Does OCD get worse with age?

Does OCD get worse with age?

Here's my take on it.

It can depend on several factors, including:

• How severe OCD is?
• How much others accommodate it.
• How much you stand up to it.

Because the longer OCD is left untreated, the harder it becomes to manage.

The best example I can use to demonstrate this point is by using my and my daughter's experiences of OCD.

My experience.

Looking back, I have had several OCD issues, including:

• Reciting prayers over and over when I was very young due to worrying that my parents were going to die.
• Reciting phrases over and over.
• Repeatedly checking that appliances were switched off or that doors were locked.

But despite having what I now know to be many different themes of OCD, it hasn't managed to take over my life.

Granted, it can still be a nuisance, especially when you have to lock up doors at work.

But I must have somehow learnt to stand up to the voices over the years, as OCD hasn't succeeded in totally controlling my life.

My daughter's experience.

OCD managed to control nearly five years of my daughter's life.

OCD seized an opportunity to sneak into my daughter's life and convince her that:

• Most of the house was contaminated.
• Most of her family and friends were contaminated.
• School was contaminated.

But this was not enough for OCD.

It also recruited me to accommodate this, which made things even worse!

And, we were all walking on eggshells and doing anything OCD asked in an attempt to create some calm.

Thank goodness for CAMHS who came to our rescue and helped us stand up to this bully!

They came up with a plan on how to stand up to this bully.

It took over four years.

But very slowly, we got there, and my daughter (and we as a family) are now leading normal lives again.

But it could have been a different story.

CAMHS explained to us that had our daughter's OCD continued until adulthood; it would have been almost impossible to treat because the longer OCD behaviours go unchallenged, the more rooted (and more complex to manage) they become.

So, with that said, if you suspect a child is developing OCD behaviours, early intervention is crucial.

This begins with getting a child referred for professional therapy...

And standing up to OCD behaviours by doing the opposite of what it wants, aka ERP therapy.

I created a FREE guide, How to Tackle Childhood OCD in 5 Steps, which shares 5 steps to start managing OCD behaviours in children.

The guide can be downloaded by clicking the link below.

How to Tackle Childhood OCD in 5 Steps