To ask if it possible to have OCD so young?

[1Veryhungrycaterpillar]

My DD1 (5) has always been hypersensitive and takes things extremely to heart, recently this has started to worsen she has become extremely anxious about germs due to a class talk on hygiene from the school nurse. Every bedtime I have to say the same thing in the same order and if its wrong I have to say it all over again or she becomes very distressed, I don't want her to feel so anxious so young

Bless her.

I would be very careful about pandering to her re rituals as this will just enforce it in her mind. If she becomes distressed or anxious just sit with her and reassure. OCD is anxiety and the best thing to beat anxiety is to in small measures expose them to what it is they are so anxious about iyswim.

I do swym I just have no experience of this and am so worried about making things worse for her, I'll try that though as that does make sense

My Ds was displaying OCD behaviour at 5.

The most important thing is to remember its anxiety that creates the behaviour. The anxiety needs to be dealt with rather than the behaviour...iyswim?

I would approach the GP or another hcp for help, its very complex. Take care.

It's definitely possible, and you need to get help for your DD to deal with the anxiety. OCD can be treated, but it's a hard road. Look at getting your GP to refer you to CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) as a start.

Yes it is complex and I would seek professional advice asap - don't try any strategies properly till you have got some advice.

You kind of risk making it worse iyswim though it isn't your fault.

There is a national organisation I think that could probably point you in the right direction. Try ringing them up?

My mother has OCD very badly, I had it as a child, probably still do, though I am very used to it now (repeating words in my head etc) so I barely notice I am doing it unless it is very bad.

It is exhausting
It does come from anxiety

Don't make a huge issue of it, but don't ignore it/pretend it's not there.

Just try and home in on the anxiety, how she is feeling, what is behind it. Like Shelly says. Not easy with a 5yo, but I hope you get somewhere xx

My DS is the same about germs and also about healthy eating - taking things to heart and being a bit OTT about it. He also has rituals but I have begun mixing it up. I say oh it's topsy-turvey day so lets do this first. Yes, it's anxiety related. He is anxious about things he cannot control and these are just some of his symptoms.

Similar here. My son is 8 & v sensitive and has been very "particular" about certain things since a young age. I also had to say the same thing in the same order at bedtime for years. This has now stopped as he has got older.

He developed a tic recently and we had to be very careful not to comment too much on it as he really cannot help it. Tiredness seems to make it worse. As does worrying about it. Reassurance helps tho.

Generally he is happy so I try not to worry about it. If it got worse I would take him to the doctors. At the moment it's pretty much under control and I don't want him to worry so don't want to make a big deal about it.

I have OCD and have had it since anyone can remember, I in fact got told by a friends mum about germs at around your daughters age and then developed OCD rituals.

I still have OCD now and have been getting CBT to try to help cope, and the best advice they have given me is that if I find something anxiety provoking then do it as it is my OCD talking and it is the best way to break the cycle. But I can imagine that will be hard to enforce with such a young child. I hope everything works out well x

Could be many things, OP. go and have a chat with your GP they may be able to advise you.

I try to comfort her as much as I can, I don't understand her fears but would never dismiss the and I can tell she's genuinely distressed just can't help thinking I've done something wrong

Firstly, You haven't done anything wrong. Don't jump to the conclusion this is OCD, but I think you should seek some advice from your GP or ask for a referral to a developmental paediatrician. This could be nothing - just a phase - or it could be anxiety or OCD or something completely different.

There is a lovely book called 'The huge bag of worries' which I think would be pitched perfectly at your dd's age... It's about a little girl who gets 'stuck' with all her worries and a little old lady who helps her get rid of them. Might be worth a try? Essentially I think you want to build a vocabulary to help her recognise and communicate her worries, then you can work out a strategy to deal with them. Google CBt for kids too.

Thanks Wilson I will look on Amazon for that book and make an appointment for her

Has she got any underlying worries? Have there been changes in the family recently? (Moving house, bereavement, relationships ending or beginning, etc etc.) These could be driving her OCD-like behaviours as she is trying to keep things safe and predictable. At the core of OCD is an over-developed sense of responsibility. OK, so the research that established this was conducted on adults, but it's an important finding. I bet she's a caring, conscientious little girl?

I had OCD at the age of 6; and my parents couldn't deal with it. In those days there wasn't the help available that there is around now.

I would have a chat to your GP and get it 'nipped in the bud' so to speak; that way your daughter won't have to suffer like I did as a child.

Happily i'm 36 now and the OCD is well under control; therapy has helped and I've also used self-help methods.

I've had other MH problems especially Depression since childhood also so it's worth keeping an eye on your daughter if she's a sensitive type of little girl.

That's the thing, she has a very secure and loving home with no big issues but she was a very anxious baby from as young as 8 months. She used to have real worries about death etc and has recently been very worried about germs, tornadoes and earthquakes which some people find amusing but it really isn't as she was so distressed. My DM was like it as a child but I don't know if that is relevant.

I had a good family background too but I can see now that my Dad has a tendency towards Anxiety and therefore OCD-type behaviour.. my sister is quite similar too.

So it can run in families I suspect.

I think that your daughter does sound very bright and intelligent but she's using her intelligence to worry about the things she's learning about.
Is there a way to distract her and for example set her a fun learning project?

She is a bright little thing but seems to come to her own conclusions about things she doesn't understand, it doesn't help that at school kids tell each other 'scary facts' based on little or no information! Most kids shrug it off but she fixates. In your experience do you think I'm making it worse by following the bedtime ritual of saying the same threes phrases in the same order that she always wants to hear?

People will probably disagree with me but I don't change the phrases (he says a bit and i say a bit) for DS because it makes him feel secure before he goes to sleep. We do have a ritual that we go through that involves 5 different things including the phrases but I just change them round in order, not the actual things.

So my advice would be not to change the phrases if it would make her anxious. But others may disagree.