WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT OCD IN KIDS?
It is Characterised by differences in Social Skills, Communication and Behaviour.
The symptoms of OCD are generally the same whether you are an adult or a child, but OCD in childhood can sometimes be more difficult to recognize for a variety of reasons.
At the start, children may not recognize that what they are going through is out of the ordinary and therefore may not think to ask for help. On average, children live with their symptoms for 2.5 years before being assessed by a mental health professional.
Additionally, OCD in children can often be mistaken for behavior and attention issues such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), especially when the symptoms interfere with schoolwork. To learn more about symptoms of OCD and anxiety at school, visit our Anxiety in the Classroom resource.
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What are the Symptoms of OCD in a Child?-
- An extreme obsession with dirt or germs.
- Repeated doubts, such as whether or not the door is locked.
- Interfering thoughts about violence, hurting or killing someone, or harming oneself.
- Long periods of time spent touching things, counting, and thinking about numbers and sequences.
- Preoccupation with order, symmetry, or exactness.
- Ongoing thoughts about doing offensive sexual acts or forbidden, taboo behaviors.
- Troubled by thoughts that are against personal religious beliefs.
- A great need to know or remember things that may be very minor.