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Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a serious anxiety-related condition where your child experiences frequent intrusive and unwelcome obsessional thoughts accompanied by high levels of anxiety such as:

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Fears of contamination, worries about something bad may happen to themselves or their loved ones, or worries about health, often followed by repetitive compulsions, impulses or urges. Behaviours or rituals include repetitive hand washing, checking and rechecking e.g doors and needing to have things arranged in a particular order.

OCD may result in a negative impact on your child's school work, friendship, and home life. Often a child’s obsessions and compulsions dominate family life, which in turn can create tension between family members.

 

Understanding the impact on you and your family caring for children with OCD can be an extremely hard, stressful and draining experience, which is difficult to share with others.

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The role of Parents, Schools and Caretakers

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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can be frustrating, exhausting and scary for everyone, while Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a chronic condition, it is equally a very treatable psychological disorder that can certainly be overcome.

As a parent or teacher, you play a vital role in the effectiveness of the treatment in giving practical and emotional support to your child.

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How can CMC Help Children and Teenagers with OCD?

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At CMC –Dubai, we adhere to the guidelines of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence - UK (NICE),

NICE guidelines recommend psychological treatment such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) as the first line of treatment for OCD in children and young people. In many cases, CBT alone is highly effective in treating OCD, but for some cases a combination of CBT and medication is also effective. Medication may reduce the anxiety enough for a person to start and eventually succeed in therapy.

 

CBT is a form of talking therapy which focuses on the problems a person has in the here and now and helps them explore and understand alternative ways of thinking (the cognitive approach) and to challenge their beliefs through behavioural exercises.

 

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) should also form part of the CBT treatment. This involves being exposed in a very structured way, with the support of the therapist, to whatever it is that makes the child feel anxious, without then engaging in the checking or other OCD behaviours.

 

It is widely recognised that CBT is the most effective treatment for OCD because it focuses on the 'here and now' of the problem as opposed to other talking therapies which tend to focus on ‘past problems’.

Receiving the highest standards of care, support and appropriate treatment for OCD, and sticking to the treatment plan, those are the keys to long term recovery from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Treatment options for OCD are available at CMC - Dubai, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

We understand that taking your child to a mental health service may be anxiety provoking, but our professional staff are experienced to help your child make the quickest recovery.

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How does CBT Work for my Child with OCD?

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CBT aims to identify connections between thoughts, feelings and behaviour, and through various tasks, challenge unhelpful thoughts so that behaviours and feelings can change. There is considerable evidence to suggest that this therapy is especially effective in treating OCD.

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CBT will help your child by:

 

• Finding their negative or unhelpful ways of thinking

• Checking and testing the evidence for their negative and
  unhelpful thoughts

• Developing more helpful ways of thinking

• Learning to stop completing compulsions

• Decreasing anxiety to a manageable level

• Learning to tolerate low levels of anxiety

• Finding new ways to cope with their other unpleasant feelings

• Overcoming their problems to help improve their quality of life

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Medication:

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In some circumstances when your child’s condition is dramatically impacting their daily functioning, medication may be considered. This is usually prescribed by a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist from CMC - Dubai CAMHS.

The medication helps decrease anxiety so that your child feels more able to start making changes.

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Cambridge Medical Centre (CMC) Child & Adolescent Mental Health information publications Copyright 2018.

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 Read more: 

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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): for young people
© March 2017 Royal College of Psychiatrists

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