What is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder? (OCD)

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder involving obsessions, compulsions, or both.

Obsessions are recurrent and persistent thoughts, urges, and/or mental images that are intrusive and unwanted. Obsessions also involve attempts to suppress or ignore thoughts, urges, or mental images or to get rid of them by performing a compulsive behavior.

Common obsessions include (from Franklin, Freeman, & March, 2019):

  • Thoughts about contamination from germs
  • Hurting oneself or other people
  • Aggression
  • Sexual themes
  • Religious themes
  • Forbidden thoughts
  • Need to tell, ask, confess
  • Urges to make things symmetrical

Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts that a person feels driven to do in response to an obsession or according to rigid rules. These behaviors are aimed at preventing anxiety or a feared situation. However, the behaviors or mental acts are not connected in a realistic way with what they are designed to prevent or get rid of, or they are excessive.

Common compulsions include (from Franklin, Freeman, & March, 2019):

  • Washing behaviors
  • Repeating
  • Checking items
  • Touching things
  • Counting
  • Ordering or arranging
  • Hoarding
  • Compulsive praying

Treatment for OCD

For most children coping with OCD, research supports receiving a combination of pharmacological treatment in the form of Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) as well as participating in a specific form of Cognitive behavior therapy called Exposure and response prevention (Franklin, Freeman, & March, 2019). We offer Exposure and Response Prevention at Teleios Behavioral Health.

In Exposure and Response prevention, your child or teen’s psychotherapist will help him or her to learn coping skills for the anxiety related to his or her OCD symptoms. Then, your child or teen and his or her psychotherapist will jointly create a hierarchy of anxiety provoking situations related to their OCD symptoms. Afterward, your child or teen’s psychotherapist will help him or her to move through the hierarchy by facing each of the things that he or she fears while practicing his or her coping skills AND preventing your child or teen’s typical response involving compulsive behaviors.

References:

Franklin, M.E., Freeman, J. B., & March, J. S. (2019). Treating OCD in children and adolescents: A cognitive behavioral approach. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

March, J. S., & Mulle, K. M. (1998). OCD in children and adolescents: A treatment manual. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

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