Both children and adults are susceptible to OCD. OCD in children is usually hereditary, while OCD that shows up in adulthood is not thought to have genetic causes. At present, the exact causes of OCD are unknown.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, or OCD, is a cognitive disorder characterized by a person’s thoughts being stuck on one particular idea, creating a need to do tasks repeatedly to relieve the fixation. OCD stems from a problem in brain pattern communication that causes thoughts to repeat continuously.

This obsessive thought pattern is distressing to the individual, as he recognizes the thought as being unreasonable but is unable to stop it from repeating. He develops a series of compulsive behaviors that he believes will control the obsessive thoughts. These behaviors may include counting, repeated hand washing, repeated time-consuming rituals or an extreme need for order.

Signs of OCD in Children
Children are learning to make sense of the world, and feel secure with routine. Some routines are normal and help a child feel comfortable. An example of this is bedtime rituals. A child without OCD may need his door open, his night-light on, the music playing, a hug, kiss and drink of water (in that order) and a bedtime song in order to feel ready to go to sleep. This is not cause for alarm.

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