when they've never heard of anything like this before!

That being said, getting help early on in the course of your child's condition will be extremely beneficial because:

- It gives them more time under the care of a mental health professional with expertise in treating OCD;
- The sooner they begin therapy, the better they'll fare long-term; and
- The sooner they start trying out different therapies (and finding out what works best), the less likely they'll experience setbacks later on down the road due to lapses between sessions or lack thereof."

Obsessions and compulsions can affect adults as well as children, but the symptoms will be different. For example, an adult with OCD might worry about having a sexually transmitted disease or germs on his hands. A child with OCD may have thoughts that he has done something wrong or hurt someone badly.

For many kids, the first sign of OCD comes when they're in school. The symptoms of OCD can be very distressing for children, who aren't always equipped to express their feelings in words yet; they may complain about headaches or stomach aches instead of telling you what's bothering them. They may also isolate themselves from their friends because they're embarrassed by their obsessions and compulsions. And if your child is being bullied at school because of his obsessions and compulsions—which sometimes happens—it will make him even more anxious about going back each day (and probably less focused during class).

If you think your child has OCD treatment, keep in mind that it's important to get the right help early on. It can be hard to know whether your child may have OCD—especially if they are young. But there are some signs that could indicate a need for professional help.

- excessively worried about germs and hygiene (for example, always washing hands) or getting sick
- excessively worried about small bugs or insects (for example, constantly checking under furniture for spiders)
- excessively afraid of being responsible for bad things happening to others (for example, avoiding dirt because it might cause someone else harm)
- very concerned with being "perfect" at all times (for example, wanting all chores done perfectly)

These behaviors may be normal for a child at certain stages of development, but if they persist beyond what seems reasonable given the child's age and developmental level then it is worth looking into further.

When you or your child has OCD, it can affect day to day life in a variety of ways. The main symptoms are obsessions and compulsions but there are many other factors that come into play as well.

Obsessions are unwanted and repeated thoughts, images, or urges that cause anxiety for the person experiencing them. These thoughts usually involve something truly repulsive like harming others or being a disgusting person in some way. People with OCD will often make up elaborate stories about these obsessions to try to cope with the anxiety they cause.

Compulsions are behaviors an individual feels compelled to do in order to reduce obsessive thoughts and anxiety levels. Examples include avoiding certain places because they remind you of something bad that happened there (like stepping on cracks), washing hands excessively after touching anything dirty (like dirt), checking doors multiple times before leaving home (to make sure they’re locked), constantly asking people if they love us back even though we already know the answer is yes (and don’t want confirmation).

OCD can be a very stressful and distressing illness for children, teens and their families. If you think your child may have OCD, it's important to get them the right treatment. 

Unfortunately, many children are not diagnosed with OCD until they are in their 20s or 30s because they don't recognise the symptoms or know where to go for help. We urge parents and carers who recognise any of these signs in themselves or their children to seek help immediately so that treatment can start as early as possible.