It is normal to have fears and worries that we think about. However, children and teens with obsessive compulsive disorders constantly think about unwanted thoughts, fears, and feelings.  These thoughts include harming other people, getting diseases from touching everything and other negative thoughts. Obsessive compulsive disorder, simply known as (OCD), is a mental illness that starts in early adolescence and continues deep into adulthood. In fact, 1 out of every 200 children is diagnosed with OCD. Children and teens have the urge (compulsions) to do things in order to make the bad thoughts go away such as harming people or doing rituals such as frequent cleaning. Luckily, treatment is available which significantly reduce the warning symptoms of OCD.

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PREVALENCE                             

OCD is a disorder that is linked to the way the brain works. It affects both boys and girls, men and women of all races, ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds. In the United States, one out of every 100 children are diagnosed with the obsessive compulsive disorder. It is a serious illness and needs treatment as soon as possible. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), OCD contributes to the top 20 diseases that cause disability worldwide from ages 15-44.

You may have seen people in television shows and music displaying OCD symptoms. However, this is not accurately portrayed as they are mistaken or exaggerated. However, this is no joke or laughing matter. OCD is a serious illness and disorder. Everyone can be diagnosed with OCD however; this illness starts at an early age 13 -19. Doctors have reason to believe that this is the period in a person’s life where there are extreme body changes which could potentially lead to OCD as a result. In addition, changes in the way the brain functions can also lead to OCD. Other factors that may put a person at risk of developing OCD include environmental changes that result in trauma or infections that alter the functioning of the brain, a history of OCD in the family whether from the parents or other relatives and accidents, injury trauma or infection trauma.

OCD is usually misunderstood and misinterpreted by people who have obsessions over other things. People with OCD did not inflict this condition to themselves and the root cause is not fully known. Stress, illness, parenting and family accommodations DO NOT cause OCD.

CAUSES

The causes of OCD are unknown. However, doctors speculate the following reasons;

  • Recent injury, disease or an accident that led to trauma.
  • Your parents or family have a history of OCD.
  • As your body grows somethings change inside your brain and body, changing how you function.
  • The environment or location you are in may contribute to infections or triggers for OCD.

You might also notice that someone compulsively offends or bothers others. Watch out because that could be a sign of a compulsion to clean their hands. Every time, they walk out of the classroom, for example, to wash their hands in the washroom. For one thing, such behavior may cause disturbance for the rest of the class. Classmates may end up shouting at him or her or hating on them. It is however imperative to note that such behavior could be a sign of OCD rather than assuming that one is being a nuisance to others.

Teens with compulsive behavior are unfortunately perceived differently when these signs show up. For example, they are mocked as lunatics or people who cause embarrassment, and/or stress. As a result, such students hide their compulsive behavior, and may end up agitated when interrupted. It is likely that an agitated teenager will cause a harsh exchange of words, fight, and negative labelling leading to stigma. The stigma of OCD can also make the teen to become a subject of gossip.

WARNING SYMPTOMS & SIGNS

OCD causes obsessions in children accompanied by repeated, persistent and unwanted thoughts, images and urges (compulsions). All these symptoms cause uncomforted, distress and anxiety. You might try and ignore them or get rid of the thoughts by doing certain actions (urges and compulsions).

Thoughts that do not go away include;

  • Fears that you someone else will get harmed, injured, sick or will die.
  • Fears that you made a terrible mistake such as saying a bad word, or having the bad thoughts, broke a rule, sinned, and many others.
  • Fear that you will get sick from touching something.
  • Fear that something is clean, sticky, dirty or has germs.

These fears and thoughts often lead teens and children to have compulsions and urges that make them believe the thoughts will go away. These thoughts are usually to ‘make sure’ that things are in order, clean or right.

Teens and children are compelled to;

  • Abnormally washing and cleaning (frequently).
  • Erase and re-do or re-read class and homework.
  • Repeating words, questions or phrases multiple times.
  • Abnormally checking things to make sure they are right (frequently).
  • Go in and out of doorways multiple times in a row.
  • Having things in a specific order.
  • Avoiding unlucky things or numbers.
  • Checking and rechecking homework.

TREATMENT

Treatment usually begins with diagnosis (evaluating symptoms for possible illnesses). OCD does not require lab tests and scans. However, mental health experts and professionals use interviews to measure the degree of obsession, urges, and compulsions. This is done because OCD may exist with other conditions and illnesses such as;

  • Depression disorders.
  • Bipolar disorders
  • Anxiety disorders.
  • Feeding/eating disorders.

Therapy

You should seek professional help if you experience the symptoms above. There is treatment available today which is effective and based on targeting the brain’s functioning. Only a qualified Cognitive (to do with the brain) Behaviour Therapist (CBT) can provide effective therapy sessions. It is advisable to seek routine therapy and treatment medication for a prolonged duration of time, even after feeling better. This will effectively treat the warning signs and symptoms.

Medication

Treating OCD with medicine alone is not known to yield positive or substantial results. Medications are useful in reducing the anxiety that you may be facing.  In addition, medication will help reduce the urges to perform the compulsions mentioned above. Nonetheless, using medication and therapy with the help of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) will prove to be effective to you as it has to many people diagnosed with OCD.

Overall, it is imperative to watch of for signs of depression for teenagers who withdraw or isolate themselves because they feel judged for their mental illness. Clearly, young people may detatch themselves from other people because their compulsions consume a large proportion of their time. Since the majority of OCD patients believe that their problem is unique, and thus, they are different, Cognitive Behavioral Therapies would assist an OCD teenager to change his or her irrational thoughts to the reality that it is impossible to achieve perfection. More so, CBT would enlighten such teens that their problem is not unique to them and that everyone has some but varying levels of compulsion towards perfection.

WHERE TO SEEK HELP IN NZ

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a major illness and a real threat to your life. It is one of the major causes of disability in the world. If you or your friend have experienced the symptoms do not hesitate to seek medical attention, before something happens.

What is more, obsessive-compulsive disorder can make schoolwork and your personal life hard. It doesn’t have to be hard, especially with the professionals on the other end of the help-lines. Make use of our free helplines. Call 0800 111 757 or free text 4202. All of these lines will put you through to a professional who will answer any queries and opinions you have with utmost care professionalism. Call 0800 611 116 at any time of the week or day to talk and get help. Feel free to talk to your fellow peer using out warmlines at Canterbury and West Coast (03 379 8415 / 0800 899 276), from 1pm to midnights everyday.