An artistic and curious young child, Jordan Brown* has struggled with anxiety since the age of five. But it was not until COVID broke out in 2020, when Jordan was 10, that their worries raged out of control. They began washing their hands repeatedly until they bled, and they engaged in elaborate clothing-related rituals, like taking off all their clothes when they got home, putting them on a garbage bag, spraying their hands and feet with cleanser, and then walking up one side of the stairwell to the bathroom for a half-hour shower.
Jordan?s mother, Alex Brown,* a Guelph, Ont-based single mom, found herself completely overwhelmed trying to manage these symptoms, which turned out to be signs of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
OCD is a difficult and sometimes heartbreaking mental health disorder that affects about two to three percent of children and adolescents. Parenting a child with OCD can be a challenge, but experts say there is hope. Treatment for OCD works by helping kids confront or ?feel? their difficult feelings so they won?t feel compelled to perform rituals as a way to block them. The right strategies can help children to recover. What is OCD"
Obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD is a form of anxiety that involves obsessions and/or compulsions. Obsessions refer to recurring, upsetting and unwanted thoughts that can cause a lot of distress and worry, while compulsions are the rituals that the person feels compelled to do as a way to get rid of the unwante...