Parents often face the fact that their child constantly bites fingernails or a pen, pulls its head, scratches its nose or head, and coils the hair on its finger.
Psychologists and psychiatrists call this phenomenon "syndrome of obsessive movements in children".
What is it? And how can you help your child get rid of obsession?
Obsessive compulsive disorder: concept and characteristics
As a rule, obsessive movements coexist with some other neurotic manifestations: obsessive thoughts (it always seems to the kid that his shoelace has been untied or his jacket is unbuttoned and he checks all the time if everything is in order), rituals (when he goes to bed, the child always rolls the blanket into a tube and, falling asleep, squeezes the edge of the rolled blanket , or on the way to the kindergarten necessarily bypasses the birch growing at the fence, although this lengthens the path).
The complex of such painful manifestations is called "obsessive-compulsive disorder" (OCD) or "obsessive-compulsive disorder". It includes both its component and intrusive movements.
The word "obsessive" means that a person cannot control his own actions or states. She imposed on him, as if by force.
Ideas, thoughts, images, fears, dreams (if they are constantly repeated), fantasies can be obsessive.
Typical intrusive movements
The most characteristic obsessive movements in children:
- gnaw nails or pen (if it is a student),
- blink (nervous tick)
- teasing something (the same pen, a button, your finger, a little boy can even pull at your penis, but in rare cases),
- to itch
- jerking your head
- bite your lips
- all the time something to chew or suck
- zip and unzip the buttons.
There are also rare obsessive movements: for example, a child always pulls with his left shoulder, or always carries cones, nuts and some garbage in his pocket and goes through them all the time, or every five minutes he washes his hands.
Obsessive can only be considered such actions baby which he constantly repeatswithout knowing why.
Once seen, even if they seem strange to parents, such manifestations do not speak about anything.
Causes Ticks
Since intrusive movements are a neurotic symptom, they can be provoked by all the same reasonswhich cause any neurosis.
It:
- Emotional trouble (parents are cold to the child, do not notice him, or are too strict and demanding, or mom and dad often quarrel with the child, or have gone their separate ways).
- Gross mistakes in upbringing (the most typical: hyper-care and so-called “self-indulgence", when a mother or grandmother blows away dust particles from a baby, anticipate any of his wishes, as a result the first failure to fulfill desire leads to stress).
- An inharmonious relationship in kindergarten (with a caregiver or with other children), when a child of preschool age is ignored or dismissed, offended.
Severe illness or general physical weakness, which weakens the nervous system.- Mental abnormalities that parents can not guess.
- Sharp lifestyle changes or abrupt changes in the circulation of the father and mother with the baby.
- Strong stress.
- Strong or persistent negative experiences.
- Fears (perhaps fictional).
- Birth trauma (the consequences of which were not immediately apparent).
Severe illness or general physical weakness, which weakens the nervous system.There may be other reasons.
No negative factor automatically does not lead to neurosis, and even all of them together do not always affect the child. It is very individual.
Ultimately, a person causes neurosis in himself: this is his personal response to a particular challenge to life, in this case, an abnormal answer.
Mistakes in educationresulting in neurosis in children:
Symptoms, signs and meaning
The intrusive movements themselves are a symptom.
They do not constitute the content, the essence of the disease state.
Once the baby behaves like this, he nervousHe has some internal problems that he unknowingly tries to solve in such a strange way.
Rituals and obsessive actions, however strange it may seem, is a kind of (or auto) psychotherapeutic procedure itself.
Thus, the child is trying to calm himself, to normalize his mental state. Of course, he does not always succeed, because the method is not the most effective.
However, it is important to understand that intrusive movements themselves do not cause any harm, unless they turn into self-harm, which happens very rarely.
Treatment
Usually the doctor who led the child with similar symptoms not keen to find out their origin. It is quite difficult, need a psychological or psychoanalytic qualification.
The doctor, as a rule, simply prescribes sedatives for the baby, from lungs to fairly strong ones, as well as vitamins and massage. Such a standard treatment set for this neurosis is explained not by medical, but rather by psychological and even commercial reasons.
Doctors, massage therapists and pharmacists are educated in the same universities and often see themselves as a single corporation, therefore, they consider themselves obliged to help each other.
In fact, if a child has problems, they need to be revealed. Removing the symptoms, which is achieved by the methods listed above, does not mean curing the disease.
This approach is ineffective. Neurosis is a disease of the soul, not of the body. A sickness of the soul tablets and massage can not be cured.
Of course, the people also developed some ways of deliverance children from obsessive actions. For example, a child who constantly twirls hair on a finger is simply clipped or forced to wear a hat, even indoors. Sometimes used folk sedatives (decoctions of herbs) or a bath.
Some of these tools it can be used. However, without the help of a doctor, they will not solve the problem. A much more effective way to solve a problem is psychotherapeutic methods.
Let's say manual therapy (children sculpt, draw, or make soft toys under the guidance of a psychotherapist teacher) occupational therapy (for example, work on a potter's wheel), canistherapy (specially organized therapeutic care for children about dogs and communicating with them), game therapy (therapeutic games with other children under adult supervision).
However, in this case, the root of the problem is not identified.
Parents should not show the child their anxiety about its not quite normal manifestations, as it will strengthen them.
You do not need to punish the child, scold, forbid him to do what he does (the forbidden fruit is sweet, besides, the child is not able to give up his manifestations, he does not control them).
The best - ignore such actions as if they were not there. But at the same time carefully and imperceptibly for the baby to watch him, try to understand him.
Obsessive compulsive disorder in children - symptoms and treatment:
Opinion of Dr. Komarovsky
Evgeny Komarovsky is a well-known and respected pediatrician, as well as a publicist and writer.
The essence of his opinion is that one should not get carried away with the elimination of obsessive movements in and of themselves, fight them.
Parents task - not the external "normality" of the child, not its apparent similarity with other healthy children, but the overcoming of its internal problem.
Intrusive actions are not a disease, but a symptom. Like a rash or fever with some somatic diseases. What is the point of fighting rash or fever? They show us that something is wrong in the body.
When we focus on the symptoms, ignoring the disease itselfwe refuse to help the sick. We only want to calm ourselves, convince ourselves that everything is already in order with him. But the disease is driven into the depths.
Therefore, Dr. Komarovsky advises not to rush to buy sedatives, not to try to relieve symptoms without knowing their causes.
His approach is that in themselves painful manifestations are even helpful: that signal us about the trouble in the mental life of the patient.
The task of the father and mother is to identify the cause of this trouble.
In this case, they often have to think not so much about the child itself, but about themselves and their relationship with it. You have to change something in yourself.
But modern adults, who are often correctly called "consumers", easier to go the other way: Stuff your baby with medication, eliminate symptoms and calm down.
What was the matter, and remains unknown.
But parents can avoid the need review something in their own behavior and attitude towards the babyand, moreover, they are pleased that they care so well for him, do not spare their strength and money for his treatment.
This way Dr. Komarovsky considers, in most cases, wrong. His approach is based on the need to find the root of trouble and eliminate it. It is more difficult, but much more useful for the child.
Children's doctor about tiki in children:
Prevention of childhood neurosis
Prevention of neurosis is, above all, harmonious family relationships. Where friendship, mutual understanding, cooperation, respect and love prevail, neurosis is usually nothing to do.
It is very useful to teach a child from an early age to take care of others, including his mom and dad.
Neurotics are always selfish. They are fixated on their problems. If attention is diverted to another person, it has a psychotherapeutic effect.
We need to find out what the baby likes to do, and give him the opportunity to do his favorite thing. Very good prevention method - labor, productive activity.
This may be growing berries in a greenhouse, caring for a puppy, cleaning the apartment.
Must be certain baby effort resultwhich he sees and which is appreciated by adults.
Well, if the kid loves animals, it is especially useful to take care of them, and this care should be regular, daily.
It is very important that the child led an active lifestyleEvery day I learned something new, I learned to explore the world around me.
Communication with loved ones can also be considered as prevention of neurosis.
It is important to take care of the health of the baby, as weakening of the nervous system can be due to weakness of the whole body.
At the same time, playing sports with constant participation in competitions can, on the contrary, provoke neurosis. It is better not to engage in sports, but physical education and physical labor.
Healthy, beloved, properly educated, surrounded by loved ones, leading an active lifestyle baby not subject to neurosis. If this happens, it will be possible to cure it without much difficulty.
What to do with the "bad habits of children" - the so-called obsessive movements? A word to the expert:
