The main feature of obsession (obsession) and compulsion (compulsion) disorder is repetitive thoughts that cannot be removed from the mind and repetitive movements with an effort to remove these thoughts. The child or young person cannot get rid of these meaningless, stupid and foreign thoughts – obsessions – from his mind and may involuntarily make repetitive movements – compulsions – in order to remove them.
Since obsessions are generally known as a disorder of adulthood, there is a misconception that ‘it is not seen in children and adolescents’. But most adult obsessions begin in childhood. However, this situation can be overlooked in childhood due to indifference, lack of attention and the child’s concealment of the symptoms. According to studies, it has been reported that adults diagnosed with OCD have symptoms starting between the ages of 5 and 15.
How the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder begins is not yet known. But OCD, a neurobehavioral disorder, is by no means seen as a child’s ‘fault’ or something that ‘the child can stop if they try too hard’. On the contrary, it is best to approach OCD as a kind of ‘short circuit’ problem in the brain that the child cannot stop on his own. Imagine that your child has an anxiety computer in their mind, and it sends out ages of fear that don’t deserve such attention. These fear calls are what we call ‘obsessions’. For example; The child’s mind is constantly thinking that his mother or father will die, and he does repetitive behaviors to prevent it, the child living in a religious family has the desire to curse God, and constantly repenting, reading prayers, trying to write his homework when a child tries to write his homework over and over again instead of deleting it. Typical situations are situations such as tearing the paper at every mistake, not being able to complete his homework, and washing his hands for a certain and relatively long time until he feels that he is not clean enough. But obsessions can be about almost anything.
Obsessions are unwanted thoughts, impulses or images accompanied by negative emotions. The negative emotions that accompany them can be a genuine sense of hurt-infliction, fear, and an unspecific physical discomfort. You can’t see the obsessions, but you may notice that your child is distracted or seems inattentive. When the brain sends out these fear calls, the child’s reactions are repetitive ritual behaviors called compulsions. Compulsions are actions designed to drive away unwanted thoughts and alleviate the accompanying feelings of anxiety and restlessness.
Especially during adolescence, young people tend to hide their repetitive behaviors. In studies conducted with individuals who applied to a specialist with the same symptoms in adulthood, it was learned that those who had similar symptoms during adolescence hide these symptoms even from their closest relatives. Adolescents cannot explain their obsessions because of shame, shame, and contempt. His repetitive movements, on the other hand, prefer to block with great effort or to places where no one is present. This attempt to hide can lead to a state of social isolation over time. Children and young people who cannot restrain themselves can become withdrawn. Social withdrawal and accompanying school success may decrease. Young people who are stuck between obsessions and compulsions may also have other mental problems.
Importance of family:
Especially when obsessions are intense, families have a hard time. The child may clash with the household to enforce their own rules. Asking or repeating the same things over and over can overwhelm the family. At the same time, they may avoid visiting peers and accepting guests in the family with the child, and they may experience social withdrawal.
In the face of the situation noticed in the child, the child should be observed thoroughly, but prevention and punishment should be avoided. Laughing or mocking the child’s actions puts the child in more distress and increases the tension.
It is necessary to make OCD the problem, not your child. In order to gain long-term benefit and to cope with this disorder, the child and family need to learn certain strategies, and the family should be patient when applying treatment strategies.
The method frequently used in cognitive and behavioral therapies is exposure and response prevention. But first of all, involuntary thoughts are studied. The process then continues as the child exposes himself to the feared object, thought or action. This technique should be done with the right hierarchy, accompanied by a therapist. Response prevention is the process of preventing repetitive behaviors and minimizing avoidance behaviors resulting from exposure. In this way, while new behaviors are reinforced, anxiety and repetitive behaviors are reduced.
In the process, you should stop giving advice to your child. Because children and teenagers already know that OCD does not make sense. This will only make your child feel bad and unsuccessful. On the contrary, you can help your child in the work of exposure and challenge to motivate him, and you can take a confident and ‘neutral’ attitude.
