QUIZ:  Does My Child Have OCD

 

This quiz is intended to help parents identify if there is sufficient reason to suspect a child may have OCD to seek professional assessment.

This quiz does not definitively diagnose OCD.

If you think your child may have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

QUIZ

Child Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

1. Does the child worry excessively about blood, germs, spit, urine etc?

2. Does the child verbalize a preoccupation with religious, sexual, or aggressive thoughts/fears?

3. Does the child engage in cleansing rituals before using an area like toilets, tables, door knobs?

4.  Does the child wash/bath excessively.

5.  Does the child bathe or groom themselves in a very precise way every time?

6.  Does the child clean obsessively?

7. Does the child avoid touching others or objects?

8. Does the child report fears of becoming ill?

9. Does the child express fears of exposure to toxins or poisons?

10.  Does the child take precise care of belongings?

11. Does the child engage in a lot of checking and rechecking behaviors of doors, homework, belongings?

12. Does the child engage in a lot of counting behaviors?

13.  Does the child require symmetry of the way things are positioned or their body is touched?

14. Does the child have a strong preference for specific numbers or even quantities ?

15.  Does the child present with a need to do basic behaviors in specific order?

16.  Does the child report fears or preoccupation with accidents that they fear will come?

17. Does the child worry that they have inflicted harm on others?

18. Does the child worry that they are going to be harmed by others?

19.  Does the child report strong superstitious beliefs that are accompanied by behaviors to keep them safe?

20. Does the child present with excessive worry about getting things right?

21. Does the child experience great emotional distress when routines are changed or abbreviated for time?

22. Does the child report experiencing thoughts they do not agree with?

23.  Does the child report feelings of guilt and remorse about thoughts?

24.  Does the child report experiencing thoughts that pester, bother, overwhelm them?

25. Does the child seek frequent reassurance that things are OK?

26. Does the child repeat phrases, prayers, wishes?

27.  Does the child express a desire to sleep to prevent thoughts from bothering them?

28. Does the child collect excessively and struggle with letting go of unnecessary things?

OCD does not mean that the child will meet all of the criteria in this quiz.  If you see your child in this list of items.  If reading these questions left you thinking, yes my child does this and my child does that, then the next question to ask is how emotionally distressed is your child feeling?  How often do they become distraught about things on this questionnaire?  Is it impacting their sleep or their school success?

If you are concerned then it is a good idea to consult a professional child therapist who has experience treating OCD in children.

Do not hesitate to ask if the therapist has experience with OCD and children.  If not do not hesitate to ask for a referral to a therapist who does.  For more about treatment of OCD in children click here.

If you have gone through this quiz but are still unsure consider these articles for further discussion of Child OCD.

Raising, Supporting, and Advocating for a Child With OCD

Treating Child OCD

Bad Thought OCD in Children

PANDAS and Child OCD

The OCD Child: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in Children

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