Is my child OCD?

[Rollergirl1]

DD is nearly 7. I have wondered in the past if she might be a bit obsessive but have just put it down to kids being kids. I would say that DH is a little bit OCD. He does lots of things that I didn't even think the kids were aware of, like tapping the wall before he walks in to a room. Or tapping the rim and the underside of a glass/cup before he drinks from it.

I just had a very laid-back conversation with DD where I mentioned this and she said that she notices all the things DH does. I tried to explain to her what the word compulsion meant and I asked her if she ever feels like that. She said that she does, lots of times. It all seems to be centered around her room and bedtime. So things like if her door isn't closed in a certain way, or if her curtains aren't closed properly, or if she notices that certain things aren't positioned properly. I asked her how it makes her feel and she said that it bothers her to the extent that she has to get up and do something about it. I asked her how she would feel if she couldn't get up and correct whatever it was and she said that she wouldn't be able to sleep and that she would keep thinking and thinking about whatever it was and would just feel bad (anxious).

So, are these feelings normal for a child, or is this something that I should be concerned about?

Hi. It does sound like she may be having some OCD type issues. My son went through this a few years ago when he was 10. He had quite a lot of things going on like the touching/counting, only putting left foot on top step etc. I think he still does some things now but he doesn't like me asking and he doesn't seem bothered by anything so I have to try and leave him even though I still worry about it.
At the time he was willing to talk a bit more and I got a really good book from amazon by Dawn Heubner. It's called something like what to do when your child's brain gets stuck. It's interactive and explains things really well getting them to try to resist doing the compulsions for long and longer until they don't feel so bad. I would recommend it. I struggled whether to take him to the GP as I didn't want to make too big a deal but wanted to try to deal with it. Let me know how you get on

Just a small point. Your child is not OCD. Your child will never be OCD. Neither is your husband.If you have OCD, you are told to tell yourself, "it's not me, it's OCD". A person can never be OCD. I know that sounds pc or what have you, but actually it is very important when it comes to OCD where often the sufferer believes that a thought or worry they have is very important and they have to DO something with it, that what they do somehow alters the chance of their worry materialising etc.

Obsessions and compulsions are basically just a way of dealing with worry and anxiety that differs from the norm. Everyone feels anxiety, it is a normal part of life. Most people "obsess" over certain things e.g. think about them over and over, find that worry pops into their head etc. I think that most people also have some compulsive behaviour. I remember a friend saying that when she would walk home in the dark from the pub that she would have to hold onto her cuffs in a particular way. Many people tap wood e.g. when fearing something. Some people wear lucky jumpers to certain sports games or whatever. My stepfather does this tapping thing with his cereal in the mornings that sort of drives me nuts, but is otherwise normal. I certainly remember having compulsions as a young girl e.g. to run to the corner before the next car came or avoid cracks in case I'd break my granny's back!

OCD is OCD when it significantly impacts on daily functioning or wellbeing. The "disorder" bit is when these behaviours sort of mushroom into longer and more explicit and more time consuming rituals, where the person will do almost ANYTHING to avoid the worries and thoughts that trouble them. I had OCD in my pregnancy. It really bears no resemblance to that sort of vague troubled feeling you have if something doesn't feel quite right e.g. if your house isn't as tidy as you would like it to be, or the discomfort a new haircut or excess weight can cause or even the childish compulsions I mentioned earlier like a child tapping something for luck or avoiding a crack etc.

If there's nothing else but these behaviours I would say that they are just a part of life's rich tapestry!

I think 7 yr olds are very prone to this sort of thing tbh. Both my dds started to do this kind if thing, although mostly it was vocal clearing of throat thing. Dd1 who s 12 has stopped. Dd2, nearly 8, does it intermittently. I was worried initially about dd1 but I ve seen it quite alot with other 7 yr olds. Perhaps ask a primary school teacher if it s common. They must see it alot.

If you hadn't noticed (I.e. she is not up all night straightening curtains) I don't think it's a true problem. Some of this is relatively normal esp at this age, as the poster said its a spectrum (children not standing on cracks, adults checking hair straightens ar e off etc).

It's also quite possible that you explainers a type of behaviour to her and she told you the thing that most fits her experience. I think she's fine. Let her know that if she has worries mum is always ready to hear.

Brilliant post Working

As I understand it, a person with OCD has an obsession to be compulsive about, a very strong overriding feeling that if they don't act out certain rituals, something terrible will happen, perhaps to themselves or their family. This dread will take over their lives, leaving them unable to function normally.

Most of what people like to call OCD is just daily rituals. Having the need to have the curtains evenly drawn or things 'just so' is actually part of being 'normal' and probably serves to reassure the person that things are predictable.

A lot of children do rituals or have fixations, counting steps or breaths or having to do actions "evenly" (winking one eye then the other, for example or sniffing again after sniffing ). Most grow out of it but a lot of adults also have them just because its a comfort. As long as its not impeding on her normal day, I wouldn't worry.

Yes I remember at that age needing to touch the other foot 'evenly.' there was no obsession attached.