Tonight I watched a special on children with obsessive compulsive disorder. These poor children were battling paralyzing anxiety that lead to the disorder. One girl could not live at home and refused to allow her parents to touch her. Another teenage female couldn't attend school out of fear of her fellow students and how "dirty" they were.
A third young boy reminded me of my own daughter. He repeatedly asked his mother questions about how the day would be much like my daughter. She is obsesses with what we will eat each meal or where we are to go or what we are to do that day. This young man was desperately seeking comfort and security that he would be ok. It resembled my daughter's constant need to know what is going to happen or what we are going to eat. She seems to be seeking some sort of security or comfort. But even if you answer their questions, both my daughter and this boy would ask again.....and again and again. It doesn't seem to matter if it is an answer they like or not. They will need to hear it again later.
Many times we will return the question to my daughter testing if it is a memory issue, but she correctly recalls the answer. She inevitably asks again within 10 minutes. It can be very frustrating and wearing on our patience. I was able to relate the the parents of the boy featured on this show. They were brought to tears during the interview. Fortunately, I haven't been brought to that point with this particular issue, but I know it is not easy.
This brings me to two other thoughts as I reflect on this show. First, my own anxiety is only getting worse. My nightly ritual of checking the perimeter of the house is getting more elaborate. Not only do I need to check the locks, but I check every window and both my daughter's chests to make sure they are breathing. Many times I even poke my wife to make sure her heart is still beating. Parenthood has greatly increased my anxiety and worry.
Secondly, I think about my students and how I should handle things when they behave in these erratic ways. After watching this special I know I need to show much more compassion. I try to be strict and maintain high expectations and usually chalk up weird behavior as attention getting behavior more than a serious disorder. But what if the eccentric behavior is a sign of budding OCD?
I have been lucky to be surrounded by knowledgeable support staff throughout most of my career to ask these questions when I have run into it in the past, but if levies keep failing, I won't for long.
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