Obsessive compulsive disorder facts for kids
Obsessive–compulsive disorder (often called OCD) is a mental health condition. It causes people to have repeated, unwanted thoughts or feelings. These are called obsessions. It also causes them to do certain actions over and over. These actions are called compulsions.
People with OCD often feel a lot of anxiety. They might believe that if they don't do a certain task, something bad will happen. For example, they might feel they must wash their hands many times. This belief makes them feel even more anxious and stressed. OCD affects about 1.2% of people worldwide. In the United States, about one in fifty adults has OCD.
Understanding OCD Symptoms
Many people with obsessive–compulsive disorder do specific actions. They do these actions to try and stop their obsessive thoughts. These actions are known as compulsions. For someone with OCD, doing these compulsions feels like a way to control the unwanted thoughts. They might also believe that doing the compulsion will stop something bad from happening. This bad thing could happen to them or to someone they care about.
Common Compulsions
Here are some examples of common compulsions:
- Washing hands many times.
- Cleaning themselves or things around them over and over.
- Doing something a certain number of times, like turning lights on and off.
- Arranging objects in a very specific order.
- Counting to a certain number many times.
- Checking that they did something, often checking many times.
People with OCD usually know that their compulsions don't make sense. But they still do them to stop feelings of panic or anxiety. Someone with OCD might spend hours every day doing their compulsions.
Images for kids
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Some parts of the brain showing abnormal activity in OCD
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One exposure and ritual prevention activity would be to check the lock only once and then leave.
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A blister pack of clomipramine under the brand name Anafranil
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This ribbon represents trichotillomania and other body-focused repetitive behaviors.
See also
In Spanish: Trastorno obsesivo-compulsivo para niños
