OCD in Adolescence

Research Paper # 111170

Child, Youth Issues > Teen, Adult Issues
Psychology > Child and Adolescent
Psychology > Disorders

OCD in Adolescence

An overview of the literature concerning obsessive compulsive disorders in adolescence.

1,018 words () | 21 sources | APA | 2005 Canada

Paper Summary:

The paper refers to the literature concerning obsessive compulsive dsorders (OCD) in children and adolescents that shows how the disorder is not only debilitating but also lacking in the necessary tools for assessment and treatment. The paper discusses the classification of OCD as an anxiety disorder and reveals that the prevalence of the disorder is under diagnosed and underestimated. The paper includes the writer's personal reaction that much more research is necessary within this area of psychology.

Outline:
Lack of Research
What is Known about Childhood and Adolescent OCD
Classification of OCD
Some Additional Research
Prevalence
Personal Reaction

From the Paper:

"Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic and potentially disabling neuropsychiatric condition, which often emerges during late childhood or early adolescence. This disorder is characterized by recurrent obsessions and/or compulsions which are deemed to be excessive to the extent that they cause distress in a person's life, and disrupt daily living patterns and functioning (APA, 1994). OCD in children tends to dominate every aspect of the affected child's life (Wolff & Wolff, 1991). The presence of obsessive thoughts and the overwhelming need to perform compulsive rituals may adversely affect the child's family and peer relationships, school performance, vocational functioning, participation in extracurricular activities, self-esteem, and emotional well-being (Wand, Furer & Shady, 1993; Thomsen & Jensen, 1991; Toro, Cevera, Osejo & Salamero, 1992)."

Sample of Sources Used:

American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and Statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington DC: Author.
Flament, M.F., & Rapoport, J.L. (1984). Childhood OCD. In T.R. Insel (Ed.). Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. (pp. 24-43) Washington: American Psychiatric Press.
Flament, M.F., Whitaker, A., Rapoport, J.L., Davies, M., Berg, C.Z., Kalikow, K., Sceery, W., & Shaffer, D. (1988). Obsessive-compulsive disorder in adolescence: An epidemiological study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 27, 764-771.
Foa, E. & Kozak, M. (1995). DSM-IV field trial: Obsessive-compulsive disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 152, 90-96.
Hanna, G.L. (1995). Demographic and clinical features of obsessive-compulsive disorder in children and adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 34, (1), 19-27.