OCD Symptoms In Teens

Obsessive-compulsive behaviors can take hours out of someone's day and impact their day-to-day life and overall well-being. Although it isn't unusual for teens to seem “obsessed” and spend hours watching TV or playing video games, some obsessions and compulsions may indicate obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Thankfully, OCD is treatable. But first, you have to notice the symptoms and seek a diagnosis. In this article, we'll discuss the warning signs of OCD in teenagers to help you spot any troubling behaviors early.

How common is OCD in teens?

When OCD begins in early childhood or adolescence, it's referred to as early-onset OCD. It’s one of the most common mental illnesses among people in that age group and occurs in about 1–3% of children and teens. OCD can severely affect a child's mental health and can result in conflict within the family.

At what age does OCD usually develop?

Researchers¹ have found that the age of OCD onset follows a bimodal distribution (it peaks in two separate age groups). Nationwide, 20% of the people who suffer from OCD develop symptoms at age ten or earlier.  The peak for this side of the bimodal distribution is around age 11.

The second distribution peak occurs in early adulthood, as the onset becomes more common again. Until adolescence, OCD is slightly more common in boys than girls. However, in the teenage years and beyond, the condition is equally prevalent in both sexes.

What does OCD look like in teens?

Although the division between child-onset and adult-onset OCD isn't always clear, there are some differences. Therefore, OCD in teenagers may look different depending on whether its onset was before the start of puberty or after. Typically, child-onset OCD is associated more commonly with tics and attention deficit disorder (ADD) as comorbidities, while among those with adult-onset OCD, anxiety, and depression are more common.

What are the three major symptoms of OCD? 

To be diagnosed with OCD, three criteria must be met. A person with OCD will have obsessions, compulsions, and emotional distress. One or two of the three would not warrant an OCD diagnosis.

• Obsessions are unwanted thoughts or urge 

• Compulsions are desires to act upon obsessions

• Emotional distress results from obsessions and compulsions

What are the four types of OCD?

There are four dimensions of OCD:

• Contamination or cleaning, where a person is obsessed with dirt, germs, and contamination and is compelled to clean or avoid places, people, and objects they perceive as unclean

• Doubt about harm or checking, where a person is plagued by a constant fear that something bad may happen and feels compelled to repeatedly check that the stove is off, the door is locked, and so on

• Symmetry and order, where a person is obsessed with arrangement and alignment and is compelled to rearrange objects as they see necessary 

• Unacceptable thoughts and mental rituals, where a person experiences thoughts they deem unacceptable and feels compelled to carry out mental rituals in an attempt to block the thoughts

How do doctors treat OCD in teenagers?

Treatment for OCD can involve psychotherapy, medication, or a combination. Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy effective against OCD. In particular, a CBT technique called exposure and response prevention² (ERP) is a first-line treatment for OCD.

When medication is used, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) are the treatment of choice. 

Can OCD go away with age?

OCD can resolve with age, although it persists into adulthood for most people. An analysis of several studies found varying estimates of remission. One study showed that 13% of patients were in remission after 15 years. Another showed that 70% of patients still had symptoms after 11 years.

The lowdown

OCD onset occurs largely in a bimodal distribution — in childhood and early adulthood. Therefore, teens who are experiencing OCD may have either type. Although they're comparable with respect to symptoms and treatments, the comorbidities differ.

If your teenager is experiencing obsessions and compulsions causing anxiety or difficulty functioning, a medical professional can determine if OCD is the cause.