Early onset of OCD? Or a picky child?

Question

My 4 year old is kind of obsessed with her door k**b to her bedroom. She always wants to be the one to close her door, and if someone else closes the door, then she throws a fit until they touch the k**b on the other side- like it's not equal if they touch one side of the door k**b and not the other. I have caught her before jiggling the door k**b before she opens the door. She wipes her door k**b off several times a day.

She's also picky about the ceiling fan in her room. When it's not running, it has to sit just right.

Otherwise, her room is pretty messy. I have to make her pick her toys up and stuff all the time.

The door k**b and the ceiling fan though are a little odd to me. Someone mentioned it could be early signs of OCD. Does anyone know anything about the subject?

Answer 1

People are so quick to label things these days. Your child is merely trying to exert some control over her little world, her own surroundings. When she goes to school and has friends and outside interests she will become less preoccupied with her doorknob, etc. Just give her time. Don't worry about "catching her" jiggling the k**b, just back off and let her be; if she senses your concern it will only make her anxious.

Answer 2

I would say to keep an eye on her and if she does not grow out of these rituals then I would say to contact a psychologist.  I did a lot of research on the topic of OCD when I was in college and it is nothing to take lightly.  OCD can become devastating to some people and cause people to not be able to lead a normal life.  If you are worried about your child, take her to a child psychologist.  It won't hurt and at least you will know what is going on with her.  OCD is totally treatable with help especially before it gets worse.  Good luck!

Answer 3

I think she will grow out of it. I had similar issues when I was young and eventually it stopped.

Answer 4

Yes my daughter suffered.  (now treated and usually better)

The needing to keep the touch on each side equal is a very telling symptom that isn't likely in the non OCD . Below is the criteria from the physicians diagnostic manual. See if she fits. If so, and if it was my child or a friend's child I would strongly recommend talking to a professional, even though it says they must be 6. There are exceptions and room for doctor judgement. Get recommendations from people. Not all shrinks are good.  They used to say only adults could be  bipolar and now millions of kids have been diagnosied so they changed.

A. Either obsessions or compulsions:

Obsessions as defined by (1), (2), (3), and (4):

               1. recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images that are experienced, at some time during the disturbance, as intrusive and inappropriate and that cause marked anxiety or distress

               2. the thoughts, impulses, or images are not simply excessive worries about real-life problems

               3. the person attempts to ignore or suppress such thoughts, impulses, or images, or to neutralize them with some other thought or action

               4. the person recognizes that the obsessional thoughts, impulses, or images are a product of his or her own mind (not imposed from without as in thought insertion)

Compulsions as defined by (1) and (2):

               1. repetitive behaviors (e.g., hand washing, ordering, checking) or mental acts (e.g., praying, counting, repeating words silently) that the person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession, or according to rules that must be applied rigidly

               2. the behaviors or mental acts are aimed at preventing or reducing distress or preventing some dreaded event or situation; however, these behaviors or mental acts either are not connected in a realistic way with what they are designed to neutralize or prevent or are clearly excessive



B.  At some point during the course of the disorder, the person has recognized that the obsessions or compulsions are excessive or unreasonable. Note: This does not apply to children.

C.  The obsessions or compulsions cause marked distress, are time consuming (take more than 1 hour a day), or significantly interfere with the person’s normal routine, occupational (or academic) functioning, or usual social activities or relationships.

D.  If another Axis I disorder is present, the content of the obsessions or compulsions is not restricted to it (e.g, preoccupation with food in the presence of an Eating Disorder; hair pulling in the presence of Trichotillomania; concern with appearance in the presence of Body Dysmorphic Disorder; preoccupation with drugs in the presence of a Substance Use Disorder; preoccupation with having a serious illness in the presence of Hypochondriasis; preoccupation with sexual urges or fantasies in the presence of a Paraphilia; or guilty ruminations in the presence of Major Depressive Disorder).

E.  The disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition.



DIAGNOSTIC FEATURES

The essential features of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder are recurrent obsessions or compulsions (Criterion A) that are severe enough to be time consuming (i.e., they take more than 1 hour a day) or cause marked distress or significant impairment (Criterion C). At some point during the course of the disorder, the person has recognized that the obsessions or compulsions are excessive or unreasonable (Criterion B). If another Axis I disorder is present, the content of the obsessions or compulsions is not restricted to it (Criterion D). The disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition. (Criterion E).

Obsessions are persistent ideas, thoughts, impulses, or images that are experienced as intrusive or inappropriate and that cause marked anxiety or distress. The intrusive and inappropriate quality of the obsessions has been referred to as "ego-dystonic." This refers to the individual's sense that the content of the obsession is alien, not within his or her own control, and not the kind of thought that he or she would expect to have. However, the individual is able to recognize that the obsessions are a product of his or her own mind and are not imposed from without (as in thought insertion).

The most common obsessions are repeated thoughts about contamination (e.g., becoming contaminated by shaking hands), repeated doubts (e.g., wondering whether one has performed some act such as having hurt someone in a traffic accident or having left a door unlocked), a need to have things in a particular order (e.g., intense distress when objects are disordered or asymmetrical), aggressive or horrific impulses (e.g., to hurt one's child or to should an obscenity in church), and sexual imagery (e.g., a recurrent pornographic image). The thoughts, impulses, or images are not simply excessive worries about real-life problems (e.g., concerns about current ongoing difficulties in life, such as financial, work, or school problems) and are unlikely to be related to a real-life problem.

The individual with obsessions usually attempts to ignore or suppress such thoughts or impulses or to neutralize them with some other thought or action (i.e., a compulsion). For example, an individual plagued by doubts about having turned off the stove attempts to neutralize them by repeatedly checking to make sure that it is off.

Compulsions are repetitive behaviors (e.g., hand washing, ordering, checking) or mental acts (e.g., praying, counting, repeating words silently) the goal of which is to reduce anxiety or distress, not to provide pleasure or gratification. In most cases, the person feels driven to perform the compulsion to reduce the distress that accompanies an obsession or to prevent some dreaded event or situation. For example, individuals with obsessions about being contaminated may reduce their mental distress by washing their hands until their skin is raw; individuals distressed by obsessions about having left a door unlocked may be driven to check the lock every few minutes; individuals distressed by unwanted blasphemous thoughts may find relief in counting to 10 backward and forward 100 times for each thought. In some cases, individuals perform rigid or stereotyped acts according to idiosyncratically elaborated rules without being able to indicate why they are doing them. By definition, compulsions are either clearly excessive or are not connected in a realistic way with what they are designed to neutralize or prevent. The most common compulsions involve washing and cleaning, counting, checking, requesting or demanding assurances, repeating actions, and ordering.

By definition, adults with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder have at some point recognized that the obsessions or compulsions are excessive or unreasonable. This requirement does not apply to children because they may lack sufficient cognitive awareness to make this judgment. However, even in adults there is a broad range of insight into the reasonableness of their obsessions or compulsions. Some individuals are uncertain about the reasonableness of their obsessions or compulsions, and any given individual's insight may vary across time and situations. For example, the person may recognize a contamination compulsion as unreasonable when discussing it in a "safe situation" (e.g., in the therapist's office), but not when forced to handle money. At those times when the individual recognizes that the obsessions and compulsions are unreasonable, he or she may desire or attempt to resist them. When attempting to resist a compulsion, the individual may have a sense of mounting anxiety or tension that is often relieved by yielding to the compulsion. In the course of the disorder, after repeated failure to resist the obsessions and compulsions, the individual may give into them, no longer experience a desire to resist them, and may incorporate the compulsions into his or her daily routines.

The obsessions or compulsions must cause marked distress, be time consuming (take more than 1 hour per day), or significantly interfere with the individuals normal routine, occupational functioning, or usual social activities or relationships with others. Obsessions or compulsions can displace useful and satisfying behavior and can be highly disruptive to overall functioning. Because obsessive intrusions can be distracting, they frequently result in inefficient performance of cognitive tasks that require concentration, such as reading or computation. In addition, many individuals avoid objects or situations that provoke obsessions or compulsions. Such avoidance can become extensive and can severely restrict general functioning.

PREVALENCE

Although Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder was previously thought to be relatively rare in the general population, recent community studies have estimated a lifetime prevalence of 2.5% and 1-year prevalence of 1.5%-2.1%.



COURSE

Although Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder usually begins in adolescence or early adulthood, it may begin in childhood. Modal age at onset is earlier in males than in females: between ages 6 and 15 years for males and between ages 20 and 29 years for females. For the most part, onset is gradual, but acute onset has been noted in some cases. The majority of individuals have a chronic waxing and waning course, with exacerbation of symptoms that may be related to stress. About 15% show progressive deterioration in occupational and social functioning. About 5% have an episodic course with minimal or no symptoms between episodes.

Answer 5

i would say no. she is probably just trying to be indipendant. and do motherly things like clean and parents are usually the ones to shut the door so maybe she is just trying to grow up too fast.. i wouldnt worry untill she starts opening and closing the door a certain number of times before she will walk through it

Answer 6

My son is autistic and has OCD. He loves doors and doorknobs. He is so repetitive with opening/closing and jiggling of the doorknobs we've had to replace them. Oh and lets not forget having to oil the squeaky hinges too from the repetitive opening/closing! If you think she has OCD make sure you do your research and definitely talk to your physician. The earlier you can start treatment, the better!

Also, like someone else said earlier, she might be independent. Maybe wants to be the first to do everything including closing the door. Me and my sis fought over everything when we were small. Including who would let the water out of the tub, we had to take turns!! Maybe your daughter cleans the doorknobs so she can look at herself in it, you sure can make some funny looking faces in a doorknob!!

Answer 7

Generally speaking unless the behavior interferes with her life it can be chalked up to a quirk. If she was unable to leave the house, still worried about it hours later (it occupies her thoughts) she's unable to interact with other children and/or the compulsions become worse or multiply with time you have a problem on your hands.