excessive handwashing in a 5 year old

[lolobelle1976]

Forgive me this is my first time!! I need help!
My 5yo boy has recently started to wash his hands to excess. It first started when school helpfully told them a bit about germs and keeping clean. I only noticed when his hands were dry and chapped. Anyway, long story short, he now seems pretty obsessed with hand washing, having major trantrums if we try to stop him and insisting on wipes if we are out. He has started to open doors with his elbows (like a surgeon!) and seems to be avoiding holding things in his hands. He's even waking in the night and washing them.
This evening he didn't even want me to touch him insisting I might have germs!
Is this just a phase or the start of OCD proper? Should I try to stop him washing or should I just ignore it and let him wash whenever he feels the need? As far as I'm aware there hasn't been an upset that could be the trigger, school say they haven't noticed anything.

Waking in the night to wash his hands is a bit extreme.

I think he needs someone to put germs into perspective for him. I guess you've already tried but have you explained all they ways in which germs are useful?

He needs to see them as positive and useful in addition to their normal role of causing illness and infection. Can you explain how they help our immune not to start attacking our own bodies, how they help us digest food, etc? He needs to understand that they are not an evil to be avoided at all costs. He might not accept that from you so perhaps you could ask for the teacher who told them about germs to put them into context for him. The school needs to know anyway so they don't keep reinforcing a message which is so destructive to your DS.

I wouldn't try to force him to stop because he will probably just get really anxious which may make things worse.

Instead you could maybe reward him for trying to cut it down, maybe using wipes or hand gel sometimes instead of washing or leaving a certain lengths of time between washes which gets a bit longer each day. If he can find out that washing them less doesn't make him ill his anxiety might reduce naturally and he'll get things back in proportion.

If it carries on for very long or gets worse I would see your GP and ask for a referral to CAMHS. It might have resolved itself by the time an appointment comes through but if it hasn't he may get some CBT to help.