I think my little sister has OCD, she constantly seeks reassurance about things such as whether the dog has died, if the lights are definitely off, if the door is locked... I could go on. She gets quite distressed if you don’t give her reassurance. She seems to have some verbal and physical compulsions too. I also have OCD but it is different from hers as mine mainly focuses on contamination, counting and having things ‘just right.’ I’m not sure how to support her properly because I know I’m not supposed to give her any reassurance but it is horrible seeing her getting anxious. Does anyone know how I can best help her?

The best thing to do is to distract her by speaking to her or getting her a fidget! I have a fidget cube and it certainly helps me a lot and I know how your little sister feels!

How old is she? I first noticed signs when I was 4 or 5 and had a very rough time starting at 7, diagnosed at 19. You’re a good sister, especially for looking out for signs. It’s really tough when you’re young going through it. Best thing is to not give reassurance. If you think she’s too young to understand, maybe reword things to not say why she’s feeling that way but just that distraction is helpful. Another good thing my therapist told me for my checking locks was to check once and make a clear mental note that it was definitely locked and then after that stop and resist the compulsions

Maybe telling her she just feels high anxiety and that her OCD about different things such as her dog dying etc and reassurance seeking is just her brain trying to rationalize the anxiety....but if she were to deal with anxiety, like meditate, journal, etc that that would help her. That’s what I would say; hope she gets better!

I definitely think some mindfulness exercises will help like meditation and breathing techniques. Maybe you can do them with her! Also, as hard as it may be, it’s best to try not to give reassurance like Smiley said.

Thank you for replying! These suggestions are all really helpful. I think I will try doing meditation/relaxation with her and distracting her. She is still too young to understand why she is having these thoughts but I will explain that to her over time. Luckily she has a large selection of fidgets so that is useful! I’m hoping that the paediatrician will pick up on it when she goes for ASD and ADHD diagnosis and she will get the help she needs.

@smiley She is eight now, I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for her because she has no idea why she is doing it. Thank you for the suggestion, I will help her to do that ☺️