Internet Therapy for Children with OCD

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is condition that affects about 2.2 million Americans and 750,000 people in the UK. It has two key features: thoughts that repeat themselves over and over again (called obsessive thoughts) and feeling that the person must do certain actions repeatedly (compulsions). The person thinks the thoughts are silly, but they cannot stop them. Sometimes only carrying out the actions stops the thoughts for a while. The typical example is thinking that your hands are dirty, even though you know they are not, and having to wash them repeatedly. The person can spend a huge chunk of the day carrying out these compulsions. This often makes it very difficult to function at all. This can be even more tragic when it affects a child. I vividly remember a patient of mine I will call Leo for the purposes of telling his story. Leo’s mother brought him to my clinic when he was 8 years old. He was small for his age and quite slender, but, somehow, he had quite a presence. He would look at you in the eye and speak in precise well-crafted sentences. I remember having the impression that he was always mildly disappointed that adults — me included — did not quite live up to his expectations. He never came across as peevish or snooty; just seemed to take in the fact that you were flawed, but forgive you for it. His mother told me that he had been having some horrible thoughts for a while. He started avoiding his friends, spending increasingly more time in...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Anxiety and Panic Children and Teens OCD Psychotherapy Students Technology Treatment Child Development childhood OCD Compulsions internet therapy Obsessions Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Smartphone Source Type: blogs