What should you do if you suspect your child is developing OCD?

If you suspect your child is developing OCD, don't do what I initially did, which was to feed it; try doing these 3 things instead.

1. Understand OCD

Understanding OCD and how it operates is essential when you find yourself faced with parenting a child with OCD.

• What are the 3 main components of OCD...especially the disorder bit?
• What should you avoid doing?
• How is it different to general anxiety?

These are just a few questions you need to know the answers to to start managing OCD the RIGHT way.

In my blog yesterday, I covered more about how OCD operates and how it differs from general anxiety.

I have popped the link below in case you want to check it out.

How Do OCD Behaviours In Children Differ From General Anxiety?

2. Get Professional Help

OCD is a complex condition that often requires medication alongside therapy.

There are also many different themes and variations within those themes.

That is why it is crucial to seek medical advice immediately if you suspect your child is developing OCD.

1. Doing compulsions over and over in a set pattern or at a specific time.
2. Having meltdowns if compulsions go wrong or if others refuse to do compulsions.
3. Avoiding people to conceal their OCD due to the stigma that sadly still exists around OCD.

I have created a FREE guide that goes into this in more depth that you can download by clicking the link below.

How To Tackle Childhood OCD in 5 Steps

3. Inform Your Child's School

Discreetly inform your child's school that your child is suffering from childhood OCD.

Doing this was a game-changer for us.

Some of the ways that schools can offer support for childhood OCD include:

• Disregarding late starts if compulsions go wrong before school.
• Allowing children to discreetly work from a different room if their OCD anxiety is high.
• Stopping the nasty school absenteeism letters from being sent out.
• Offering ways that you can support your child with school work at home to stop them falling behind.
• Providing to any events likely to heighten anxiety and trigger an OCD meltdown. Things like school photographs or anything else are likely to change the daily routine.

How can I help you?

If you are struggling to know how to support a child with OCD, here are some other places where I post free content to help you.

Instagram

Facebook Page

TikTok

YouTube

My Blog

Or you can DM me for help and advice. ??

#ocdawareness #ocdrecovery #childrenmentalhealth