How to Identify Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in Your Child

Thrive Wellness • Jul 18, 2023

Does your child seem to have an intense fear or obsession with topics like death, germs, organization or any other topics? Does it seem like these thoughts are frequent and uncontrollable? Does the fear of these topics seem to affect their home, school and social life?

Does your child seem to have ritualized or repetitive behaviors that often take up most of their time? Are they unable to just “let it go” when they are completing these rituals or behaviors?

Your child might be experiencing OCD.

How Common is OCD in Children?

In the United States, half a million children suffer from experiencing OCD. To put it in perspective, every one in two-hundred children, or four to five children in an elementary school setting, or 20 teenagers in a high school classroom are affected by OCD.

Although the root cause of OCD for individuals is never the same, there is effective treatment available for these persons to achieve a life less riddled by their OCD.

What is OCD?

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is attributed for its intrusive, uncontrollable thoughts and fears, otherwise referred to as obsessions, present in one’s mind. These obsessions are extremely difficult to cope with. This results in individuals suffering from OCD to partake in behaviors that “alleviate” the intense emotional reactions that come with obsessions, otherwise known as compulsions. They’re defined as compulsory due to the nature of frequency in which individuals with OCD deem it necessary to complete their compulsions, which further impacts their everyday life. OCD has the ability to negatively affect an individual’s perception of reality, their relationship with themselves and others, sociability, and other co-occurring mental health conditions like anxiety.

The exact root cause of OCD also remains undetermined. Research displays that in some cases OCD can stem from a lack of serotonin in one’s neurological system, genetics, trauma, or even streptococcal infections, but these are not exact diagnoses for all.

Signs & Symptoms of OCD in Children

OCD takes a unique form per child, and can begin to develop as young as four years old, so it’s important to note that these signs and symptoms are the most common, however are not the end-all be-all to OCD prognostics.

A severe fixation on dirt or germs.
Intrusive thoughts about violence, causing harm to others or oneself..
Preoccupation with order, symmetry, or precision.
Persistent thoughts concerning engaging in offensive sexual acts or prohibited behaviors.
Disturbed by thoughts conflicting with personal religious beliefs.
Intense desire to remember even the most insignificant details.
Excessive focus on minute particulars.
Excessive worrying about potential negative events.
Aggressive thoughts, urges, or actions.

Signs of OCD in compulsions and behaviors in children could look like this:

Engaging in frequent hand washing ( exceeding 100 times daily)
Repeatedly verifying and rechecking, such as ensuring a door is securely locked.
Adhering strictly to established rules of order, such as dressing in a specific sequence each day.
Accumulating and hoarding various items.
Engaging in repetitive counting and recounting.
Categorizing objects or arranging things in a particular order.
Iterating words spoken by oneself or others.
Repeatedly posing the same questions.
Persistently using offensive language or making vulgar gestures.
Reciting sounds, words, numbers, or music to oneself repeatedly.

These actions are typically done multiple times in one day, enough to disturb and interfere with one’s everyday life.

Camp Courage

Your child deserves the best quality care possible to them, and at Thrive we’ve developed a program specifically designed for children struggling with OCD. Camp Courage for children and adolescents with OCD are specialized and intensive, aiming to immerse patients, their families, and support systems in a comprehensive treatment experience. The objective of these programs is to equip patients and their support systems with the necessary tools and assistance to establish a path towards lasting recovery.

Read more about our program and how to sign up.

About Megan Meaney

Megan Meaney earned both a bachelor’s degree in social work (BSW) and a master’s degree in social work (MSW) at Roberts Wesleyan College in New York. As a therapist at Thrive Wellness Reno, she provides play therapy and outpatient therapy for children and adults dealing with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs), and perinatal loss and grief, among other mental and behavioral struggles. Megan loves the career path she’s chosen as she finds fulfillment in fostering healing in a safe and supportive environment. She believes we aren’t meant to move through our lives alone and enjoys lifting others up as she actively listens to what clients are going through and provides an outside perspective on how to process their experiences and emotions.

The post How to Identify Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in Your Child first appeared on Thrive Wellness.

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Clean House, Healthy Mind: Spring Cleaning Benefits for Mental Health

By Sage Tippie • 23 Apr, 2024

Spring Cleaning Benefits for Mental Health Spring is a time of new beginnings, change, and transitions, including in our homes. With the warmer weather kicking motivation into high gear, Spring can be a prime time to do a deep clean. Not only is a clean space aesthetically pleasing to the eyes, but it can also help to improve your mental health. Learn about how tidying up your space can also tidy up your thoughts below along with tips for cleaning when you’re struggling with your mental health. 4 Reasons Why Cleaning is Beneficial to Mental health 1.Decreased Stress Not only does an uncluttered space provide a sense of calm, but the physical act of cleaning can release feel-good endorphins, reducing feelings of stress and anxiety. As you cross tasks off your checklist, your body also releases Dopamine. Also known as the “happy hormone”, Dopamine provides a sense of accomplishment and pride that can promote motivation in other areas of our lives. 2. Improved Focus Studies have shown that an uncluttered space can also lead to an uncluttered mind. Your focus can be drawn away from important tasks by a chaotic, messy space. Research has also shown a connection between procrastination and clutter, as an unwillingness to tackle larger chores like cleaning can translate over into various areas of our lives. By keeping your space tidy, it can inspire you to stay on top of other major tasks like work and school assignments. 3. Regulated Emotions According to this 2015 study , cleaning can function as a practice in mindfulness, providing an increased sense of calm and inspiration. Slowing down while cleaning gives you room to relax and free your mind of burdens, stressors, and irritants that can affect your mental health. Cleaning can even be considered a practice of self-care as the action helps you to connect with yourself and the outcome allows you to better enjoy your own space. 4. Sense of Order and Control When experiencing mental health struggles, people may feel a lack of control over their lives and emotions. Cleaning even small areas of the home can provide an increased sense of order and control as you cross tasks off your to-do list. Through realizing your own power by simply completing minor tasks like cleaning, it can reaffirm your ability to do more. 10 Tips for Cleaning When Struggling with Mental Health Mental health struggles and disorders commonly create barriers to one’s ability to clean and properly practice personal hygiene. Although these behaviors are normal side effects of mental health disorders, we want to work to aid our clients in cleaning to the best of their ability even in difficult times. Below, Thrive Wellness occupational therapist Meadow Deason shares some helpful tips she gives to clients when they struggle with cleaning due to mental health conditions: 1.Ask For Help Having support to clean can make a huge difference. Do the cleaning with the person helping you and have them hold you accountable. 2. Don't Wait for Motivation Motivation might not come before action, but it can build as you begin to see the results of your efforts. 3. Start Small Start with one area or one task and go from there. For example, concentrate on your bedroom first and then move on to the living room and bathroom. 4. Do Something Daily Even if you do only one small cleaning task a day, doing that one task creates momentum and prevents small tasks from building up and becoming overwhelming. 5. Use Sensory Modulation Change your environment by playing music, adjusting the lighting, or using aromatherapy. This can help to put you in a new headspace for cleaning. 6. Start with "High Impact" Tasks Start with more intensive or all-over cleaning tasks such as picking up clutter or doing the dishes. The visual "noise" of some tasks makes a large impact on the entire space, building motivation to continue cleaning. 7. Make a To-Do List Write a detailed to-do list of tasks and cross them off as you go. Physically marking down what you’ve accomplished can promote increased motivation. 8. Reward Yourself Set up a reward system where you reward yourself with a favorite activity or item when you complete a task as an incentive to clean. 9. Use the Rocket Method Don't think about it, just choose a task, countdown from five or ten and then start. This can help you to avoid potential anxiety and dread that can prevent you from cleaning. 10. Gamify Tasks Make up a game for your tasks or time yourself to promote increased engagement in cleaning. Your ability to complete tasks can be affected by a multitude of different factors and conditions including OCD , anxiety, depression , ADHD , and more. If you are struggling with motivation due to your mental health, help is here at Thrive Wellness.

child getting bandaid from doctor while mother smiles

The Importance of Whole Family Primary Care: A Q&A with Dr. Stephanie Wright

26 Mar, 2024

By serving the whole family, physicians are able to have a better understanding of family dynamics, family health care goals, and history of disease in the family.