Welcome to the IOCDF OCD in Kids Website

“Picture this: It’s time for bed. Say good night to each person, pet, and stuffed animal in the house. Walk to the bedroom, 48 steps, must end on an even number – wait is the back door closed? Go back and check. It is. Walk to the bedroom, 48 steps end on an even. Wait – when the backdoor was checked, did the front door maybe open? Go back and check. OK, front door is closed. Walk to the bedroom, 48 steps end on an even. Turn all the pillows facing the right way. Go into the bathroom and wash hands. Brush teeth. Okay, wash hands. Wait. Did I brush for 2 minutes? Brush teeth again for 2 minutes. Wash hands. Blow nose – really hard so I don’t stop breathing while I’m sleeping. Wash hands. Go to the bathroom. Wash hands. Turn off light with elbow since hands are washed. Get in bed, 8 steps end on even. Wait – did I flush the toilet? Go check. Yes, toilet is flushed. Wash hands. Turn off light with elbow. Get back in bed, 8 steps end on an even. Wait, did I say good night to everyone? Say good night to everyone again, just in case. Crazy, huh? No – it’s OCD.”

-From Max Mickenberg’s essay about his OCD at age 11

There are also at least 1 in 200 – or 500,000 – kids and teens that have OCD. This is about the same number of kids who have diabetes.

That means four or five kids with OCD are likely to be enrolled in any average size elementary school. In a medium to large high school, there could be 20 students struggling with the challenges caused by OCD.

Although OCD does occur at earlier ages, there are generally two age ranges when OCD first appears:

• Between ages 8 and 12
• Between the late teens and early adulthood

Welcome to the International OCD Foundation’s website about OCD in kids and teens. Our goals in building this website are to:

• Educate the general public
• Facilitate education and training of mental health professionals, pediatricians, and school personnel
• Support research into the causes of and effective treatments for pediatric OCD
• Improve access to resources for those with OCD and their families, as well as clinicians and school personnel

It occurred to us that individuals looking for information about OCD in kids and teens would have different needs. As a result we have broken out this website into 5 sections:

• Information and resources intended for Parents
• Information and resources intended for Kids
• Information and resources intended for Teens and Young Adults
• Information and resources intended for School Personnel
• Information and resources intended for Mental Health Professionals

We hope the IOCDF OCDinKids website meets your information and resource needs. We invite your comments and suggestions which you can direct to info@ocfoundation.org.

Sincerely,