Washing or cleaning Washing hands excessively,
sometimes until they are raw and bleeding. There are many other types of
washing behaviors, including:
Toilet ritualsChecking These types of compulsions can involve
checking doors, locks, or backpacks, to make sure everything is safe.
Some children and teens check to make sure that everyone is okay. For
example, calling family members to "check" that they are safe.
Counting, tapping, touching, or rubbing Compulsions
can involve counting, touching, or tapping objects in a particular way.
Some children and teens have lucky and unlucky numbers involved in their
rituals (e.g., needing to touch a door four times before leaving a
room).
Ordering/arranging This compulsion involves
arranging items in specific ways, such as bed sheets, stuffed animals,
or books in the school locker or book bag. For example, a child might
need to line up all the shoes in the closet so that they all face
forward, and are matched by color.
Mental rituals Not all children and teens with OCD
will have compulsions that can be seen. Some perform rituals in their
head, such as saying prayers or trying to replace a "bad" image or
thought with a "good" image or thought. For example, a teen might have a
bedtime prayer that he or she mentally repeats over and over again
until it "feels right".
