Authored by Melody Morin Registered Psychologist and OCD Specialist
The key struggle the sufferers experience is tolerance to uncertainty. It is the uncertainty that fuels the OCD.
There are constant worries about germs that are around you – what surfaces you are touching and who has touched it before you, you have feelings of disgust with yourself that you feel the constant need to wash
your hands and that you are constantly cleaning.
When looking at objects you see when things are out of place and you feel the need to even things up, you feel that things must be ‘just right’ in terms of placement and spacing, you unconsciously are touching/tapping, and you may feel the need to repeat a certain action a specific number of times.
When looking at objects you see when things are out of place and you feel the need to even things up, you feel that things must be ‘just right’ in terms of placement and spacing, you unconsciously are touching/tapping, and you may feel the need to repeat a certain action a specific number of times.
There is a need to hear constant reassurance in being able to provide some relief in thoughts and behaviours. A small recognition in behaviour with a reassurance may go a long way in assisting to curb a spiraling action. The thought process within the mind of an individual with OCD will always
cause repetitive “what ifs” in any situation that cause additional stress.
Fear of contamination or dirt.
Needing things orderly and symmetrical
Aggressive or horrific thoughts about harming yourself or others
Unwanted thoughts including aggression, or sexual or religious subjects.
Repeated, persistent and unwanted thoughts which may include:
Repetitive behaviours you feel compelled to perform, such as:
Normal – Adds emotional response to thoughts
OCD – Adds emotions like disgust, guilt to anxious thoughts
Normal – Integrates sensory information, makes decisions, anticipates rewards and
punishments
OCD – Detects an error where there isn’t one, and sends “worry” signals
Normal – Processes and receives information, removes unwanted thoughts
OCD – Fails to filter unwanted thoughts
Normal – Controls movement, thinking and judgement
OCD – Causes reflective or repetitive behaviours
The key struggle the sufferers experience is tolerance to uncertainty. It is the uncertainty that fuels the OCD.
This could be to wash hands, if someone near the child was coughing or sneezing, or if they touched something that they perceive as contaminated. They could be washing items—pens, pencils,
backpacks, and books. It could also be an excuse to get out the classroom and just be
away from everyone, and have some respite.
This takes the form of repetitive questions. “Are you sure that’s the answer? Could you tell me again? Did you hear what I said?” Checking doors, windows, lockers, and desks. Over and over and over again.
Sometimes kids with OCD will need to finish something to completion, or understand it to completion, before they’re able to move on. So if a child is working out what he did wrong on a math test, and the teacher says, “Now let’s open the textbook and start a new chapter,” he’s not going to be able to shift gears.
If a child leaves the classroom and worries that she left a pencil behind, she’ll go back into the classroom and go to her desk and check. If she had a bad thought as she went through the doorway, she might have to “fix it” by going back through the doorway again saying a good word. If she had a bad thought when she went down a flight of stairs on the way to class, she might need to go back up that same stairway at the end of the period, even if it means being late to her next class.
A child could be erasing a lot because the letters have to look perfect. Or he could have used a word that disturbs him. For example, if he has a fear of vomiting and he’s written the word vomit, he might not be able to stand seeing that word, so he erases it. Kids start having erasers worn down to the metal. Teachers start to see holes in the paper. Words will be drawn over on the back of the page. A lot of different areas of writing become problematic.
If a child is busy thinking that if she doesn’t turn the pen cap and count to four the right way then her mom is going to get sick, she’s not going to be paying attention in class. And if her teacher calls on her to answer a question, her distraction might look like ADHD, but it isn’t.
Sometimes when kids take a long time they’re struggling with the perfectionism of needing to do things the right way. This could look like learning problems, or inattention, but it isn’t.
Teachers might see a child who doesn’t want to sit on the floor, or pick things up that touched the floor, or get his hands dirty in art class. He may avoid a lot of playground activities—kids with germ fears will look at the playground the way some adults look at the subway—it’s gross.
If a child sits down at her desk and she accidentally kicks the chair of the kid next to her with her right foot, she’s going to have to then kick it with her left foot. That might look like somebody who’s being oppositional, or somebody who’s got too much energy, but actually it’s OCD.
There’s one interesting theory that kids with OCD are smarter than other kids. And if you consider how much thinking they’re doing, they’re really using their brain more frequently than a lot of other kids are. But when that’s coupled with a lot of anxiety, you can have a lot of fatigue. So it’s common for kids with OCD to want to come home and take a nap after school.
Children and adults with OCD will often review material beyond the normal scope of review. They have their mind set on the fact that unless they know “everything they can” on something new; this can be within a school or work environment; that they will be unable to complete their task properly.
Looking at the scope of a school classroom, the constant checking, and re-checking of their task on hand, children and teens with OCD are mentally exhausted. A prime example of a typical person would be during a test. You complete your test, you review your test, and hand it in before your time is up. They will feel relaxed that they completed the test and wait for the results; they shift their focus to another task. An individual with OCD will focus on each individual question, answer, ensure that they are absolutely correct, review their test, scrutinize each question, self doubt that they didn’t get it right, review again, and typically run out of time before their review is complete. They will focus on their self-doubt until they get their test back, they will feel unease, and have a hard time shifting their focus to their next task.
While we have come a long way in accepting mental health struggles within society, globally speaking, we still have a long way to go with accepting and prioritizing our emotional and psychological well-being with our physical well-being. While the media has brought awareness about mental health, it also has provided a disservice in educating society around children’s mental health and minimizing the struggles of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
