Hopscotch & Harmony
  • Home
    • About Us
    • Mission, Vision, Values
    • What to Expect
    • How We Are Doing
  • Our Team
  • Services
    • Mental Health Services >
      • Child & Adolescent Counselling
      • Adult Counselling
      • Online Therapy
      • Study Without Stress Program: Yr 10-12
    • Assessment Clinic >
      • Autism Assessments
      • Cognitive Assessments
      • Educational Assessments
    • Dietetics & Nutrition >
      • Teen & Adult Dietetic & Nutrition Clinic
      • Paediatric Dietetics & Nutrition
      • Feeding Clinic
    • Organisational Wellness
  • Parenting Course - online
  • Join our team!
    • Psychologist
    • Intern Provisional Psychologist Program
    • Occupational Therapist, Speech Pathologist, Dietitian Positions
  • Blog
  • Book!
    • Contact

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Your Child

31/5/2014

 
Picture
Like adults, it is common for children to have worries, doubts and superstitious beliefs.  But when these beliefs become excessive and get in the way of everyday life, then there is a problem that may be diagnosed as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).  OCD is one of the most common mental health issues affecting children and adolescents, and one third to one half of adults with OCD report that it started in childhood.  OCD can start any time from preschool age to adulthood (with peaks of onset during pre-adolescence and early adulthood).  Fortunately very effective treatments are available that can improve well-being and reduce stress for everyone in the family.

What are the symptoms of OCD?

Obsessions are thoughts, images or impulses that occur over and over again and feel out of the child’s control.  Children may have worries about germs, getting sick, dying, bad things happening, or doing something wrong.  The thoughts are accompanied by feelings of fear, disgust, doubt, or a sensation that things have to be “just right”.  It can be thought of as a bad case of ‘mental hiccups’ - a term assigned to OCD by Judith Rapoport in her book “The Boy Who Couldn’t Stop Washing”.

Compulsions, also called rituals, are the behaviours that the child performs over and over again to reduce the upsetting feelings or prevent something bad from happening.  Rituals might include washing and cleaning, repeating actions until they are just right, starting things over again, doing things evenly, erasing, rewriting, asking the same question over and over again, confessing or apologising, saying lucky words or numbers, checking, touching, tapping, counting, praying, ordering, and arranging.  For a diagnosis of OCD these acts must be time-consuming and interfere with daily life.

What causes OCD?

The causes are not fully understood, however research suggests that OCD involves problems in communication between the front part of the brain and deeper structures.  There is no laboratory test for OCD.  Rather the diagnosis is made by an assessment of symptoms.

What treatment is available?

Cognitive-behavioural therapy and medication have demonstrated effectiveness for children and teens with OCD.  A number of factors will be considered to plan the best treatment for your child’s specific needs.  Children and adolescents with OCD often receive therapy with a psychologist and, if not rapidly responsive, medication is considered as an addition to therapy.

How can I help my child?

It is normal to feel at a loss when OCD appears so it is important to gain an understanding of OCD and how it operates.  You will learn that OCD is not about good or bad behaviour, but instead it is a true brain illness.  It is not your fault, nor is it the fault of your child. Helping your child think of their obsessions as ‘brain hiccups’ can stop them feeling as if they are to blame.  With support from a psychologist you and your child can learn to respond skilfully to obsessions and compulsions so they get weaker and weaker and your child can feel in control again.

    Request an appointment!

    Categories

    All
    Abby Elder
    Adolescence
    Alayne Cummins
    Alyce Galea
    Anger
    Anxiety
    App Recommendation
    Assertiveness
    Attachment
    Autism
    Body Image
    Body Intelligence
    Body Scan
    Book Recommendation
    Brain Development
    Breathing
    Bullying
    Burnout
    Child Development
    Children
    Child Safety
    Chronic Pain
    Cognitive Assessment
    Communication
    Cyberbullying
    Deep Pressure
    Dietetics
    Discipline
    Eating Disorders
    Education
    Emotion Regulation
    Endometriosis
    Fathers
    Food
    Gaming
    Gratitude
    Grief And Loss
    Grit
    Growth Mindset
    Healthy Attachment
    Hilary Sanders
    Home Education
    Infant Mental Health
    Inspirational Quotes
    LGBTIQA+
    Lynnette Dickinson
    Medicare
    Mental-imagery
    Mindfulness
    Motivation
    Music
    Nathan Gilbert
    Negative
    New-years-resolution
    Nighttime-fears
    Nutrition
    Obsessive-compulsive-disorder
    Occupational Therapy
    Online Counselling
    Parenting
    Play Therapy
    Relationship
    Relaxation
    Resilience
    Self-belief
    Self-care
    Self-esteem
    Self-harm
    Sensory Processing
    Separation Anxiety
    Sex Education
    Shame
    Sibling Rivalry
    Social Media
    Social Skills
    Sport
    Stress
    Suicide
    Tamsyn White
    Technology
    Telehealth
    Therapy Ideas
    Tim Walker
    Transgender
    Video Games

    RSS Feed

our services


Adult Counselling
Paediatric Counselling
Autism Assessments
​
Cognitive assessments
Parenting Support​
Dietetics & Nutrition

Our practice values


Belonging
Courage

Integrity

contact us


Hopscotch & Harmony
​Child, Teen and Adult Psychology
1/167-179 Shaws Rd
Werribee 3030
​Ph: 97415222
92 Roslyn Rd
Belmont 3216
​Ph: 52416462
Fax: 03 8669 4076
© ​2022 Hopscotch and Harmony Pty Ltd
  • Home
    • About Us
    • Mission, Vision, Values
    • What to Expect
    • How We Are Doing
  • Our Team
  • Services
    • Mental Health Services >
      • Child & Adolescent Counselling
      • Adult Counselling
      • Online Therapy
      • Study Without Stress Program: Yr 10-12
    • Assessment Clinic >
      • Autism Assessments
      • Cognitive Assessments
      • Educational Assessments
    • Dietetics & Nutrition >
      • Teen & Adult Dietetic & Nutrition Clinic
      • Paediatric Dietetics & Nutrition
      • Feeding Clinic
    • Organisational Wellness
  • Parenting Course - online
  • Join our team!
    • Psychologist
    • Intern Provisional Psychologist Program
    • Occupational Therapist, Speech Pathologist, Dietitian Positions
  • Blog
  • Book!
    • Contact