Hi, this is Tom, and in this episode I'm going to be going through obsessive, compulsive disorder

in children. And you can find notes at zero to finals.com slash OCD and in the zero to finals

pediatrics book. And you can find flashcards and questions to train your knowledge at members.0.0.com.

So let's jump straight in.

Obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD is characterized by obsessions and compulsions.

Obsessions are unwanted and uncontrolled thoughts and intrusive images

that the person finds very difficult to ignore.

Examples of this include an overwhelming fear of contamination by dirt or germs

or violent or explicit images that keep appearing in their mind.

Compulsions are repetitive actions that the person feels they must do, generating anxiety if they're not done.

Often these compulsions are a way for the person to handle the obsessions.

For example, they check all electrical equipment is turned off to settle the anxiety of obsessing about the house burning down.

Although this behaviour of checking electrical equipment is turned off can be normal and appropriate,

a person with OCD may check every plug in the house 10 times before they're reassured.

The obsessions and compulsions are present daily and they're not something that the person enjoys or does willingly.

They impact other areas of life,

such as their social life or their other interests. Let's talk about the OCD cycle. There's a cycle in

OCD which involves obsessions, anxiety, compulsions, and temporary relief. The obsessions, these uncontrolled thoughts and intrusive

images, lead to anxiety. This anxiety leads to the compulsive behaviours which lead to a temporary

improvement in the anxiety. Shortly after the temporary improvement in the anxiety.

Shortly after the temporary improvement in anxiety,

the obsession reappears and the cycle reoccurs.

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