Although obsessions usually begin in adolescence or young adulthood, obsessions are also frequently seen in children and adolescents. When the obsessions we mentioned here are more intense, more numerous, and at a level that affects daily life than can be seen in anyone, expert help is required. This condition is called 'obsessive compulsive disorder' in medical language.
What is Obsession?
What we call obsession or obsession; These are recurring, persistent thoughts, impulses or ideas that come to the person's mind even if they seem absurd. Obsession causes anxiety in that person, and in order to eliminate these thoughts and reduce anxiety, the person engages in some extreme behavior or avoidance behavior. These are also calledcompulsion. While obsessions occupy the child's mind, in order to erase them from his mind, extra behaviors are added that take up all his time and can affect the child's school and social environment. Even though adults, that is, adults, are disturbed by these disturbing thoughts and their ritualistic behaviors, they apply to the child psychiatry clinic as a result of the behaviors noticed by the children's families.
Obsessive thoughts vary depending on the age of the child.The most common occurrence of obsessions. While the age of onset is 7, the average age of onset is 10. Obsession about harming their parents is very common in children. They can constantly keep themselves and their relatives under control with the concern that they or their relatives will get sick; So they may refuse to go to school or frequently check home by phone. Apart from these, worrying about getting dirty or catching germs, doing frequent and long ceremonial hand washing because you feel dirty, staying in the bathroom for a long time, not being able to get out of the toilet, wanting things to be in the same place or symmetrically, and worrying when they are not, checking them, constantly correcting them, feeling unsure. They engage in thoughts and behaviors such as constantly checking their behavior or repeating it over and over again, constantly engaging in excessive religious pursuits due to religious obsessions, and always performing certain movements the same number of times, believing that certain numbers or behaviors are unlucky.
Obsessions are psychological problems that tend to persist for many years. There may be differences in the intensity and content of obsessions over time.
When these obsessions take up all of the child's or adolescent's time and prevent them from going to school, playing games, meeting with friends, or concentrating on studying, families ask them not to engage in these behaviors. They may even condemn them, punish them, or help them continue behaviors that increase obsessive thinking. Therefore, the child's obsessions should first be revealed, accepted as natural, and treatment should be started by informing the family.
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