OCD Symptoms in Toddlers

Children suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) don't know why they have the thoughts and the worries that they do. They don't know why they "have to" repeat ritual behaviors. They just "know" that if they don't, something bad will happen. Their parents don't know any more than their children do. They just see them suffering and don't know how to help them.

Description of OCD

• OCD is classified as an anxiety disorder driven by thoughts that the child can't control, worries that he is unable to deal with in a healthy way, and repetitive behaviors. There are times when the obsession and the compulsion have a link in the child's mind. The OCD must interfere to a high degree in the child's life, making it difficult for him to function normally. His obsessions and/or compulsions become excessive and time-consuming; they are frequently disruptive. The interference of OCD has an effect on the child's friendships, school performance and family life.

Symptoms

• Some of the most common OCD symptoms include a need for symmetry, a pronounced or extreme preoccupation with germs, dirt or being contaminated by something, repeating words or numbers, either out loud or to himself, checking locks repeatedly, thoughts about harm, hurting himself or killing someone, worrying about something bad happening (not just occasional worrying; these worries take up a large part of his day), excessive attention to trivial details, spending large amounts of time touching things, counting things and thinking about sequences and/or numbers.

Characteristics

• OCD has been diagnosed in children as young as five or six, and the onset of symptoms may begin as early as the ages of three or four, but the parents may not recognize the significance of their child's symptoms. The child certainly isn't able to recognize what her symptoms are or what they mean. The child with OCD is highly anxious and easily distressed; as she gets older she begins to realize how much her symptoms interfere with every aspect of her life.

OCD Behavioral Examples

• The child with OCD may wash her hands repeatedly throughout the day (100 times or more in a single day); she may check doors repeatedly to make sure they're locked; and she may hoard objects. She may also do chores or daily activities the same way in the same order every time, such as putting clothes on in the same order daily, grouping or regrouping objects, repeating words she has just said, and repeating music, words, numbers or sounds to herself.

Possible Causes

• A definitive cause of OCD is unknown. Research done to date points toward a neurological brain disorder (a physical cause). This evidence says that children with OCD lack a brain chemical called serotonin. The OCD patient may have blocked or damaged receptor sites for serotonin in his brain which keep this brain chemical from functioning to its full potential. Another possible cause is heredity--- it tends to run in families, although a definite genetic link has not been found. Some children develop OCD even when there is no history of OCD in their families. Some studies suggest that there might be a link between a streptococcal illness---this may set off the onset of OCD or increase OCD which is already present.