What Happens in OCD?
OCD causes kids to have too many worries and fears. These worries and fears may
just pop into a kid's head and be hard to get rid of.
Kids who have OCD feel they can't stop thinking about things like these:
- someone might get sick, hurt, or die
- things might be germy or dirty
- something isn't straight, even, or exactly right
- something is lucky or unlucky, bad or good, safe or harmful
- bad thoughts might come true
OCD also can cause kids to feel they have to do behaviors to feel safe from worries
and fears. For example, kids with OCD might feel like they have
to:
- wash and clean too much
- erase, rewrite, or re-do things
- repeat a word, phrase, or a question more often than necessary
- check and re-check if something is closed or locked
- touch, tap, or step in an unusual way
- put things in just the right order
These are called rituals. To kids with OCD, these rituals seem
to have the power to prevent bad things from happening.
The name "OCD" is short for obsessive-compulsive disorder. "Disorder" is a medical
way of saying that something in the body isn't working properly. "Obsessive" means
that OCD is playing tricks on the mind to make worries seem bigger and more important
than they really are. "Compulsive" is a medical word used to describe the rituals
that kids feel they must do to fix the worries.
What Causes OCD?
OCD happens because of a problem in the brain's message system. The problem causes
worry and fear messages to form by mistake. It also causes the strong feeling of having
to do a ritual to make things safe.
Scientists don't yet know what causes this problem to happen. People may get OCD
because it's in their genes or
they had an infection. There may be differences in the brain that cause OCD to start.
OCD is not caused by anything a child or parent did.
What's It Like for Kids With OCD?
Many kids with OCD it for a while before a parent or doctor realizes it. Kids with
OCD don't always tell someone about their fears and worries. They may know that their
worries and rituals don't make sense. They may feel embarrassed and keep it to themselves.
They may want to stop, but feel they can't.
OCD worries and rituals can multiply and begin taking more time and energy in a
kid's day. This can make it hard to concentrate, do schoolwork, or enjoy fun and friends.
It can leave a kid feeling stressed, tired, and sad.
Kids may mistakenly blame themselves for what they're feeling and doing. They don't
have a way to know that OCD can cause this to happen. They may not know that something
can be done to help.
No kid should have to go through this alone. If you have worries and fears, or
know a kid who does, the best thing to do is tell
a parent. A parent can take the child to a doctor to find out if it is OCD. Doctors
are trained to help the OCD get better.