OCD hand washing

[LauraMcC]

My 11 year old D has always been a bit picky about hand washing and hates having 'sticky hands' She washes her hands after touching pretty much anything - which hasn't necessarily been a bad thing. However, since home learning started last year and she has had to work on her laptop she is washing her hands about 4 times an hour. I've tried speaking to her and asking why and she just insists her hands are sweaty and sticky. I've encouraged her to dry them on a towel instead of putting water on them but she becomes so distressed I tend to give in and allow her to wash them. She will not use wipes or hand sanitiser only soap and water. Her knuckles are cracked and regularly bleed and the skin on the back of her hand is dry and flaking. She has 50:50 cream from GP as she used to suffer from eczema but she can't stand to have it on the palms of her hands so rarely lets it be applied. Should I be tougher about not washing hands or telling her she is limited to so many washes an hour? Or will this make the problem worse because she is getting more anxious about not being able to wash? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated because I don't want this to become a lifelong issue for her. Thanks

[MegCleary]

Ask what will happen if she doesn’t wash them, what are the thoughts.

[ittakes2]

You need to speak to the GP - she has OCD. My mu, myself and my kids have OCD. Its rarely just stays as one thing - it can be triggered by puberty / stressful situation and lockdown. It is really how her mind works so you are likely as she gets older for it to extend to other things and then it gets even trickier to treat so please speak to GP ASAP to nip it in the bud. You could ask her to wash only the sticky palm and finger bit if these are bothering her. I just wash the tips of my fingers rather than my whole hands now as my knuckles used to crack. She can put her cream on the top of her hands which seem to be the worst bit anyway. She doesn't need to put it on her palms if the feeling bothers her. She can squirt it onto the tops of her hands.

[Perfectstorm72]

There's a really good book which was recommended by a specialist OCD and anxiety clinical psychologist for us which has really helped my daughter to challenge her compulsions and associated thoughts I'll try and attach a link for you. Also, have a look at SPACE as a treatment as it guides parents through reducing accommodations and increasing support. So it's not dependant on the child doing anything.

Stand Up to OCD!: A CBT Self-Help... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/178592835X?ref=ppx%5D%5D%5B%5Bhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.co.uk%2Fdp%2F178592835X%3Fref%3Dppx_pop_mob_ap_share&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21 poppmobappshare