What is OCD?
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition characterised by intrusive, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviours (compulsions) that a person feels driven to perform. These obsessions and compulsions can be distressing and significantly interfere with a child’s ability to enjoy and perform at school.
Obsessions: these are repetitive thoughts that are experienced as intrusive to and uncharacteristic of the person thinking them.
Compulsions: are either external behaviours or mental strategies which are used to try and escape from the discomfort of the obsessions.
How can teachers help students with OCD?
Be aware and notice
Most people have heard of OCD, and it is commonly associated with things like a need for cleanliness and orderliness.
However, there are many different presentations, and someone with OCD can worry about absolutely anything.
For example, a child may repeat an action like walking through a doorway because they had a ‘bad’ thought and need to repeat it because they fear the thought may come true if they do not.
Many people have a type of OCD that is not really visible to others but will be characterised by things like seeking reassurance, or doing something internal, like repeating words or saying a prayer in their head.
How to spot OCD in the classroom:
Watch out for children:
- With repetitive behaviours
- Getting lost in their thoughts
- Seeking reassurance
- Asking to go to the toilet after break (to secretly wash their hands)
What can teachers do to help a child with OCD?
If you think a child in your classroom has OCD, you should speak to the school SENCo and discuss strategies. Working together with the student, their family, and any professionals involved in their care, teachers can participate in the development of a personalised care plan. CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) can be a successful approach to treating OCD in children; however, teachers can play a large part in making the school environment suitable for children with OCD.
The following strategies are a starting point to help teachers through the process.
- Speak up: Early identification and early intervention are key to improving outcomes for students with OCD. If you notice early signs, share your concerns with the SENCO or mental health coordinator.
- Work with the home: Maintaining open communication between school and home is essential to ensure consistent progress and address challenges together.
- Avoid punishment: The student’s behaviour is a result of their OCD, not a conscious choice. Punishing them for compulsions or related issues, like lateness, will not help and will only increase their anxiety.
- Use calming techniques: Tools and strategies that help manage anxiety can also assist in supporting students with OCD. See our articles on anxiety for help.
- Consider the classroom seating plan: Discuss with the student where they feel most comfortable sitting. If their symptoms are noticeable, they may prefer to sit away from others who could tease them.
- Calm, quiet environment: Students with OCD often experience mental noise, so a peaceful, controlled classroom environment can support their concentration. This is an accommodation similar to those that are helpful
- Provide distance and privacy: Giving students space from others can be beneficial, especially if they’ve been bullied. A quiet corner of the room or private exam rooms can help improve their performance.
- Avoid cold-calling and reading aloud: If a student is anxious or perfectionistic, calling on them unexpectedly or asking them to read aloud or present to the class can be overwhelming. Support and adjust these activities as needed, or consider skipping them.
- Create an escape plan: Having an exit card and a designated safe space or person to approach is important for students who may become overwhelmed in class.
- Understand their triggers: Work with the student to identify what triggers their OCD symptoms. Keeping a journal for a few days can help both of you uncover potential triggers, which can then be avoided or managed.
- Reinforce what works: Pay attention to the situations, environments, or activities that seem to help the student engage and concentrate more freely. Try to incorporate more of these into their routine.
- Consider autism and ADHD accommodations: Many strategies used to support neurodivergent students with autism or ADHD can also benefit students with OCD. These adjustments can help create a more inclusive learning environment and improve their experience in school.
Was there a rise in OCD after COVID?
With children and young people stuck in their home together with their carers, they may be more at risk of physical abuse, sexual abuse and emotional abuse, and they will certainly have had fewer opportunities to disclose anything that has happened to them to a safe adult outside of their home. And those children who were already identified as being at risk and had the involvement of children’s services may have had fewer visits and check-ins from professionals, which will have also increased their risk.
All children and young people have also been exposed, over a period of several months, to repeated information from news and social media about the dangers of the COVID-19 virus. And they have had to digest that information without the previous level of social support from their peers and from calm, reasonable, caring teachers and school staff.
And of course, there have been a large number of unexpected deaths due to Covid-19. So, many children will have been suddenly and unexpectedly bereaved. They may not have had the chance to say goodbye due to restrictions in the hospital, and the usual opportunities to mourn together and be supported through their grief may have not been possible.
Emotional coaching
See the OCD section of the Educational Fact Sheet found on the Information for Teachers page of the Nip in the Bud website.
Treatment
OCD is a very common mental health problem and with early intervention is a highly treatable condition. Children who access CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) for OCD have a very good prognosis.
Further support and information
More information about OCD can be found on the OCD ACTION website. There are also plenty of good books about OCD for example ‘Overcoming OCD’ by David Veale and Rob Willson or Managing OCD with CBT for Dummies by Katie d’Ath and Rob Willson which give a thorough explanation of the condition and how to manage it.
Katie d’Ath
CBT therapist specialising in OCD