OCD Symptoms in Teens: Are you Missing the Signs?

[@megii5917]

how do I bring this up to my therapist? Im scared if I get tested and I am not positive for ocd, my parents will think I want attention.

[@Natashadanielsocdtherapist]

It is so important to bring up so you can get the help you need. It is more important to get the help than to worry about what they’ll think.

[@KitanaXEB04]

Me too

[@najeebenton862]

I'm going through the same things

[@heather328]

me too

[@SevensMarkedSeven]

Same!

[@sofgomezg4727]

Ohhhh my Gooooddddddddddd this explains so much of the things i did as a child

[@goofball2228]

I was diagnosed with OCD and ADHD when I was 10. Now I’m 14 and since I’ve started treatment I’ve been doing better.

[@Leo-tu8gh]

you deserve more views and attention i am so glad that you clarify OCD i suffer from it and it hurts when people belittle it

[@Natashadanielsocdtherapist]

E Coli Thanks - hopefully over time we can all educate those that don’t get it.

[@Leo-tu8gh]

AT Parenting Survival for All Ages thank you so much i will help support you in growing your amazing channel

[@Natashadanielsocdtherapist]

E Coli Thanks ❤️❤️

[@goofball2228]

My dad belittles it all the time and it makes me so frustrated. I tell him that I’m feeling really anxious because of an OCD intrusive thought and he’s like “That’s normal, everyone experiences that” but CLEARLY he doesn’t know how severe mine is.

[@songbird377]

When I was 3 I felt weird if I accidentally stepped on a crack in the sidewalk, so I had to step over the lines and watch where I stepped or else I'd get a weird sensation in my foot. Was that childhood OCD? I heard a lot of people say they had that same experience too.

[@Natashadanielsocdtherapist]

We all have situations like that - it can be labeled OCD by the intensity and frequency of these thoughts.

[@emilyr8624]

for me it was the complete opposite, i had to step on the crack to make a number 4 and if i didn’t or i missed it i’d have to go back

[@goofball2228]

For me when I was 4 my OCD said that if I used the toilet a shark would eat me.

[@kikigoumas587]

I’m 11 year old and I just related to all these things

[@cammys8468]

🥺 I was very young when I got it. You should definitely talk to your parents

[@goofball2228]

I was 10 when the onset of mine started. You should talk to someone.

[@maggiehopkins1824]

One of the symptoms you mentioned was excessively saying "I'm sorry". We have always thought it was his anxiety; his need to not have anyone mad at him or his worry of getting in trouble and getting yelled at. Are there resources you could direct me to research this more?

[@Natashadanielsocdtherapist]

Hi Maggie - I would look into Moral OCD to just rule that out. Here are some of my Moral OCD resources: www.anxioustoddlers.com/psp-032-scrupulosity-ocd/

[@alina6623]

Thanks. I have suffered from ocd for a long time, but my parents never believed me

[@aaliyahetc.6687]

Panic! At The Toilet don't self diagnose.

[@samplautz5586]

I definitely had symmetrical ocd when I was a kid. This might sound weird but maybe I grew out of it? I don't do it anymore and haven't in awhile. I'm 18 and this probably stopped when I was 10 or 11

[@MrKruger333]

Sameee I've stopped for a while but it might come back since I'm still quite young and it has come back once before (If my hand accidentally touched an object I HAD to get my other hand to touch it the same way to make it even)

[@cherrytoli]

i know it’s been a year, but this is totally normal! it’s very common among children and lots of kids do it and grow out of it in later years, sometimes they’ll show new behaviours that suggest OCD but sometimes it just goes away

[@MrKruger333]

@@cherrytoli 100% ! Yesterday after watching all the videos abt OCD I started doing it again, luckily I stopped today but it does sometimes come back

[@tammym9411]

I realize this was posted a while ago, but perhaps if you're still active (on this video especially) you could possibly help me out? Though obviously, I wouldn't expect any diagnosis of course. I've taken screen tests online for OCD and so far I've 'overachieved' the average mark on those tests. So currently, I'm on my way to seeing a therapist about it. I don't talk to anyone about this because I feel that they're going to say I'm asking for attention or that I don't know what I'm saying (which isn't untrue, since I'm not in any way specialized in OCD matters). It makes me really emotional talking about it because I know that truthfully, they won't understand because of course, it could be anything. To get this out of the way, here are what I think are symptoms (that I'm enduring): - I have to count everything. It comes in spurts, but when I'm anxious or bored I always have little rituals of counting how many steps I take, how many seconds it takes until someone speaks again (for example, when I'm just talking with my friends). It even goes as far as to see how much time I can hold my breath. - For the breathing part, this may be a bit odd- which it is. I've been having this habit for a while, where if I'm anxious about something (for example, an exam) I feel the need to hold my breath for a certain amount of time; if I do so, then good luck will come to me. Or so I think. Even further into an example could be if I'm talking with somebody, (when the spurts happen) I feel the need to do or say something before they speak, move, etc. If they do anything. - Some of these rituals can consist of only going to sleep if the hallway light is turned off (and even holding my breath until it's turned off by a family member) or waking up at an even time (ex. 12:20 instead of 12:19). My favourite numbers it seems are all 'even' aside from six. And of course, the unlucky thirteen. - I crack my knuckles, tap my feet against the ground or snapping my fingers- but also online, I feel the need to close and reopen tabs and rewind videos for no reason other than to feel less anxious. - Since I attend a school further away from my home, I have to take a bus. On the bus, I usually listen to music or daydream, since I don't know anyone who goes on there. But I always and constantly feel the need to scream or hum REALLY loud, and abnormally loud (and almost to the point I can't stop myself). I remember reading that it's a symptom(?) in people who are diagnosed with OCD, but I still don't quite know. - Lastly, I'm very self-conscious of myself. Not saying that no one my age, especially as a teenager, isn't- but it feels more frustrating than downgrading. I truly hate myself some days, and feel that I'm a horrible person for no real reason? I constantly doubt myself and think my mind is against my own body. For instance, when my old friend came out to me as bisexual. Of course, I still cherish and love them just the same, but even as a known straight person, this had me thinking deeply. And overthinking constantly that I'm into girls (or both) when I know not. This constant mistrust caused me to start my 'research' and how I fell into the hole of OCD symptoms. I plainly looked up 'I'm straight but I doubt myself" or something along the lines of that. An article came up, 'How Do I Know I'm Not Really Gay?: Teen Obsessions About Homosexuality" (Fred Penzel). For a second, I had felt like it was a normal thing to have to think about because of the title...but when reading into it, OCD was brought up many times; with a list of symptoms I had just realized I have been enduring.

[@Alexander-hh1yt]

I use to cry when i blinked as a child now i falsey accuse myself of cheating and obsessing over it knowing i did nohing reassurance made me feel worse afterwards when everyone told me i never cheated i still worried “what if”

[@kaitlyn1857]

I'm about to be thirteen... And I every time I take a test at school I read the question like 1 million times! Just as I do the answers! When people use my colored pencils or markers... I ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO put them back in order! And complete perfection! Place both packages back in the exact same spot as they were last time when I got them out... And! I have my pencils separated of what they are! Mechanical goes in the holder... Pencils go in the original package they came from the store! I just looked at my calendar and I saw an X that looked soooooo curvey! It was hideous! Yuck! This started happening at the end of last school year... I'm in 7th grade now! But! Please tell me if these are signs of OCD... 😬 Also! Sometimes when I am walking on sidewalks! I STEPPED over the crack! If I stepped on the crack! I had to go two lines back and start over again...also! My last edit it this! I liked the video! Not only because it helped me realise I might have OCD! but! it was at 69 likes... I had to make it even! It was bothering me badly... 😕

[@kaitlynssong1097]

I’m 12 and I may have a minor case of ocd At school: - I won’t let anyone touch me if they went to the bathroom. Idc if they washed their hands - let alone I hate people touching me. Especially my hair - I won’t go to the bathroom at school or in public but when I do I use paper to open the door and flush the toilet ext. - if I do a group poster I get very upset if 1 thing went wrong - in ELA my huge workbook fell on the ground and got a small wrinkle so I got a new one. More stuff- - I try to avoid cleaning my room cause if I do it goes on for hours - I need to finish things perfectly or I feel like something bad will happen. I always tap my foot and play with my hands - I always set 20 alarms in the morning so I know what I have to do in perfect order. Example: I will set alarms to show I have from 5:15 and 5:30 to take a shower and 5:30 to 5:50 to get dressed. - I always wake up 2 hours before school so I’m not late and have lots of time - I have to wipe down the floor before I do push-ups in PE and I still don’t feel safe. - I also have to wipe down every desk I sit at - At the store I will often organize/reorganize items because it’s not together or doesn’t look nice -When I make food I put it in a design and put it on the most fancy plate I have. There’s more but I think that’s good for today. So... Do u have any form of OCD? Or am I just a perfectionist( that’s what my family calls me)

[@Natashadanielsocdtherapist]

I can’t assess or diagnose here. I would ask your parents to take you to a therapist to explore this further. You can find a provider here www.iocdf.org/find-help

[@Sofia-qs5ry]

I’m in senior year and it’s so embarrassing so always be the last one finishing the test, It’s technically impossible to tell ppl about the reason you took so long, it’s hard to tell people you needed to re read a question several times for it to “feel” right and that you needed to read all the long text instead of searching for the answers because you feel you’ll do bad if you don’t read EVERYTHING

[@P3rfectP3arl]

I have a lot of these symptoms so I asked my mom to get myself checked out and she said “Well everybody had a little bit of OCD.” But I still really want to get myself checked out.

[@fionnula_from_the_woods3055]

I have a lot of symptoms of ocd and I’ve told my mom but she doesn’t believe me

[@evamariqe3419]

I think I have like ocd but my family is like oh yea we all probably have that but when I’m stressed it gets very bad and looking back at those times when I’m not stressed kind of scares me but I only have like a couple of the symptoms I also have a thing where I have to do things in odd numbers specially 3’s and 5’s and the tv can only be a certain number. And I think I’m one of those kids who hides it?? But then the compulsions also happen like whenever they just pop up mostly when they aren’t watching or aren’t home. And no I don’t have separation anxiety (and never did). I think I am very good at masking it though, but some of the compulsions slip through. can you help?

[@hollydudding1907]

It’s like me except even numbers :(

[@juicewrld7065]

@@hollydudding1907 fuck me I can’t watch the tv comfortably if the sound ain’t in multiples of 5

[@rosederavil8710]

Umm I related to a lot of these. I try to keep most of it in my head because people judge me and think I’ll crazy...

[@parismorgan8831]

Can symetrical OCD be shown in other ways? Because i hate when one side is different than the other. Especially in colors. i cant wear an outfit unless there is a balance of matching colors and seperation between each one.

[@wispie.]

I do this thing where when I breathe,blink, drink something, scratch an itch, i feel like I have to do it in this certain pattern which is 12345, 12, then 12 again to kind of “cancel out” the first 12. I also “have to” do the same thing mirrored on both sides, And if something gets in the way of me doing that it remains in the back of my mind for awhile. But, I have noticed that these behaviors have died down ever since we started school at home. I’ve been trying to figure out why I feel the need to do this, but I don’t want to jump to conclusions, if you have an answer please share. Thank you!

[@Rose-xe7oj]

I did that too! I didn't even realize most people didn't do that when I was younger.

[@andrealefebvre4070]

Great great stuff!!!! Thank you so much! You are fantastic. Do you have any videos about the kind of OCD that has more to do with repetitive thoughts and reassurance seeking. For ex. “Are you ok?” Repeatedly over and over and over... or “we’re leaving at 10am, right?” Over and over and over or “we can have ice cream for dessert, right?” Over and over and over..... Repeated questions over and over... but no physical rituals. I would love to see a video on this. Thanks!

[@Natashadanielsocdtherapist]

I have a podcast episode on that topic. You can find it here: www.anxioustoddlers.com/psp-027-children-with-anxiety/

[@rietveld8329]

Im 14 and for the entirety of my life, for as long as I can remember, I would move my pencils on a desk until they were in a certain color order and were alligned with my notebooks and the edge of my desk. I would also walk ONLY on the tiles on the floor that are facing the direction I'm walking. I clean my room everyday, starting with making my bed (I usually spend about 30 minutes doing this because I hate the wrinkles in my sheets and blankets) then I clean my dresser and other furniture in my room atleast twice. While writing this and listening to this video, I realize I match up with a LOT of these symptoms. Everyday I look at my couch and other things in my home and fix things- if the pillow is crooked or the zipper is at the top instead of the bottom, i will spend time fixing it even if im busy at the moment. I also do things in and order. For example, if im writing something like an essay or even as im writing this comment, I have to make sure im tapping equally. If I use my left thumb to type the letter "L" i then have to use my other thumb and if i accidentally tap my left thumb twice i do my right thumb twice too. As a matter of fact, when i was about 8 I came up with a short word to say in my head whenever this happens. If i tap my left thumb about 6 times but im not sure EXACTLY how many times i tapped, i will assume its 5 and tap my right thumv 5 times. If i still feel uneasy about it i will tap 2 or 3 more times and in my head say "JIC" which stands for "Just In Case" for just in case i forgot tk tap once or twice.

[@isssssssssssssssssssssssaaaaaa]

I CANNOT sit in the middle. If I try I will have a mental breakdown. I can’t hold certain materials and only the thought of it makes me mad. Certain sounds are triggering. I have wearied tics that come when I’m stressed. I tic all the time. Hyper fixation in some areas of my life ( school is one and it constantly feels like I have to be perfect. An A is like an E for me. It’s like a voice in my head screaming “An A or you will disappoint everyone” ) Sensitive about food. NO ONE can touch me while I eat or are at the dinner table. I refuse to eat certain things, and even I don’t know why. And I get stressed when people TALK while I eat, so I prefer to eat alone, and when I have to eat whit others I keep to myself. Things such as my toothbrush can’t stand where the other toothbrushes are. Feeling a need to do stuff a certain way. Gets hyper fixated on things my head tells me. Right now it’s other humans in general. It’s getting hard to even go outside. Everything has to be my way. Intrusive thoughts on a daily basis. And they effect me every single day. I reckon it’s only getting worse for each year. Is this OCD? I mean their is ofc more symptoms that I have. But these listed are the major ones that happen for no specific reason, but have always been a problem in my life. I don’t want to self diagnose, but I want to know if this is something to look into further. And wondering, is this maybe OCD?

[@donatasvaiginis1749]

I used to constantly walk 1 square at a time on the sidewalk, and i sometimes balance things out, especially when im playing a game and use the keyboard, when i move forward, i them move backwards a bit, but its only sometimes, i dont always do this and dont know if that can be counted as OCD or not since it happens sometimes and not always. Other things i do is if im alone and i leave the house i double, sometimes triple check my door and inside if anythings on or unlocked, i once was nearly late to school because i walked 5mins back just to check if the tv was on.

[@clarab325]

Oh god I can relate to all of these points! I should totally go see a therapist...

[@zulmyralima]

Every time someone takes my stuff out of place i freak out and scream at them and have to put it back to place Everything i do has to be in a straight line or perfect or i have to do it all over again until its perfect and if i see something unperfect and notice it i will not rest until its fixed When i eat with my hands i have to wash my hands 16 times because it makes me feel calm and i have to wash my mout every 4hand wash I also hate when my food touch each other in the plate Do i have OCD? There other wierd stuff i do too but yeah...

[@Natashadanielsocdtherapist]

It might be worth getting assessed. You can find a provider at iocdf.org/find-help.

[@yb7689]

I notice that I have to do certain things all the time like, when i wash my face I have to rinse it with cold water 20 times. when i wash my hands, I have to wash them 6 times. (though when there are periods of times where i’m really stressed it becomes over 20) im often late for school because of how long i take to just brush my teeth. when im in my bedroom, none of my clothes can touch the floor. my chair has to be pushed into my desk at all times (especially while im sleeping, i often wake up from a deep sleep just to push my chair in) my bed (or rather my bed frame) can’t touch the walls and my blankets cant touch the floor. if something touches my right hand i have to repeat the exact same action with my left, and i wont stop until it feels the same. if i have any suspicion that someone hasnt washed their hands after using the washroom i wont let them touch me, and i get very upset if they do. I often avoid cleaning my room because when i do it takes me HOURS! when i walk to school i have to take two steps on every square on the side walk. I drink out of the exact same water bottle everyday to drink water, any other liquids i use a cup. but the only thing i let myself drink water out of is my water bottle. there are probably more, things that i probably just havent notice. i haven’t been diagnosed with anything at all. and im afraid to tell my parents about it because i dont think they’ll take it seriously. I’m 15.

[@yb7689]

i also have to make sure i close my bedroom door everyday. and if i think i left it open i will literally stop everything im doing just to check if i had closed it

[@Natashadanielsocdtherapist]

Your OCD sounds very overwhelming. I wonder what would happen if you showed this list to your parents. Maybe if they read all of it they would see how badly you need OCD treatment? I would talk to them, as OCD typically won’t go away without treatment. You can go to the International OCD Foundation’s website to find someone in area to help www.iocdf.org/find-help.

[@yb7689]

AT Parenting Survival for All Ages I will try to talk about it, thank you

[@Hilly222]

i think i have ocd but i’m not sure. sometimes when my mom repeats herself or says something i already know i try to get her to stop talking because i start to cringe really bad. sometimes when i tell her to stop talking she says no and continues to talk. every time this happens i shake my hands a lot and cringe a whole bunch. sometimes if it’s really bad ill start to cry because i just don’t want to hear talking. sometimes i might plug my ears or shut my eyes to avoid hearing her talk. this was very strange for me because me and my mom have a very good relationship and i usually always talk to her but sometimes i just can’t take it and there’s no reason. can someone please tell me if this might be a sign of ocd or maybe anxiety?

[@km8102]

Yesssss wtf I have the same issue. I don’t shake or cry but I cringe too and I get so annoyed and irritated. Like sometimes if my mom repeats herself a lot or if she calls my name really loudly I cringe so badly and idk why. Same thing when she talks to our pets. I don’t have a bad relationship with my mom either but sometimes I just need quiet and those kind of things will irritate me so much 😭

[@jordancolley401]

saaaaameee

[@amajay5411]

I like you're videos.

[@Natashadanielsocdtherapist]

Thanks :-)

[@amajay5411]

I have 3 kids and I am washing you're videos to learn how to help my children.

[@happygolucky5855]

Im an adult now but when I was young I used to confess to my mum so much, I gave me life to Jesus asking for forgiveness like 6 times. Also during communion at church I used to freak out because I thought I wasnt good enough as a child and taking communion would be a lie, a sin and I didnt know if i was good enough and didnt want to anger God. So I would get so much anxiety around that I used to think (sometimes still do) that If I dont pray about someone, that something bad will happen to them and it will be my fault because I didn’t pray. I would spend hrs praying for everyone I knew, their family, people I saw on the street, people in different countrys, famous people, homeless people, people in poverty, ect you name it. I could not sleep till everyone was covered in my prayer. It makes me laugh now im older and looking back at how mentally burdened I was as a child.

[@cammys8468]

I have ocd, and I did some of these things, but I’d don’t know if it was because of the ocd. I’m always slow at everything, and I only shower ever other day because I hate doing it. I do have rituals in the shower, but I’m not sure if that’s why I avoid it.

[@kkwendy74]

I really think I have the hygiene and balance OCD but since I'm a kid I feel like no one will take me seriously or just blame it on puberty

[@OnMyOwn__4]

I always tought I didn't had OCD, cause my only symptoms were the "toughts to do something", and the perfectionism, like my head in the "rituals" if the action was not perfect I had to repetead and repeated and the number thing.. Like I had to do stuff this mount of time if not I had to re do it that number of time. But I never had the washing hands problem neither the cleaning one.. But then I figured out.. That I actually had it in a different way.. For example people couldn't simply touch me that I gain a small anxiety and my brain told me "clean those people germs".. And like if I was sitting on a chair with a table, I started to clean that spot in the table or bring a towel, or even with water.. But I was never diagnosed with OCD, cause I never told anyone.. But I started to knew that I had the disease.

[@christinhensley7197]

So I have this thing it do when I brush my teeth, I brush with my right hand and my left hand I use to cup the water the I have to dry my hand off and go back and re wet both my hands to make them feel the same then dry them so they both feel the same is that an OCD trait

[@mrlolly4826]

I also like to wash clothes immediately so I have them back my laundry is just fool wit all my pajama because I’m supposed to we’re two different pair for a week and I end up wherein 8 pairs

[@lesborashomon8979]

lol I have tics sometimes and they mix with my compulsions so its kinda hard to tell wether im doing it or not a lot of the time

[@kathleencampbell9941]

I told my mom about it years ago but when I did she told me it was tics and I have too much anxiety to tell her it’s not. I also can’t blink at people in the eyes, I have to blink in patterns around people who I would “be.” I also have to blink in patterns at everything, it’s just when it’s people I have to pick certain ones (I have a very specific checklist for blinking at.). But if I can’t blink at someone in a pattern then I can’t blink at them at all which is awful. I also constantly check for reassurance about everything. I always used to ask is this my milk every single time I drank anything and I still do. I think that’s because once I accedentally drank someone else’s milk and I’ve had to check everything I eat or drink ever since. I also bite in patterns around my food so I don’t eat enough. I touch everything which is so stressful. I have horrible intrusive thoughts. I’ve never gotten diagnosed bc I have anxiety and can’t ask anything personal except I tell people personal things all the time but I can’t ask basic questions about my health or things. Also if there’s a video or a book I’m reading/watching I can’t breathe while looking at it if it’s about certain things. It’s so awful! Anyway there’s so much more but I just needed to vent in the comment section.

[@izzypowell2533]

I shower like three times a day but I have to have to light off and I have to check to make sure everything is right about five time before I can shower

[@mrlolly4826]

Number ten might be me or I might not because sometimes I’ll be to lazy on looking for shorts that look good on me and then I’m like well those them dirty ones but then I see a stain and I’ll get lazy and do nothin about and 1 have 5 of these symptoms

[@marj5678]

I don't buy new things like clothes or a new phone unless I'm sure it can't be used anymore, even though I have enough money... Is this behavior considered to be a symptom of OCD? -I'm not ungenerous or stingy by the way- Thank you 👍🏻💕

[@adeleredmond2470]

This is a really helpful video but I feel like this only talks about specific types of OCD

[@mara_cleia3959]

When I'm stressed or focused on something monotone, I would start pulling hair or picking skin from my scalp. This has gone for three years or so and formed lesions all over my scalp. When I continued to be stuck in the house with my family due to the pandemic, my handwashing got worse because I could see everything they touched - I counted forty times once in the span of a day because I brushed a chair or someone's hand. I've been scolded for them to the point that my family thinks I'm arrogant because I won't touch them or their stuff, but I haven't had the guts to ask if it's actually OCD because of stigma and how psychiatrists aren't really available from where I'm from. Do you think I should go on? :(

[@behindyou666]

Is there any possibility of having minor OCD as having some of these signs, sorry if my question is dumb?

[@CatsAreCutiess]

what about if they deficate themselves and dont care

[@nab.7250]

That’s me.

[@samara9221]

UniverseStars I like ur name

[@Mblueia]

I told my parents I think I have it and they just said ‘Yesh probably’ and that was it…. They don’t help me with it or anything and I haven’t been diagnosed but I think I have it…. I have all symptoms-

[@Mblueia]

Except 9 and 10

[@valkrie5816]

Nice!!!

[@forestfairyy420]

Checking is 100% me

[@forestfairyy420]

OMG this Balance thing is so me

[@lunara9158]

When you meantioned balance ocd I felt the need to turn around on my bed really badly could this be a sign

[@farangisehsani592]

Some of them are true in my life

[@boofe6431]

THE BALANCE OUT BRUH THATS SO ME WTF

[@stepstojannah8173]

Omg that's my 13yr old ticking most of them need to go get help Thanks

[@jemmaj8113]

my mum said that i have ocd but she hasn’t gone to a specialist person what should i do?

[@christinhensley7197]

I also have nervous tics could that be linked to ocd

[@xiuwuyi4463]

I have cried because my parents left the house a mess

[@solar7312]

I was trying to think if I did any of these things as a kid but I can’t remember a single thing about my childhood

[@lord711]

I am the opposite of ocd Edit: reason im here cuz I thought I had it but it was just a habit lol

[@thejessman1460]

So annoying