OCD often develops in childhood

Even though we might not immediately think of children as a group that could be prone to developing mental health disorders, early onset OCD is actually relatively common, and the most typical age of onset for OCD is adolescence. As children—especially younger children—sometimes have a difficult time describing their feelings or potential symptoms, it's important to keep an eye out for any sudden or “strange” behaviors that could indicate disorders like OCD. Early diagnosis and intervention are particularly important, especially with OCD.

https://res.cloudinary.com/nocdcloud/image/upload/v1739220849/1_bjsaap.png

https://res.cloudinary.com/nocdcloud/image/upload/v1739220852/2_mjncna.png

https://res.cloudinary.com/nocdcloud/image/upload/v1739220856/3_dukzep.png

https://res.cloudinary.com/nocdcloud/image/upload/v1739220859/4_vttnwh.png

https://res.cloudinary.com/nocdcloud/image/upload/v1739220862/5_u0fdym.png

https://res.cloudinary.com/nocdcloud/image/upload/v1739220866/6_ohdsda.png

captain_kapai

Date posted: 5w ago

My early sign starting at the age of 12: taking about 800 pictures of my rabbits in case they die. Never looked at the pictures again. Also checking whether they are still where they should be. Today, I have ROCD (haha, autocorrect turned this into: „Today, I have rocks“ :D yeah they would not cause me as much distress. Or maybe they actually would, who knows. Let’s take some pictures of the rocks. Are the rocks still there??)

Anonymous

Date posted: 5w ago

Can OCD be caused by trauma as a child?

nae nae

Date posted: 5w ago

Yes, OCD can be triggered by trauma!

Anonymous

Date posted: 5w ago

@nae nae Caused or triggered?

nae nae

Date posted: 5w ago

@Anonymous Both! OCD and trauma are definitely linked, but it's not a requirement for OCD to develop. There are a lot of factors that can play into its development, but research shows that trauma is a common cause.

Mackenzie - ...

Date posted: 5w ago

@Anonymous Hi! I am posting a link below to an article from the NOCD library that I hope you will find useful! https://www.treatmyocd.com/what-is-ocd/info/related-symptoms-conditions/trauma-and-ocd

Anomynous

Date posted: 5w ago

Is there a book about OCD ? Like an OCD encyclopedia (or an OClopeDia hehe) that would assemble all the knowledge that we have about it, to where it takes its roots in childhood and to its many subtypes and how one can deal with it. It would be great to add therapists advices on how to deal with it and people explaining their recovery journey, idk I think it would be great to spread the message and get people to know more about this disease and that it's not just about germs or cleaning but heavy stuff sometimes and how it's tough and isolating, maybe it would even motivate some people to reach out even they fear asking for help. It helps knowing that we are not alone and that there is peace and strength in the end of that tunnel, there are many lessons to learn from this when you recover. I wish us all healing and peace of mind.

Euphori!

Date posted: 5w ago

And yes, if you are a parent, look out doe those symptoms. I wish I was diagnosed earlier ... it may have prevented a lot of months immense stress for me. Let's all do our part to make others aware of OCD!

Euphori!

Date posted: 5w ago

I was told that childhood trauma may have been what triggered my ROCD When I became older

Sthind

Date posted: 5w ago

Hi, if a child aged 6 says: “it’s my fault”, I can’t do it; I can’t get it out of my mind (could be small like asking for chocolate) are these possible OCD ?

needtoescape...

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 5w ago

I don't know about "I can't do it", because it really depends on the context, as well as why they're saying that. Can they just not eat their vegetables because they don't like them? Or is it that they can't go to school because their house might flood if they aren't there to check ten times that all the faucets are off? So whether "I can't do it" is a warning sign depends exactly what "it" is. "It's my fault" depends on the circumstances too: if the kid actually did something, then they could just be developing the maturity to take responsibility for their actions. But if the kid was not at fault, especially if they frequently take responsibility for things they didn't do, well that could be OCD, but it could also be some sort of trauma, or something else. Whether "I can't get it out of my mind" is a sign of anything serious depends on what exactly the thought is. If it's that they "need" dessert, then probably not, but if it's that their whole family is going to die in a fire, then that's probably a red flag (whether that's OCD specifically or something else). I'm not an expert or anything, so definitely take what I say with a grain of salt, but I hope this helps at least somewhat.

Be a part of the largest OCD Community

Share your thoughts so the Community can respond