Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Adolescence
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Adolescence
Melissa Clark
Psychology 1010-033
Salt Lake Community College
Brammer
November 26, 2013
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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Adolescences
Several years ago, a family member of mine was diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive
Disorder. At first, my family and I weren’t exactly sure what obsessive-compulsive disorder
was. I knew he had a lot of anxiety about being dirty but it was hard for me to understand why it
was so important to him to wash his hands repeatedly. When I would ask him why he felt he
needed to wash his hands so frequently and repeatedly, he would tell me that he didn’t want the
germs to make him sick. I wanted to write on this topic because it not only affected someone
close to me but it affected our family life as well. I wanted to learn more about the topic as it
was something I never truly understood. In this paper, I will discuss the definition, facts,
symptoms, and treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in childhood/adolescences. This
family member was diagnosed when he was 9 years old.
Definition
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is also known as OCD. “OCD is a neuropsychiatric
disorder involving the frontal subcortical circuits of the brain.” (Stewart, Hezel, Stachon, 2012).
I will discuss the importance of this in the treatment section of the paper. According to our
textbook authors (Schacter, Gilbert, & Wegner 2013), obsessive-compulsive disorder is
“intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and ritualistic behaviors (compulsions) designed to fend off
those thoughts interfere significantly with an individual’s functioning.” My family member was
having a hard time with the obsession of being dirty and gave him sever anxiety if he didn’t stop
what he was doing and wash his hands. I believe his compulsion was washing his hands because
this was the only behavior that could relieve the obsessive thoughts temporarily.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
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As I have researched this topic several articles have shown a biological correlation with
OCD. “Family studies indicate a moderate genetic heritability for OCD: Identical twins show a
higher concordance than do fraternal twins. Relatives of individuals with OCD may not have the
disorder themselves, but they are at greater risk for other types of anxiety disorders than are
members of the general public.” (Schacter et al., 2011). Another family member of mine was
diagnosed with anxiety years before he was diagnosed with OCD. This may be the biological
correlation for the OCD. However, I am not an expert.
Facts
According to the several articles I have reviewed, OCD is common in adolescents.
“OCD affects ~ 1-2% of children.” (March & Schub 2013). One to two percent may seem small
but there is a high probability (80-90%) of developing OCD during childhood and adolescents.
(Hesselberg Nikolajsen, Becker Nissen, & Thomsen 2011). Children as young as 5 years old
have been diagnosed with Obsessive-compulsive disorder. (Lang, Krebs, Stokes, & Turner,
2009) “Mean age at onset is 19.6 years, with cases in males typically developing at an earlier
age than cases in females; mean age at symptom onset is 6-15 years in males and 20-29 years in
females.” (March & Schub 2013). My family member was diagnosed with OCD when he was 9
years old. However, children can go undiagnosed. “Paediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder
(OCD) is a common, yet under-recognized, neuropsychiatric illness in both clinical and
community settings.” (Stewart et al., 2012).
Symptoms
I believe the symptoms for OCD are easier to detect by the individual themselves. “In
most cases OCD is associated with a characteristic set of symptoms. Nevertheless, it may be
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difficult to detect for a number of reasons.” (Lang et al., 2009) Some of the reasons that are
listed in their article are some children are too young to explain the issues, children are ashamed
of their thoughts/behaviors, and other times the child is believed to be going through a phase.
(Lang et al., 2009). I think that Young and Hawkins outline another reason why diagnosing
OCD is difficult. “Compulsions can also comprise mental acts such as counting, praying, or
silently repeating words to ‘neutralize’ the obsession.” (Young & Hawkins 2011). Often times,
the compulsions aren’t something others can see. They are a mental process for the individual
suffering from OCD.
There are some ways to notice symptoms in others. “OCD can also cause the child to
become avoidant of situations at school that may provoke intrusive thoughts, for example,
avoiding areas that they believe to be contaminated (e.g. school toilets) or lessons that they may
perceive as ‘dangerous.’” (Lang et al., 2009). Avoiding a situation or a place may be a good
indicator of OCD, as long as its coupled with other indicators. Another way of noticing
symptoms in others may be their interactions with others. “Many children with OCD are
embarrassed by their rituals and may refrain from social situations that may provoke them.”
(Lang et al., 2009).
Treatment
There are a few treatment options available to children/adolescence with OCD. “Once
properly diagnosed, paediatric OCD is highly treatable with empirically proven approaches
include cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT) and serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) medications.”
(Stewart et al., 2012). “CBT helps young people feel better by making changes to unhelpful
thoughts and behavior. For OCD, this involves helping a young person to gradually face their
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
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OCD fear while at the same times refraining from performing any compulsions.” “CBT is highly
effective, and the majority of young people respond well and are OCD-free at the end of
treatment.” (Lang et al., 2009). However, there is another option if cognitive-behaviour therapy
is not helping. “For example, patients suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who
fail to respond to treatment (including several trials of medications and cognitive behavioral
treatment) may benefit from specific surgical procedures that destroy parts of the cingulate gyrus
and corpus callosum (see Chapter 3) or that disrupt the pathway between the caudate nucleus and
putamen.” (Schacter et al., 2011)
Conclusion
When my family member was first diagnosed with Obsessive-compulsive disorder, I
didn’t quite understand. It seemed to me that he should be able to just stop washing his hands if
he didn’t want to do it. I now have a better understanding of this disorder. I know that he wasn’t
able to just stop washing his hands because the obsessive thoughts were too powerful. It was the
only way he could temporarily control the thoughts. Researching this topic for my paper helped
me to understand the definition, facts, symptoms, and treatment of adolescence who suffer from
OCD.
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References
Steward, E, Hezel, D, Stachon, A (2012) Assessment and Medication Management of
Paediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Therapy In Practice. Springer International
Publishing AG
Schacter, D.L., Gilbert, D. T., & Wegner, D.M. (2011). Introducing Psyhcology, New
York: Worth Publishers.
Lang, K., Krebs, G., Stokes, C., & Turner, C. (2009). Understanding obsessive
compulsive disorder. British Journal of School Nursing, Volume 4 (8), 390-394.
Hesselberg Nikolajsen, K., Becker Nissen, J., Thomsen, P.H., (2011) Obsessivecompulsive disorder in children and adolescents. Symptom dimensions in a naturalistic setting.
Nord J Psychiartry. Volume 65 (4), 244-250
March, P. & Schub, T. (2013) Quick lesson about…Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
Cinahl Information Systems, a division of EBSCO Publishing
Young, A. & Hawkins, S. (2011) Assessment of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Practice
Nursing, Volume 22 (4), 178-183.