OCD Action

If you are a young person with worries yourself, or a parent, guardian, or teacher with concerns about a young person, this section might answer your questions.

OCD can affect children, adolescents and adults. At least half of the adults who get help for OCD already had it as children, but many of these people did not get help when they were younger. This might be because they were embarrassed about it, and did not tell anyone, or because doctors they asked for help did not know how to diagnose or treat OCD. It seems likely that if the illness is ‘caught’ and treated when people are young, they will suffer less in later life. Recent studies show that OCD may affect 1% of young people; that means if there are 500 children in a school, there could be 5 who have OCD.

Problems with obsessions and compulsions can cause distress and worry, and can begin to affect young people at school, with their friends and in their families. Many children have mild obsessions and compulsions at some time, for example having to organise their toys in a special way or saying good night a certain number of times. This is not OCD. So, parents might ask “What might be the signs that a young person’s rituals are the beginning of OCD?”.

To begin to answer this question, assess these three things:

1. Are the rituals upsetting?
2. Do they take up a lot of time (more than one hour per day)?
3. Do they interfere with everyday life (eg, school, friends, etc)?

If the answer to these questions is ‘Yes’, it may be that the young person has OCD. At this point it is time to get some advice from a professional. OCD is a recognised, treatable problem, so there is no need to suffer alone. You should tell somebody if you can. Talking to your family GP is vital as s/he can put you in touch with the right help

Related Pages

About Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

About, Compulsive, Disorder, Obsessive, OCD

Do I Have OCD?

Online Survey, Self Assessment

Related Disorders

Body Dysmorphia, Hair Pulling

Treatments Available

CBT, Medication

Getting Support

Helplines, Online Support

Carers

About, Carers

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