Obsessive movement syndrome: how to help your child. Obsessive movements in children - “bad” habits or a disease? Obsessive movement neurosis in children

Childhood neurosis is a common phenomenon among children of all ages. A negative atmosphere at school or at home, overwork, a huge amount of information, a lot of noise, psychological trauma, divorce or constant quarrels between parents, too high demands on the child - all this can lead to the development of obsessive-compulsive disorder in children (or movements).

There are many ways to deal with this, but first you need to make sure the diagnosis is correct.

Symptoms and signs

It is very easy to confuse obsessive movements and tics. But if you correctly understand the nature of these phenomena, distinguishing them will not be difficult at all. Tic is an automatic muscle contraction, twitching that cannot be controlled and is not always due to psychological reasons. Obsessive movements can be restrained by willpower, and they are always a consequence of the psychological discomfort that the child experiences.

The following symptoms indicate obsessive movement neurosis in children:

• the child bites his nails;
• snaps fingers;
• turns his head sharply;
• twitches his lip;
• smacks his lips;
• walks around all objects only on the left or only on the right;
• twists buttons;
• bites lips;
• blows on the palms, etc.

It is impossible to list all obsessive movements: it is too individual. Their main feature is their annoying repetition, almost every minute. If you do not pay attention to them, this can lead to nails being bitten until they bleed, lips being bitten through, all the buttons on clothes being torn off, etc.

Moreover, all this may be accompanied by outbreaks of hysteria that did not exist before, insomnia, loss of appetite, tearfulness, and decreased performance. That is why treatment of obsessive movement neurosis in children must begin as soon as you notice the symptoms of this disease.

How to treat obsessive movement neurosis

Drawing with paints will help you throw out negative emotions

High-quality and effective treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder in children involves working with a psychologist, and in some cases, a psychotherapist. In the most advanced cases, it comes to medical assistance.

1. Drug therapy

After examination by a psychotherapist, the doctor may prescribe sedatives and antidepressants. For each case they can be different:

• Sonapax;
• cinnarizine;
• asparkam;
• milgamma;
• pantogam;
• glycine;
• pers.

These medications should not be used without a doctor’s prescription, as they differ in their effect on the central nervous system. It is necessary to take into account at what stage the neurosis develops: at the initial stage, a few sessions with a psychologist will be enough; in advanced forms, drug therapy is prescribed. But only a doctor can determine all this.

2. Treatment with folk remedies

After consulting with a psychologist (psychotherapist) who is observing your child, you can use folk remedies in the treatment of obsessive movement neurosis. They can be very effective.

1. Infusion of oat grains. Rinse oat grains (500 g) with cold water, add cold water (1 l), cook over low heat until half-cooked. Strain, add honey (a teaspoon). Give a glass a day.
2. Decoctions of herbs such as valerian root, motherwort, tricolor violet, hawthorn, lemon balm, mint, calendula, centaury.
3. Honey water before bed: dilute a tablespoon of honey in a glass of water at room temperature.
4. Baths with soothing herbs (lavender, mint, for example) or sea salt.
5. Dance therapy: turn on music at home - let the child throw out all the negativity in dance.
6. In the summer, give him the opportunity to run barefoot on the ground, grass, and sand more often.
7. Reading bedtime stories.
8. Drawing will also help to throw out what worries the baby, so give him paper and paints, pencils, and crayons more often.
9. A holiday or cooking a favorite dish will also help bring him out of an anxious state.

In addition to home remedies for treating this type of neurosis, parents should also work on their own behavior.

3. Parental behavior

A very important point in the treatment of this type of childhood neurosis is the correct behavior of parents:

• do not scold the baby for these movements (read: how to raise a child without punishment);
• as soon as he starts doing this, you need to talk to him about what is bothering him;
• devote more time to him;
• try to understand the reason for the baby’s worries and eliminate it;
• limit your passion for computers and TV, but wisely, without pressure or yelling.

Any parent should know how to treat obsessive movement neurosis in children in order to provide timely help. Moreover, the causes of this disease lie in the psycho-emotional sphere. Give your child a happy, joyful childhood without unnecessary worries, worries and fears.

Obsessive movements in a child are quite common. They are difficult to miss, as they represent a constant repetition of monotonous movements over a long period of time. For example, parents may begin to worry about why the child bites his nails, sways, shakes his head, and so on.

Let’s try to understand in more detail the concept of “obsessive movement syndrome.” In addition, we will consider the symptoms, causes, methods of treatment and prevention of the disorder.

Why does obsessive movement syndrome occur?

Who is most susceptible to this type of disorder? What is the cause of obsessive movements?

Most often, they affect children who are often in stressful situations, brought up in dysfunctional families, or children who have suffered traumatic brain injuries. But there are also cases when obsessive movements appear in a child for no apparent (to parents and others) reasons. In any case, it is important to identify the factor that contributes to the development of the disorder and eliminate it in time so as not to aggravate the situation even further.

Symptoms of obsessive movements

There are many variations in the manifestation of this type of disorder. Caring parents should be alert to situations where their child very often:

• snaps fingers or sucks them;
• bites nails;
• shakes his head or sways his whole body;
• often sniffles (not including the presence of a runny nose);
• swings his arms or swings his leg;
• pinches the skin on the hands or other parts of the body;
• blinks frequently;
• often turns the neck or tilts it to one side;
• twirls her hair on her finger.

At the same time, it is important to repeat that the presence of a problem can be said not by performing the above actions once, but by repeating them regularly.

What can obsessive movements be associated with?

In young children, symptoms of the disorder mostly manifest themselves. There may be a constant repetition of any one or several signs at once.

As for school-age children, their obsessive movements may be accompanied by enuresis, stuttering or neurotic insomnia. This is especially true for expectation neurosis, which manifests itself as a result of the fear of making a mistake (for example, when answering near the board, and so on). In this case, obsessive movements in a child may be accompanied by tics in the form of coughing, sniffing, blinking, and grunting. Their intensification is usually observed during times of excitement, fear, worry, and anxiety.

Are obsessive movements normal in a child?

What do doctors say about this, including the well-known Dr. Komarovsky? Obsessive movements do not always indicate the presence of mental problems. In cases of mild severity, they may soon disappear on their own. It is important to remember that often such actions are the next stage in learning about the world and growing up.

But if a child has been snapping his fingers for a long time, biting his nails, shaking his head, or other symptoms of the problem are observed, it is worth contacting your local pediatrician for a special diagnosis and, possibly, prescribing the necessary type of treatment.

Diagnosis of the disorder

We must not forget that obsessive movements in children are not a separate disease, but may indicate the presence of more serious problems. And only with the help of special diagnostics can the presence of pathologies be excluded or detected. For example, the cause of constantly repeating movements may be the presence of the following diseases:

1. Tourette's syndrome.
2. Obsessive-compulsive disorder.
3. Trichotillomania.

Moreover, they can manifest themselves at absolutely any age, both in completely healthy children and in those who are distinguished by a slow pace of intellectual development.

Therapy for obsessive movement neurosis

How to get rid of such a problem as obsessive movements in children? Treatment involves different types of therapy, depending on the extent and severity of the symptoms of the disorder.

While in some cases drug treatment is not required, in others medications are used. The most effective combination of psychotherapeutic sessions with a child psychologist and drug therapy. At the same time, parents must understand that for the child’s successful recovery, they will also have to make some efforts.

First of all, you should reconsider your parenting methods. It is unacceptable to use shouting or assault against a child. The look and voice should always be calm and friendly.

In addition, the baby must be taught to be independent, neat and clean, and from a very early age. It would be useful to conduct hardening exercises, communicate with peers, read together, and so on. At the same time, it is important not to overdo it and prevent both physical and mental fatigue.

It is advisable to dance with your child for at least a few minutes every day. You need to choose funny and rhythmic songs that the baby will like first of all.

Drug treatment

Once the true reason why a child bites his nails or makes other obsessive movements has been identified, the pediatrician may decide on the need for drug treatment.

The most commonly prescribed drugs are:

• "Asparkam."
• "Glycine".
• "Cinnarizine."
• "Pantogam."
• "Persen."
• "Milgamma".

We must not forget that such drugs can only be used as prescribed by a doctor, as they affect the central nervous system. They are used only in extreme cases, when serious deviations are observed or the disease is in a very advanced stage.

Treatment with traditional medicine

Folk remedies for getting rid of the disorder can be used in combination with basic therapy. Some of them help entertain the child and distract him from the problem, while others help calm his nervous system.

Let's consider several possible options:

1. Soothing baths. During daily water procedures, you can use herbs such as string, chamomile, lavender, mint. They calm the nervous system and relieve tension.
2. Water with honey. It would seem such a simple remedy, but it has an excellent effect. To prepare it, you need to dilute a teaspoon of honey in a glass of warm (in no case hot!) water and give it to your child to drink just before bedtime.
3. Decoction of oat grains. To prepare it, you need to rinse the oat grains and cook them until half cooked over low heat in a liter of water. After this, strain the resulting broth and add one spoon of honey to it. Give it to your child a glass once a day.

Preventing the appearance of the disorder

It is within the power of each parent to prevent or at least reduce the likelihood of the child developing obsessive movements or any other mental disorders and neuroses.

First of all, prevention methods include sufficient communication with the baby. It is important to set aside at least some time every day to talk with your child (regardless of his age, even with a baby), read fairy tales to him, find joint entertainment (drawing, modeling, dancing, active games, and so on). This will help establish trust and make the child calmer.

The next stage is protection from stressful situations. Of course, it is impossible to foresee everything, but parents have the power to do everything possible so that the child is as prepared as possible for them. To do this, you can, for example, act out scenes with different unforeseen situations, so that if they arise, the baby will not be confused or scared, but will know how to act correctly.

It is necessary to establish a daily routine and strictly adhere to it. In addition, it is important to teach the child independence and responsibility.

Another important point, which was already mentioned above: in no case should mental and physical overwork be allowed, as they do not have the best effect on mental balance. For healthy children, you can also use the methods that were described in the section “Treatment with Traditional Medicine” - soothing baths with herbs and sea salt, water with honey at night, and so on.

The main thing that absolutely all parents need to remember is that the child’s health (including psychological) is completely in their hands.

It is during the period of preschool childhood that obsessive-compulsive syndrome can occur - a certain reaction of children to psychological trauma or various kinds of situations. The high susceptibility of preschool children to neuroses is largely explained by crisis manifestations: they arise as contradictions between the growing independence of the child and the biased attitude of adults towards him. The appearance of such conditions affects the child’s behavior and negatively affects his mental development. What can parents do to protect their preschooler from factors that traumatize his psyche?

Most childhood neuroses manifest themselves in preschool age, when the child enters the intermediate stage between childhood and independence. What causes influence the appearance of neuroses?

Parents simply must know the reasons that provoke the appearance of neurosis in children. The degree of its manifestations depends on the age of the child, the nature of the traumatic situation, and is also associated with the preschooler’s emotional response to it. Experts say that most often the reasons may be:

• various types of psychological trauma in the family and kindergarten;
• unfavorable environment (frequent quarrels between relatives, divorce of parents);
• mistakes in family education;
• change in the child’s usual lifestyle (new place of residence, transfer to another preschool institution);
• excessive physical or emotional stress on the child’s body;
• severe fear (how to treat fear in a child?).

This classification is quite arbitrary, since preschool children react differently to any psychological influence, but it is precisely these reasons, according to experts, that can influence changes in the psyche and behavior of children, and in the future - the manifestation of neurosis in them. If parents are attentive to their children, they will notice oddities in their behavior in time - this will make it possible to prevent neurosis or cope with it in a fairly mild form.

Experts also draw the attention of parents that children of a special personality type are most susceptible to negativity: preschoolers with increased anxiety, with such characteristic traits as suspiciousness, timidity, suggestibility, and touchiness. If excessive demands are placed on a child, then proud children who have a hard time experiencing their own failures are at risk.

How do you know that a child has a neurosis? What symptoms should parents be wary of? Psychologists warn that the manifestation of neuroses may be indicated by:

• frequently recurring anxiety thoughts;
• involuntary, repeated movement;
• complex behavioral actions, so-called.

The most common neurotic condition syndrome that causes obsessive thoughts is fear. The baby may be afraid of the dark, visiting kindergarten, the doctor, closed spaces, etc. At the same time, he often has thoughts that no one needs him, his parents don’t love him, and his peers don’t want to be friends with him.

In addition to obsessive thoughts, in preschool age repetitive actions often occur, which then develop into obsessive movement neurosis. In these cases, the child may often shake his hands, stomp his feet, and shake his head. If such a syndrome is present, he constantly sniffles, blinks his eyes rapidly, bites his nails, twirls his hair around his finger, and snaps his fingers. Sometimes preschoolers diligently engage in hygiene procedures: they wash their hands repeatedly, sniff deliberately, and then carefully wipe their nose, constantly adjusting their clothes and hair.

It is difficult to list all the symptoms in which obsessive movement neurosis is detected, since they can manifest themselves in each child individually. But adults should know their main sign - frequent involuntary execution.

In the most difficult cases, obsessive movements take the form of “rituals”, which are in the nature of a child’s defensive reaction to a traumatic factor. “Rituals” may consist of a constant series of obsessive movements. For example, experts know of a case of certain actions during preparation for bed, when the boy had to jump up the required number of times. Or the child may begin any actions only with certain manipulations - for example, he walks around objects exclusively from the left.

In addition to annoying obsessive movements, neuroses are usually accompanied by a general deterioration in the child’s health. So, often the baby becomes irritable, hysterical, whiny, he suffers from insomnia, often screams, cries at night. His appetite and performance deteriorate; he is lethargic and withdrawn. All this can affect relationships with the child’s immediate environment (adults, peers) and cause additional psychological trauma.

Even such a common and seemingly harmless action as nail biting is also a characteristic sign of a possible neurosis. The need for treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorders in children

There is no need to expect that the neurosis of obsessive movements in children will pass over time, since a dismissive attitude towards the child’s problems will only worsen his situation. A well-known specialist in child education and development, Dr. Komarovsky, speaks of the need to eliminate the causes of the syndrome of obsessive thoughts and movements. He points out that neuroses in preschoolers are not a disease, but a mental disorder, a lesion of the emotional sphere. Therefore, during the period of preschool childhood, parents are obliged to know the developmental features of preschoolers and the characteristics of age-related crises (for more details, see the article: how to behave during a crisis in children aged 8?). For adults who are attentive to their children, it is not difficult to notice the first signs of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (even something as simple as sniffling) and seek advice from a specialist. After examining the baby and identifying the causes of neurosis, a psychologist or psychoneurologist will prescribe further treatment.

Methods for the prevention and treatment of childhood neuroses have been sufficiently developed in medical practice; with timely treatment, they give good results. During treatment, as a rule, the personal and psychological characteristics of the baby are taken into account: his temperament, level of mental development, and characteristics of emotional perception. Depending on the level of the disorder, the duration of therapeutic and psychological intervention takes different times.

For mild forms of neurosis, general strengthening exercises and psychotherapeutic techniques are used (play psychotherapy, behavioral therapy, which involves “meeting” the child with fear, autogenic training, art therapy). To restore the child’s mental and behavioral reactions, which are disturbed to varying degrees during neurosis, complex treatment is used, including medications and psychotherapeutic techniques.

Features of the technique are the use of certain techniques:

• modeling situations that frighten a child, when he “lives” his fear in order to relieve anxiety;
• to get rid of obsessive thoughts and movements, preschoolers are taught the ability to manage emotions, suppress anxiety, and cope with aggression;
• organizing useful communication (examples of behavior) with people around you, peers, parents, educators;
• consulting parents in order to eliminate the source of neurosis (building correct relationships in the family, correcting parenting methods);
• conducting psycho-gymnastics to correct the thoughts, emotions, and behavior of a preschooler.

To treat the consequences of neurosis, and subsequently prevent its manifestations in preschool children, joint work of specialists and parents is necessary. It is better if such prevention is organized from the very birth of the baby.

These types of pathologies are always associated with the emotional state of the child and are a disorder of the nervous system.

Neuroses can be provoked not only by pronounced factors, but also by situations that adults may consider insignificant.

Therapy for such conditions depends on the individual clinical picture the state of the child’s health and the stage of progression of the pathology. We will talk about the treatment of obsessive movement neuroses in children in the article.

Can children have migraines? Find out about this from our article.

Description and characteristics

Neurosis is a collective name for a group of diseases accompanied by mental disorders.

The pathological process disrupts the somatic nervous system, causing autonomic dysfunction and problems of emotional etiology.

The disease is reversible and can develop against the background excessive worries, prolonged feelings of anxiety, increased fatigue and other factors that negatively affect the psyche.

The causes of neuroses in children can be numerous internal and external factors.

Provoke pathology the atmosphere in which the child is raised, stressful situations experienced and some congenital disorders associated with the performance of the nervous system.

The most common cause of neuroses is psychological trauma, occurring once or regularly.

Consequences of the negative impact of such a factor are fixed in the child for a long time and become the cause of a specific reaction not only to the stimulus, but also independently of it.

Reasons The following factors may contribute to the development of neuroses:

Read about correction of children with minimal brain dysfunction here.

In medical practice, neuroses are divided into many varieties, but only some of them can occur in childhood.

Most diseases have characteristic symptoms, but in some cases their symptoms may resemble bad habits.

For example, a separate type of neuroses are habitual pathological actions.

In this case, the child may rock his body when falling asleep or at any other time, bite his fingertips, irritate his genitals with his hands, bite his nails, or constantly pick at his hair.

Types of neuroses most often found in childhood:

1. Neurosis anxiety or fear(the child may be afraid to be alone, experience fear of the dark, in some cases these conditions are accompanied by impaired consciousness and the occurrence of hallucinations).
2. Neurasthenia or asthenic neurosis (the disease most often occurs in adolescents or school-age children, the pathology is accompanied by excessive fatigue, irritability and sleep disturbances in the child).
3. Neurotic encopresis(the disease is diagnosed in most cases in boys of preschool and school age, and is accompanied by involuntary bowel movements).
4. Neurotic enuresis(mental disorders are accompanied by involuntary urination, which in most cases occurs mainly at night).
5. Anorexia nervosa (this pathology is one of the neuroses associated with critically impaired appetite in children; this condition can be provoked not only by psychological factors, but also by excessive feeding of the baby in infancy).
6. Neurotic stuttering (the disease begins to manifest itself during the development of the child’s speech; its occurrence can be caused by numerous external and internal factors).
7. Hypochondriacal neurosis(the disease is most often diagnosed in adolescents, the pathology manifests itself in the form of fear of certain diseases and excessive concern of the child with his own health).
8. Neurotic tics(pathology can manifest itself at any age, but preschool boys are at risk).
9. Sleep disturbance neurotic type (the disease is accompanied by insomnia, talking in sleep, sleepwalking and other conditions).

Obsessive-compulsive neurosis is most often detected in children of preschool or primary school age.

This condition is accompanied by various types of phobias, movement disorders, increased excitability, autonomic and sensory disorders.

A feature of this disease is the combination of fears with certain motor abnormalities.

When fear arises The child can do the following::

• coughing;
• blinking eyes;
• imitation of a runny nose;
• nodding head;
• smacking;
• grinding of teeth;
• snapping fingers;
• twirling hair around a finger.

The manifestation of neurosis in a child depends on the form and stage of the disease. Each variety is characterized by certain signs.

If several alarming symptoms occur, it is necessary to conduct an examination as soon as possible and establish the cause of the psycho-emotional disorders that have appeared.

Thanks to timely diagnosis of neurosis, the chances of a complete recovery for the little patient increase.

Symptoms of neurosis Children may have the following conditions:

Diagnosis of neuroses in children difficult due to the peculiarities of the emotional state of patients in this age category. For a long time, parents may mistake the signs of this disease for the whims of the child.

This factor causes not only late diagnosis of the disease, but also difficulties in its treatment.

If there is a suspicion of neurosis, specialists prescribe comprehensive examination for a small patient, which includes various procedures and additional consultation with specialized doctors.

At diagnostics neurosis in children, the following procedures are used:

• examination of the child by a speech therapist, neurologist and pediatrician;
• consultation with a psychiatrist, child psychologist and psychotherapist;
• psychological analysis of a child’s life;
• analysis of drawings;
• assessment of general health;
• conducting a conversation with parents.

Neuroses are not among the deadly diseases, but they increase the risk of death of the child due to its unstable psyche.

The main consequences of diseases of this group are a serious violation of adaptive properties and depressive states. In childhood, neuroses can manifest themselves in the form of irritability or fear.

Gradually these states will escalate. In adulthood, they will turn into phobias and can cause excessive aggression towards others.

How to treat neurosis in children? Therapy for neuroses involves a combination of several techniques. The child must be prescribed sessions with a psychologist. Based on the clinical picture of the little patient’s health condition, the specialist selects certain treatment methods.

Drug therapy in most cases involves the use of restorative drugs, but in the presence of some diagnoses, specialists use potent medications.

You can supplement the course with traditional medicine.

Treatment of neuroses using psychotherapy techniques shows good results. The treatment regimen is selected on an individual basis. In some cases, psychologists conduct sessions not only with young patients, but also with their parents.

This need arises if the doctor identifies the causes of neurosis in the baby, related to his upbringing or social factors. The duration of treatment depends on the individual clinical picture of the child’s health condition.

Psychologists use the following techniques in the treatment of neuroses in children:

• individual psychotherapy;
• family psychotherapy;
• autogenic training;
• art therapy;
• hypnosis;
• group classes to improve a child’s communication skills.

Drug therapy for neuroses should be carried out only under the supervision of a specialist. Some medications, if used incorrectly, can reduce the effectiveness of other treatments used on the child.

For example, antidepressants are not prescribed if it is possible to control the baby’s condition through sessions with a psychologist.

Tranquilizers are used only in advanced stages of neuroses.

For neuroses, the child may be prescribed the following: drugs:

• products from the herbal medicine category (valerian tincture, adding soothing oils and tinctures to the bath when bathing);
• preparations for the general strengthening of the child’s body (vitamin complexes, products based on potassium and calcium, vitamins C and B);
• antidepressants (Sonapax, Elenium);
• tranquilizers (Seduxen, Trioxazine);
• nootropic drugs (Nootropil, Piracetam).

The use of folk remedies in the treatment of neuroses in children must be agreed with your doctor. When selecting alternative medicine recipes, it is important to exclude the presence of allergies or food intolerance to individual components in the baby.

Folk remedies are not used as the main method of treating neuroses. The main purpose of their use is additional beneficial effects on the mental state of a small patient.

Examples of folk remedies used in the treatment of neuroses:

When treating neuroses in children, the following techniques have good results: animal assisted therapy, play therapy and fairy tale therapy. In the first case, contact with cats, dogs, horses or dolphins has a beneficial effect on the baby’s psyche.

Animals are able to develop certain qualities in a child, a desire to take care of them and, as a result, an increase in their self-esteem. The methods of games and fairy tales have similar properties.

Additionally, the following can be used in the treatment of neuroses: procedures:

• hypnosis;
• electrophoresis;
• electrosleep.

Treatment of neuroses in children can take a long time. The effectiveness of therapy largely depends on the behavior of the parents.

If doctors' orders are followed, but errors in upbringing are not corrected, then the little patient's condition will only be alleviated temporarily. Elimination of neurosis of any type - joint work of doctors and parents.

In most cases, the causes of neuroses lie in the mistakes of parents when raising children or creating certain living conditions for them.

Prevention of this pathology involves specific actions on the part of adults. Parents must be aware of the degree of responsibility and control their own behavior.

Frequent quarrels in the family, constant punishment of children or low self-esteem are common causes of neuroses, but excessive care of children can also provoke them.

Prevention measures neuroses in children are the following recommendations:

1. Avoiding overprotection of the child and imposing your own fears on him.
2. If there is a suspicion that a child is developing any form of neurosis, it is necessary to consult a doctor as soon as possible.
3. Timely and complete treatment of somatic diseases in children.
4. Preventing excessive mental and physical stress that is not appropriate for the child’s age.
5. Developing patience and endurance in a child from a very early age.
6. Raising a child in a calm atmosphere and favorable living conditions.
7. Carefully thinking through the tactics of raising a child (eliminating aggressiveness, excessive punishment and reducing the child’s self-esteem from a very early age).

Most neuroses in childhood can be cured, but only if there is timely diagnosis and comprehensive treatment illness under the supervision of specialists. The sooner parents undergo the examination, the greater the chance of favorable prognosis.

Neuroses are much easier to prevent than to eliminate, so parents need to create the most comfortable living conditions for their children. Otherwise, the existing pathology will remain uncured and lead to complications.

How to recognize the first signs systemic neuroses in children? Find out from the video:

Obsessive movement syndrome in a child

Main causes

Main symptoms

Obsessive movement syndrome in children aged 1-3 years

Obsessive movement syndrome in children 3-6 years of age

Obsessive movement syndrome at 7 years and older

Treatment options

Latest materials in the section:

• Obsessive movement syndrome in a child
• Main causes
• Main symptoms
• Obsessive movement syndrome in children aged 1-3 years
• Obsessive movement syndrome in children 3-6 years of age
• Obsessive movement syndrome at 7 years and older
• Treatment options
• Comments
• Treatment of obsessive movement syndrome in children: advice for parents
• Drug treatment
• Non-drug treatment
• Correct behavior of parents
• How to react to obsessive movements?
• Psychotherapy
• Methods of child psychotherapy
• Obsessive movement neurosis in children
• Causes and risk group
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Obsessive movement syndrome in children
• What are the types of obsessive movements in children?
• Causes of obsessive movements in children
• Diagnosis of obsessive movements in children
• Treatment methods for obsessive movements in children
• Some advice for parents
• Treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder neurosis in children
• Causes of neurosis
• Symptoms of obsessive movement neurosis in children
• Treatment
• Behavioral therapy
• Drug treatment
• Treatment with folk remedies
• Prevention of obsessive movement neurosis
• Some features of the prevention of neuroses
• Komarovsky about obsessive movement neurosis in children
• Obsessive movements and conditions in children: causes of the syndrome, treatment of neurosis
• What causes influence the appearance of neuroses?
• Symptoms of neuroses in children
• "Ritual" obsessive movements
• The need to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder in children
• Prevention and treatment of childhood neuroses

The development of visual skills and imagination is very important for the formation of a creative personality in the future. Therefore, teaching children to draw should begin at an early age. How.

Parents are faced with the task of not only teaching their child many skills, but also making some adjustments to his behavior.

In infancy, problems with urination are easily solved by a diaper. The baby stays in it at night and periodically during the day. High-quality diapers keep the delicate cat dry for a long time.

comments to the article

© Website about pregnancy, childbirth and baby health BIRTH-INFO.RU,

All articles located on the site are for informational purposes only. Only a doctor can prescribe specific treatment!

Source: movements in children - “bad” habits or a disease?

Obsessive movements in children - “bad” habits or a disease?

Some parents are faced with the fact that their children develop strange, inexplicable and very stable habitual actions. These strange “habits” can appear suddenly or develop gradually. First, one element of the action appears, repeats for a while, then another, a third joins it... Parents begin to sound the alarm when these strange, unusual and without any rational explanation “habits” become noticeable to others or interfere with the child’s ability to study and communicate in the nursery. garden or perform normal daily activities.

One of the difficulties for parents is that there is no specific description of these “habits.” Each child has their own. Parents wonder “what is this”? Is it the costs of upbringing, the child’s strange inclinations or illness? Let me give you a few examples.

Girl, 5 years old. At the age of 4 years, 8 months. she flatly refused to wear a hat. As the temperature outside changed (the onset of autumn and winter), the problem worsened. Every time I put on a hat or any other headdress, there is a hysteria that does not stop even if the parents insist and dress the child and take him outside. On the street, constant attempts to take off the hat, incessant crying, falling to the ground, etc. The girl calms down and “forgets” only after a 2-3 hour walk. But every next time you go outside, everything repeats all over again.

Boy, 11 years old. First came the fear of the dark. I was afraid to go to bed if the lights were off. Then this fear was joined by the fear of the toilet room. Avoids going into the bathroom alone. He agrees to go in and relieve himself only in the presence of his father. He may not go to the toilet for a long time or asks to be given a potty... The child cannot explain what exactly he is afraid of. No amount of parental persuasion helps the child cope with fear. The parents’ attempts not to succumb to their son’s “manipulation” led to the boy relieving himself in his pants….

A. girl, 10 years old. Contacted us regarding school problems. For several months the girl has been trying to avoid going to school under various pretexts. In the mornings he is sick or runs away from classes. The reason for this behavior was the obsessive sounds that the girl makes. With some periodicity, A. shouts out a drawn-out “Eeeee.” After this she seems scared and depressed, but after a while she makes the same sound again. According to my mother, this feature appeared about six months ago. At first they didn’t pay attention, they thought that it was an ordinary children’s game and would go away on its own. But A. made sounds not only when she played alone, but also while eating or when the whole family was watching TV. No attempts to persuade A. not to do this were successful. Since this behavior continued in school during lessons, this led to the fact that classmates began not only to tease A., but also to use physical force - they pushed her both during lessons and during breaks, tore her notebooks, etc.

When faced with similar behavior patterns in children, most parents first turn to neurologists. Most often, no developmental abnormalities or pathologies are found in such children. Sometimes neurologists prescribe sedatives. But, in the vast majority of cases, the effect of taking medications is either not persistent or completely absent.

So what is it? AND what should parents do, if their child develops compulsive behaviors?

Sustained obsessive actions that are practically not amenable to volitional control and correction may indicate obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (obsessions are more obsessive than thoughts, compulsions are obsessions in the motor sphere). Obsessive-compulsive disorder in children can manifest itself not only in the “strange” habits or fears described above, but also in the form of tics, simple and complex. Simple tics include blinking, twitching of the head and shoulders, and vocalizations (vocal tics). Complex tics include obsessive actions in the form of touching individual parts of the body in a certain sequence, bending and straightening the fingers, jumping, etc.

Children with such developmental features are characterized by the appearance of rituals - a logical chain of actions that must be performed. This could be a simple ritual in the form of laying out clothes or objects in a certain sequence, a ritual of washing or getting ready for school. Or it can be a rather complex chain of actions, not always of a rational nature - performing a sequence of certain actions before going outside or before going to bed (for example, walking around a chair three times, then sitting on it for 1 minute and walking around it again, but already in the opposite direction). If a child fails to perform usual actions or rituals, tension, anxiety, and even panic increases.

The next category of conditions characteristic of obsessive-compulsive disorder are obsessive doubts and obsessive fears, such as the fear that something might happen to parents, the fear of getting some kind of disease, the fear of infection.

The causes of such disorders most often include constitutional (congenital) personality characteristics. Researchers most often point to the congenital hypersensitivity of such children, which leads to pronounced fearfulness and the formation of anxiety as a personality trait. Recently, people have begun to talk about the possible role of streptococcal infections, since in some cases the disorder arose after an illness.

Since there is increased sensitivity, to provoke the onset of the disorder in such children, stress that is barely noticeable to the people around them is sufficient. It is because of this that the appearance of “oddities” in a child’s behavior seems unrelated to any events to adults. However, the initial “trigger moment” is always present.

In the last fifteen years, the attitude towards this disorder has changed in world practice. If it was previously believed that obsessive-compulsive disorder was quite rare, it is now known that the prevalence of this disorder is quite high, but its diagnosis is difficult due to the fact that children, adolescents and adults hide their symptoms because they are aware of their unusualness, “ strangeness” and are afraid of the reaction of people around them.

It should be noted that not all repetitive behaviors are truly signs of obsessive-compulsive disorder. It is especially important to consider the age of the child. Often, at the age of 5–6 years, children develop obsessive actions that are “suggested” in nature - the child could see and “pick up” some action, gesture or grimace. Such “instilled” habits go away on their own or are easily amenable to psychological correction.

In general, the prognosis for obsessive-compulsive disorder is disappointing. According to researchers, only a small minority of children recover after 2 to 3 years. In most children, symptoms are persistent not only throughout childhood, but also persist into adulthood. In addition, the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder are not limited to obsessive actions or tics - as a rule, there are specific features of thinking and the formation of personality structure.

What treatment methods are there? Of course, there is drug therapy that a psychiatrist can prescribe. But, again, only a small number of children get rid of symptoms. When drug treatment has exhausted itself, parents turn to psychologists. The main treatment method is behavioral therapy, which produces a noticeable effect. It is advisable that a therapy program for a child be developed and conducted by a specialist who not only specializes in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorders, but also knows how to work with children. The treatment program is specific for each age and the younger the child, the more difficult it is often to help him.

Obviously, therapy for such disorders cannot be short-term.

Many parents are faced with the problem of finding a specialist and, importantly, with the financial issue. Visiting a psychologist for several months is quite expensive. What recommendations can be given to parents if there is no opportunity to seek qualified help?

The first thing to remember if your child has the above symptoms is that such children need the most supportive family environment possible to reduce anxiety levels. The high level of basic anxiety characteristic of these children is often the basis for the onset of symptoms, and even minor stress can negate the results obtained.

Parents should not focus on symptoms, much less punish their child for them. The best strategy is distraction. At the moment when the child begins habitual obsessive actions, try to switch his attention to something else; it is desirable that what the parents switch the child’s attention to is a strong enough impression that can “capture” the child’s attention and hold it for some time.

A regime of activity and rest is important. Adequate sleep and sufficient activity in themselves are factors that improve the mental and physical health of children, and in the case of children with obsessive-compulsive disorder, they act as one of the most important conditions. Activity helps relieve and neutralize excess tension that accumulates due to a child’s high anxiety. By the way, parents do not always notice a high level of anxiety in a child, because they do not know what exactly is a child’s normal reactions and what indicates an increase in the level of anxiety.

For those parents who have enough time to work independently with their child to overcome the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder, I can offer a course (www.b17.ru/courses/help_your_child/), which provides methods for working with children and gives instructions, How to independently conduct therapy with a child aimed at getting rid of obsessive actions and fears in a child.

In conclusion, I would like to say that despite the fact that obsessive-compulsive disorder is recognized as difficult to treat and prone to a chronic or recurrent course, the most dangerous thing is to “not notice” the problem. All researchers note that with the therapy, the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder, if they persist, are significantly less severe and tend to expand. If a child or teenager is left “alone” with their problem, the symptoms may become more severe and expand - new obsessive actions are added to existing obsessive actions, and the tendency to obsessive thinking worsens.

The articles you are interested in will be highlighted in the list and displayed first!

Comments

The problem of OCD in children is indeed becoming more pressing. It should be borne in mind that the child’s psyche is very mobile and timely contact with a specialist can successfully correct this condition and return the child to normal life.

On the other hand, many parents are not ready to understand that this is a long-term therapy and, at the first symptoms of improvement, end therapy too early, not understanding the importance of consolidating the result.

Maybe someday society’s attitude towards mental health will change and neither parents of children nor adult clients will have to be persuaded to consolidate the results of therapy.

someday society’s attitude towards mental health will change and neither parents of children nor adult clients will have to be persuaded to consolidate the results of therapy

Good time! At 2 and 8 it is too early to talk about a diagnosis such as OCD. But you need to observe - if similar symptoms continue to appear, it is better not to start it, but to immediately contact a specialist.

Source: Obsessive Movement Syndrome in Children: Advice for Parents

Obsessive movements in children, which have developed into a full-fledged syndrome, are a manifestation of obsessive-compulsive neurosis. The occurrence of these movements indicates that the child has a problem that he cannot voice. Most often, the child does not realize the roots of his experiences and cannot understand what is happening to him. The child can also react with obsessive movements to problems that the parents have. It is useless to ask the baby why and why he endlessly repeats the same movement - he does not know the answer.

The appearance of obsessive movements in children is a signal that the whole family needs correction. The child, as the youngest and weakest member of the family, is the first to react to family troubles. A timely visit to a psychiatrist or psychotherapist will not only help maintain the baby’s health, but also help parents better understand each other.

• head jerking;
• "sniff;
• twirling hair on a finger;
• twisting buttons;
• nail biting;
• snapping fingers;
• shoulder lift;
• waving of hands;
• friction of the earlobes.

Obsessions can be more complex: rituals when washing hands, walking around furniture on one side, blowing on the palm, swinging a leg bent at the knee, etc.

Obsessions help the child relieve internal tension, captivate and push the cause of their occurrence into the background.

A fashionable spinner toy is nothing more than satisfying the need of nervous children and infantile teenagers for stereotypical movements that create the illusion of peace.

Drug treatment

Medicines for obsessive movement neurosis in children are of auxiliary value. They improve blood supply, nutrition and metabolism in nerve cells, calm, prolong sleep, but do not completely solve the problem. Medicines are used as a temporary measure to relieve internal tension, reduce moodiness and irritability.

The following groups of drugs are used:

• nootropics, especially those that normalize the processes of excitation and inhibition - Pantogam, Glycine;
• vitamin complexes with an increased content of group B, improving the myelination of nervous tissue - Kinder Biovital, Vitrum Junior, Jungle, Alphabet, Vitamishki, Multi-Tabs, Pikovit;
• herbal sedatives - Persen, Tenoten for children, herbal teas - Hipp, Bayu-bai, Evening Tale, Phytosedan, Calm-ka, Calming for children;
• homeopathic medicines – Nervohel, Shalun, Notta, Baby-Sed, Hare, Dormikind.

Truly psychotropic drugs - Phenibut, Sonapax, Sibazon, Tazepam - are prescribed only by a doctor for a short course. Medicines are prescribed by a psychiatrist or psychotherapist, taking into account the general somatic condition of the child. It is important to select age-appropriate, safe dosages that will not interfere with the baby’s development.

Non-drug treatment

There are no specific methods of non-medicinal influence on obsessive movements in children. You can use physiotherapeutic methods that reduce general excitability - electric sleep or exposure of the brain to a weak pulse current and others like that, but they will bring a temporary effect.

At home, you can use baths with decoctions of medicinal herbs - mint, lavender, lemon balm, and add sea salt. Everything that strengthens the nervous system is useful - fresh food rich in microelements and vitamins, walks in the fresh air, sea swimming, sunbathing.

Correct behavior of parents

The basis of recovery, without which it is impossible to move the situation forward. There are several important rules:

1. Parents are to blame for everything that happens to young children. By endlessly scolding and punishing the child, parents admit their pedagogical impotence and confirm a complete misunderstanding of the child’s inner world.
2. A friendly atmosphere is the best doctor.
3. Clearly established boundaries of behavior are the key to a child’s good character. It is difficult to find something more destructive to the child’s psyche than vague demands, when what is not allowed today is permitted tomorrow. Parents must always allow and prohibit the same things, otherwise instead of a healthy and calm child, they end up with a hysterical manipulator.
4. Sincere interest in the child's life. Children sense falsehood very subtly, and trying to buy them off with toys, trips and indulgences always backfires. All a child needs for proper development is the love of his parents and spending time with them. A child’s resentment towards a friend, the experience of a parent’s divorce for a child seems to be a universal tragedy, since it destroys his fragile world. Parents must go through all the difficult moments of development together with the child, otherwise there will be no trust and open relationship.
5. Joint leisure. Free time spent with parents and devoted to interesting activities allows everyone to get to know and understand each other better. A child is a person who needs to be guided along the right path. An interesting activity can be anything - baking a pie, fishing with dad, changing a tire, going to the park, reading, drawing or any craft.

How to react to obsessive movements?

Exactly the same as for stuttering - ignore with all behavior. As Dr. Komarovsky rightly says, with obsessive movement neurosis in children there is no tumor, no inflammation, no vascular problems in the nervous system. Such neurosis is a psycho-emotional disorder that arose in response to a traumatic situation. This is a reversible condition that stops once its cause is eliminated.

When a child has obsessive movements, you need to immediately contact a psychiatrist or psychotherapist, and until then pretend that nothing special is happening. You should not reprimand or reprimand your child, much less punish him. The attention of parents only reinforces such movements and makes them more desirable.

You can try to distract your baby with food, play, or a walk. You should not discuss the baby’s characteristics with friends or relatives, especially in his presence. Everything said by the parents is stored in the child’s memory and consciousness; such conversations will only delay recovery.

Psychotherapy

The main way to get rid of obsessive movement neurosis in a child. The psychotherapist analyzes the family situation in detail and reveals all the hidden problems. One of the problems that led to the child’s illness may come to light:

• cruel treatment;
• overly strict parenting;
• pedagogical neglect, when the child is left to his own devices and no one is involved in his development;
• parental alcoholism;
• mental disorders in parents and close relatives;
• psychological and moral trauma;
• fear or emotional overload;
• intra-family conflicts;
• parents' rejection of the child's gender;
• the birth of a baby from an unloved person;
• moving to another city, region or home;
• the child’s rejection of his stepmother or stepfather;
• aversion to having younger children;
• conflict in a children's team.

The range of problems leading to the development of obsessive movement neurosis in children is diverse and determined by the specific situation. In this case, the psychotherapist acts as an objective mirror in which each of the participants in family relationships can see themselves from the outside and have the opportunity to correct behavior and the way they respond.

Methods of child psychotherapy

Non-directive play psychotherapy is most often used to treat childhood obsessive movement neuroses. After the child gets used to the doctor, a third participant is introduced into communication - a toy that cannot cope with its hands (eyes, fingers, neck, legs). The disorder that worries the child is imitated. During the game, the baby opens up and identifies the problems that caused the motor obsession.

The peculiarities of the child’s psyche - naivety and spontaneity - make it possible to project the most painful moments of communication with parents, other adults or peers onto the game. This transfer goes unnoticed by the child, and provides the doctor with extensive information about what is really going on in the baby’s soul.

Family psychotherapy brings excellent results when pedagogical mistakes and their consequences for the child’s health are explained to each family member individually. In this case, the psychotherapist plays the role of an impartial commentator, tactfully inviting adults to look at their mistakes from the outside.

Schoolchildren greatly benefit from adaptive techniques that overcome communication problems and difficulties. Such techniques are especially important when changing the children's team and for removing the child from the position of a victim.

Behavioral therapy is widely used to help children assert themselves by channeling natural desires into socially acceptable directions. The method of emotive imagination perfectly helps to overcome various fears, when a child takes the place of a favorite hero and copes with all difficulties in his image.

Through the joint efforts of the family, it is usually possible to cure obsessive movement neurosis in children.

Find a free psychotherapist in your city online:

When copying materials from this site, an active link to the portal is required!

All photos and videos are taken from open sources. If you are the author of the images used, write to us and the issue will be promptly resolved. Privacy Policy | Contacts | About the site | Site Map

Children of preschool and primary school age often develop disorders of central nervous activity, which are caused by long-term stress that arises against the background of conflicts in the children's team or within the family. Obsessive movement syndrome is a pathological condition characterized by repetitive involuntary movements that the child cannot control.

For some babies, these movements may be short-term in nature, and for some they become a habit. If parents of a child of preschool and primary school age are faced with this syndrome, they should familiarize themselves with the potential factors for the occurrence of the pathology, as well as methods of combating nervous disorder.

Causes and risk group

The risk group for the incidence of this syndrome includes those children who are daily exposed to stress of varying degrees of intensity. Since each baby’s body is individual, the consequences of a nervous shock experienced by the baby can be unforeseen.

In addition, children of preschool and primary school age exhibit immaturity of the nervous system, as a result of which the child is not able to fully cope with a negative emotional blow. The main reasons for the formation of this syndrome in children include:

1. Psychological traumas of various origins. Even if the current situation is not a problem for an adult, for a child of preschool and primary school age it can turn into a real psychological drama. Medical experts identify a pattern between the development of the syndrome and the baby’s tendency to hysterical behavior or depressive states. The psycho-emotional state of a child at any age is influenced by the situation in the family circle, so parents need to take care of creating a comfortable psychological microclimate;
2. Another potential cause of this neurological disorder in childhood is a sudden change in life routine or environment. Disorders of nervous activity often occur when changing preschool institutions or schools, as well as when moving to a new home. Spoiled children who rarely hear the word “no” from their parents are predisposed to this condition;
3. Hereditary predisposition to diseases of the nervous system or psyche plays an important role in the appearance of this syndrome in a child. If one of the parents had a disorder of psycho-emotional activity in childhood, then with a certain degree of probability a similar problem will befall the child.

Symptoms

Due to lack of knowledge and experience, many parents find it difficult to recognize the syndrome in their child. In addition, an inexperienced parent may mistake this condition for a manifestation of other somatic pathologies. One of the diseases with which this syndrome is often confused is the so-called nervous tic, which is an involuntary contraction of muscle fibers. This symptom is easy to notice when a child’s facial muscles twitch, and it does not depend on the child’s psychological state.

• Frequent blinking;
• Habit of biting nails;
• Grinding of teeth;
• Habit of snapping fingers;
• Twitching of the upper or lower lip;
• Frequent turning of the head;
• Curling hair around a finger, pen or pencil;
• Unreasonable coughing;
• Smacking;
• Exercising hand swings.

In addition, the child may have the habit of pulling out hair on his head, blowing on his hands before sitting at the table, and making other involuntary movements. The main distinguishing feature of this syndrome from other neurological disorders is the minute-by-minute regular repetition of one of the listed movements. Ignoring these symptoms can lead to injury to the child, damage to clothing or property.

Before contacting a medical specialist for qualified help, the baby’s parents should observe the child and make sure that the baby suffers from obsessive movement syndrome. If the child’s psycho-emotional state is associated with certain problems within the family, then parents need to create the most comfortable psychological conditions for the child.

After the child is examined by a child psychiatrist and receives consultation from a psychologist, he will be prescribed appropriate drug therapy, which includes antidepressants and sedatives.

Parents of a child are strictly prohibited from independently selecting medications and treatment regimens for their child, since such experiments will lead to a deterioration in general well-being and the development of additional diseases. When selecting drug therapy, medical specialists try to choose those groups and names of drugs that will not cause apathy and drowsiness in the child.

The list of commonly used medications for obsessive movement syndrome includes the following medications:

The listed medications have a gentle effect on the child’s body, restoring the functioning of the central nervous system and normalizing the balance between the processes of excitation and inhibition in the cerebral cortex. Antidepressant drugs are used for severe obsessive movement syndrome. They can only be taken with a doctor's prescription. In the initial stage of development of neurological disorders, the child is advised to study with a psychologist, normalize lifestyle and nutrition, as well as correct the surrounding emotional background.

You can help a child of preschool and primary school age cope with chronic nervous tension at home, if we are talking about the initial stage of obsessive movements syndrome. To this end, you need to use the following tips:

• To normalize the psycho-emotional state and improve sleep, give the child 1 tbsp daily at night. l. honey, previously dissolved in 250 ml of warm water. And how to improve the sleep of an infant up to a year, you will learn in the article at the link: you need to mix equal parts of motherwort herb, valerian roots, lemon balm herb, hawthorn fruits and calendula flowers. 1 tbsp. l. A spoonful of the resulting mixture is poured with 300 ml of boiling water and left in a thermos for 2 hours. The finished product is filtered and given to the child 1 tbsp. l. 3 times a day, regardless of meals;
• A warm bath with the addition of a decoction of mint and lavender helps you calm down before bed. You can also use pine needles and make a pine bath for babies. Ready-made mixtures for preparing bath additives can be purchased at pharmacies or herbal pharmacies.

Children prone to emotional instability need sports, drawing, clay modeling, dancing and other types of active activities.

Source: obsessive movements in children

Obsessive movement syndrome in children is a disorder provoked by severe emotional shock and manifested by a series of unmotivated, repetitive actions. The pathology can persist for a long period, and if its course is unfavorable, some obsessive movements are often replaced by others, more complex. Sometimes the disorder is a manifestation of compulsion (obsessive-compulsive disorder), a symptom of a general developmental disorder, or a nervous tic.

What are the types of obsessive movements in children?

Actions for this syndrome can be very varied, but the most common include:

• Thumb sucking;
• Frequent wiping and sniffing;
• Nail biting;
• Teeth grinding (bruxism);
• Nodding head;
• Swinging of limbs or monotonous swaying of the whole body;
• Skin picking;
• Twitching of the genitals (in boys);
• Unreasonable, prolonged hand washing;
• Pulling out hair, twirling strands around a finger, etc.

Compulsive movements in children are generally harmless, do not cause serious concern, and are considered a natural part of development. Most often, the syndrome goes away over time without medical intervention.

Causes of obsessive movements in children

Unlike tics, which are often neurotic in nature, the causes of obsessive movements in children are purely psychological. Repetitive actions may be due to:

• Acute psychotrauma of short-term impact;
• Prolonged stay in an emotionally unfavorable situation.

Children from disadvantaged families who constantly live in a state of tension are most susceptible to this disorder. The prerequisite for the development of obsessive movements syndrome may be frequent scandals and quarrels between parents, a dictatorial (demanding, unreasonably strict) or permissive parenting style, excessive guardianship or an indifferent attitude towards the child. In addition, the occurrence of such a disorder is often associated with changes in lifestyle and routine: change of place of residence, entry into kindergarten or school, etc. These reasons often cause stress, especially in spoiled children, as well as children with a weak type of nervous system .

The likelihood of developing pathology is slightly higher in children who have suffered traumatic brain injuries. At risk are children with a history of neuroinfections, infectious diseases (including tuberculosis), chronic pathologies of internal organs (infantile rheumatism, heart disease, etc.). All these diseases lead to exhaustion of the nervous system, reduce the body’s protective functions, and as a result, even a seemingly trivial situation can turn out to be a difficult ordeal for a weakened child.

Diagnosis of obsessive movements in children

In cases where the syndrome of obsessive movements is pronounced, leads to injury or interferes with the child’s normal activity, it is advisable to consult a specialist for additional examination. There are no specific tests or tests to diagnose this condition, but your doctor will be able to rule out other possible disorders and pathologies.

Severe obsessive movement syndrome often develops in children with delayed intellectual development, but it can also occur in an absolutely healthy child. The disease most often affects boys, and the appearance of the first symptoms is possible at any age. At the same time, systematically repeated monotonous movements may indicate the presence of obsessive-compulsive disorder, trichotillomania or Tourette's syndrome.

Despite the great similarity, obsessive movements in children usually appear before two years of age, while Tourette's syndrome develops at 6-7 years of age. Unlike the tics characteristic of the latter, obsessive movements are repeated longer and can intensify if the child is stressed or nervous. It is noteworthy that this kind of repetitive movements often does not bother the patient at all, while motor and vocal tics become a cause for complaints.

Treatment methods for obsessive movements in children

With timely diagnosis and proper treatment, obsessive movements in children go away without a trace. The most effective is considered to be a combination of drug therapy from a neurologist and psychotherapeutic sessions from a child psychologist. It is worth noting that the cessation of repetitive actions is not a reason to cancel treatment, since neurotic symptoms tend to alternately fade and recur. The duration of therapy for obsessive movements ranges from 6 months to several years.

React to intrusive movements calmly but carefully. Take this as the child’s desire to tell you something, because in essence it is so. Let your child know that you notice his actions, but don't make a big deal out of it. If he doesn't withdraw into himself, gently ask him what's wrong. Explain that this can happen to anyone who is very tired, nervous, or wants to say something but is afraid. Do not scold the child, especially in front of strangers, do not focus on his actions, and especially do not make excuses for such behavior in front of people - excess attention only helps to perpetuate the symptom. Praise your child more often and feed his self-confidence.

Ignoring is also not a solution; It’s more reasonable to try to distract the baby, to switch his attention to something else: ask for help, assign an important task. Before making an appointment with a psychologist, discuss the situation with your child and ask what he thinks about it. Sometimes a heart-to-heart conversation is enough for the tension to subside and all problems to go away on their own.

Text: Marina Kulitskaya

Pregnancy after caesarean section

The birth of a baby is one of the most touching moments in the life of every couple. However, during pregnancy many nuances and questions arise, in particular, which method of delivery is best to choose. Certainly.

What is a guest marriage?

Marriage relations, in addition to the traditional one, have other forms. One of them is guest marriage, which is not so rare these days. It should not be confused with the relationship of lovers who are not connected.

A plug in a child's ear: what to do?

Sulfur, which lives in the ears of children and adults, is an extremely useful substance. It helps remove absolutely all uninvited guests from the ear canals: from dust and harmful microorganisms to annoying flies.

Menstruation while breastfeeding

Menstruation after abortion

What should a newborn's stool look like?

Nutrition while breastfeeding

When using materials from the site, the active reference is obligatory

Source: obsessive-compulsive disorder in children

Obsessive neurosis often occurs in children of different age groups. A fragile child's psyche cannot successfully deal with disturbing factors. Currently, life is full of different events and carries a lot of information, which can contribute to the occurrence of chronic stress in both adults and children. Obsessive-compulsive neurosis in children often manifests itself in the form of obsessive-compulsive neurosis.

Causes of neurosis

It is impossible to successfully cure neurosis without identifying the negative factors that caused it. It is believed that the development of neurosis in children is due to three main reasons.

Psychological, characterized by insufficient coherence of the processes of inhibition and excitation in the cerebral cortex, as well as the characteristics of the baby’s temperament:

• If a child is choleric, then restrictions that interfere with motor activity and free expression of emotions are contraindicated. This may lead to him becoming even more active. All this can contribute to the development of neurosis.
• If your child is phlegmatic, then attempts to speed up his actions can also lead to the development of neurosis. At the same time, the baby will slow down his actions even more, become withdrawn and stubborn.
• The development of obsessive movement neurosis can be facilitated by circumstances that traumatize the child’s psyche.

Biological causes: hereditary predisposition, past illnesses, insufficient sleep, mental and physical stress.

Social reasons such as:

• mother's coldness;
• difficulties communicating with the father;
• difficulties in getting the baby accustomed to kindergarten;
• parental divorce;
• family quarrels;
• non-compliance with the daily routine;
• stress that accompanies a change in environment.

The baby perceives obsessive movements as voluntary; in fact, these movements are unconscious and are made with the aim of easing internal anxiety. However, the anxiety subsides for a short time, and the obsessive movements return again and become more persistent. All this contributes to the emergence of a vicious circle and the appearance of obsessions more often every time.

Symptoms of obsessive movement neurosis in children

The presence of obsessive movement neurosis in children is evidenced by frequently repeated actions such as:

• twisting buttons;
• nail biting;
• blinking;
• washing hands too often;
• licking lips;
• twitching of arms, shoulders;
• constantly repeated tugging of clothing.

Sometimes these movements take the form of bizarre rituals. Children can only walk around objects they encounter on the right or left. There are times when a “little one” begins to jump before going to bed and at the same time does a certain number of jumps. By this he protects himself from the fear of being in the dark.

There are many other obsessive movements that are logically impossible to explain, and the repetition of which children themselves are not able to cope with. Such movements do not disappear without appropriate treatment.

Along with this, neurosis is almost always accompanied by poor appetite, decreased performance, insomnia, and tearfulness. A child with obsessive movement neurosis is often teased by his peers, and this further traumatizes the child’s psyche.

Treatment

Obsessive movement neurosis in children cannot be left without appropriate treatment. Before contacting a doctor, parents are advised to take a closer look at their baby and try to determine the cause of the unusual behavior. If it is not possible to find out, then it is necessary to bring him to a psychologist, sometimes the help of a psychotherapist is required.

The following treatment methods are used:

Behavioral therapy

It is considered the main method of treatment, the features of which are:

• learning the ability to get rid of internal anxiety, which helps to wean oneself from obsessive actions;
• creating a situation in which the child, under the control of a psychologist, encounters something that frightens him - this helps to eliminate the anxious state and delay the exacerbation of the disease;
• interaction between the psychotherapist and the child’s parents during treatment in order to identify the source of anxiety and eliminate it, as well as to improve family relationships and correct parenting methods;
• There are cases when children with symptoms of neurosis have no idea how certain actions are performed normally - clear examples from mother and father, teachers, and peers can help resolve this problem.

Drug treatment

In very advanced cases of obsessive movement neurosis in children, treatment will be required with medications that have a sedative and antidepressant effect, such as:

These drugs are prescribed by a doctor. They cannot be used independently, since they have different effects on the central nervous system.

Treatment with folk remedies

In the treatment of childhood neurosis of obsessive movements, folk remedies are used in addition to the main therapy. A doctor's consultation is required. The following have a calming effect:

Decoctions of motherwort, valerian, lemon balm.

Infusion of oat grains. It is prepared in this way: you need to take half a kilogram of raw material, rinse it, then add one liter of water. Boil over low heat until the grains are half cooked. After this, strain the infusion and add a teaspoon of honey. Give your baby 1 glass daily.

Honey water. To prepare it, mix a tablespoon of honey in a glass of warm water. Give your child a drink before he goes to bed. Relieves insomnia, relieves irritability.

Taking a bath before bed with the addition of mint, lavender, and sea salt helps a lot.

Carry out activities to promote health:

• spend more time in nature with him;
• in summer, let your baby run barefoot;
• turn on the music - let him dance;
• Give paper, pencils, and paints more often so that he can draw more;
• read fairy tales before bed, which greatly distracts from negative thoughts;
• arrange holidays for the child - they bring joy and relieve anxiety;
• Cook together with your baby some food that he loves.

All this really helps him throw out negative energy.

Features of parental behavior with obsessive neurosis:

• you need to devote more time and attention to your child;
• try to find out what is bothering the baby and try to eliminate it;
• you cannot reproach him for obsessive movements; instead, you need to talk to him about the disturbing situation;
• never scold for obsessive movements;
• try to gently limit the time you use the computer and watch TV, and switch the child’s attention to some other interesting activity.

Prevention of obsessive movement neurosis

Measures to prevent the occurrence of neurosis should be carried out both with healthy children and with children who have recovered from neurosis. Children may not remember the psychological trauma that caused the development of the pathological process. But they remain in the subconscious and lead to obsessive states.

Therefore, it is very important to identify negative factors and their timely elimination. A child’s psyche is not the same as that of adults - it has not yet formed, and it is very difficult for children to resist disturbing situations.

In this regard, he must be taught to cope with stress. This is achieved by proper upbringing of the baby from birth:

1. It is necessary to instill in him such qualities as the ability to overcome difficulties, not to panic in danger, and teach patience and endurance.
2. From early childhood, you need to teach your child to follow the rules of hygiene, to be neat and tidy - this should become his habit.
3. It is necessary to raise a child to be persistent and hardworking.
4. Get used to physical education and sports.

If the baby learns these qualities, this will protect him from stress and associated painful disorders of the nervous system.

Some features of the prevention of neuroses

Parents and teachers must have proper contact with their child:

1. It is necessary to create a trusting relationship so that the child can always turn to his parents with any question. This will prevent prolonged stress from occurring.
2. It is necessary to praise the child adequately for his achievements, since an overly enthusiastic attitude will lead to the fact that the child will constantly expect praise, and in the absence of it will become offended. It is also impossible to belittle successes.
3. If he needs to be limited in something or even prohibited from doing something, it is necessary to explain to him the reasons for this.
4. To prevent your child from becoming uninitiative, you cannot remind him of his shortcomings all the time.

Komarovsky about obsessive movement neurosis in children

E.O. Komarovsky is a famous pediatrician, writer, and has extensive work experience. The most famous is his book “The Health of the Child and the Common Sense of His Relatives.” Komarovsky has a great advantage - the ability to clearly explain to any mother how to maintain the health of a child given by nature.

Komarovsky's basic principles are very simple:

• dress the child according to the weather;
• play outdoor games with him in the fresh air, which promotes a good appetite;
• if the baby does not want to eat, do not force him;
• temper the child, walk with him in the fresh air more often;
• Maintain the temperature at home no more than 22 degrees.

According to Dr. Komarovsky, obsessive movement neurosis is a mental disorder and is not a disease. No organic changes are observed with it. The main reason for the development of neurosis is a factor that traumatizes the child’s psyche. Obsessive movements are a reversible disorder, and when the negative influences are eliminated, the baby’s condition returns to normal.

If parents promptly determine what is bothering their child and eliminate these factors, the obsessive movements may stop. However, this is a difficult task, so in any case you must definitely contact a child psychiatrist.

It is necessary to constantly remember that a child’s healthy psyche is directly related to a friendly environment and emotional well-being in the family.

Parents quite often encounter the fact that their child constantly bites his nails or pen, jerks his head, scratches his nose or head, or wraps his hair around his finger.

Psychologists and psychiatrists call this phenomenon "obsessive movement syndrome in children".

What is it? And how can you help your child get rid of obsession?

How to recognize schizophrenia in a child? Find out about this from ours.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder: concept and characteristics

As a rule, obsessive movements coexist with some other neurotic manifestations: obsessive thoughts (the baby constantly thinks that his shoelaces are untied or his jacket is unbuttoned, and he constantly checks that everything is in order), rituals (when going to bed, the child always rolls the blanket into a tube and, falling asleep, squeezes the edge of the rolled blanket in his hand , or on the way to the kindergarten, be sure to bypass the birch tree growing near 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 as its component obsessive movements.

The word "obsessive" means that a person cannot control his own actions or states. They impose themselves on him, as if by force.

Ideas, thoughts, images, (if they are constantly repeated), fantasies can be obsessive.

Typical compulsive movements

The most typical obsessive movements in children:

• biting nails or a pen (if this is a schoolchild),
• blink (nervous tic),
• fiddle with something (the same pen, a button, your finger, a small boy can even fiddle with his penis, but this is in rare cases),
• itch,
• jerk your head
• bite your lips
• chew or suck something all the time,
• fasten and unfasten buttons.

There are also rare obsessive movements: say, a child twitches his left shoulder all the time, or always carries cones, nuts and some kind of garbage in his pocket and constantly sorts them out, or washes his hands every five minutes.

Once noticed, even if they seem strange to parents, such manifestations do not mean anything.

Causes of tics

Since obsessive movements are a neurotic symptom, they can be caused by all the same reasons which cause any neuroses.

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's very individual.

Ultimately, a person causes neurosis in himself: it is his personal response to one or another challenge in life, in this case, an abnormal response.

Errors in education leading to neurosis in children:

Symptoms, signs and meaning

The obsessive movements themselves are symptom.

They do not constitute the content, the essence of the painful state.

Since the baby behaves like this, he nervous, he has some internal problems that he is unconsciously trying to solve in such a strange way.

Rituals and obsessive actions, strange as it may seem, are a kind of self (or auto) psychotherapeutic procedure.

In this way, the child tries to calm himself down and normalize his state of mind. Of course, he doesn’t always succeed in this, because the method is not the most effective.

However, it is important to understand that obsessive movements themselves do not cause any harm unless they turn into self-harm, which is extremely rare.

Treatment

Usually the doctor to whom a child with similar symptoms was brought will does not seek to find out their origin. This is quite difficult, you need psychological or psychoanalytic qualifications.

The doctor, as a rule, simply prescribes sedatives for the baby, from mild to quite strong, as well as vitamins and massage. Such a standard treatment set for this neurosis is not explained by medical, but rather psychological and even commercial reasons.

Doctors, massage therapists and pharmacists are educated at the same universities and often perceive themselves as a single corporation, so they consider themselves obligated to help each other.

In fact, if a child has problems, they need to be identified. Relieving 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 the body. But pills and massage cannot cure a disease of the soul.

Of course, people also Some ways to get rid of it have been developed children from obsessive actions. For example, a child who constantly twirls his hair around his finger is simply cut off or forced to wear a cap even indoors. Sometimes folk sedatives (herbal decoctions) or a bath are used.

Some of these funds quite usable. However, they will not solve the problem without the help of a doctor. A much more effective way to solve the problem is psychotherapeutic methods.

Let's say manual therapy(children sculpt, draw, or make soft toys under the guidance of a teacher-psychotherapist), occupational therapy(for example, working on a potter's wheel), canistherapy(children’s care for dogs and communication with them, specially organized for therapeutic purposes), play therapy(games organized for therapeutic purposes with other children under adult supervision).

However, even in this case, the root of the problem is not identified.

Parents should not show their child their anxiety in connection with his not quite normal manifestations, as this will strengthen them.

There is no need to punish the child, scold him, or forbid him to do what he is doing (the forbidden fruit is sweet, in addition, the child is not able to refuse his manifestations, he does not control them).

The best– ignore such actions as if they do not exist. But at the same time, carefully and unnoticed by the baby, watch him, try to understand him.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder in children - symptoms and treatment:

Doctor Komarovsky's opinion

The essence of his opinion is that one should not get carried away with eliminating obsessive movements themselves, or fighting them.

Parents' task- not the external “normality” of the child, not his visible similarity with other, healthy children, but overcoming his internal problem.

Obsessive actions are not a disease, but a symptom. Like a rash or fever in some somatic diseases. What's the point of fighting a rash or fever? They show us that something is wrong in the body.

When we focus on symptoms, ignoring the disease itself, we refuse to help the patient. We only want to reassure ourselves, to convince ourselves that everything is fine with him. But the disease is thereby driven deeper.

Therefore, Dr. Komarovsky advises not to rush into buying sedatives and not to try to relieve symptoms without knowing their cause.

His approach is that by themselves painful manifestations are even useful: by signaling to us about trouble in the mental life of the patient.

The task of dad and mom is to identify the cause of this problem.

In this case, they often have to think not so much about the child himself, but about themselves and their relationship with him. You have to change something in yourself.

But today's adults, often and correctly called "consumers", It's easier to go the other way: fill the baby with medications, eliminate the symptoms and calm down.

What happened remains unknown.

But parents can avoid the need reconsider something in your own behavior and attitude towards the baby, and, besides, they are pleased that they take such good care of him and spare no effort and money for his treatment.

Dr. Komarovsky considers this path, in most cases, wrong. His approach is based on finding the root of the problem and eliminating it. This is more difficult, but much more useful for the child.

How can you help your child be more confident? find out right now.

Children's doctor about tics in children:

Prevention of childhood neurosis

Prevention of neurosis is, first of all, harmonious family relationships. Where friendship, mutual understanding, cooperation, respect and love reign, neurosis usually has nothing to do.

It is very useful from an early age to teach a child to take care of others, including his father and mother.

Neurotics are always selfish. They are obsessed with their problems. If attention is diverted to another person, this has a psychotherapeutic effect.

You need to find out what the baby likes to do and give him the opportunity to do what he loves. A very good method of prevention - labor, productive activity.

This could be growing berries in a greenhouse, caring for a puppy, or cleaning the apartment.

There must be a certain the result of the baby's efforts, which he sees and which is appreciated by adults.

It’s good if the baby loves animals, it’s especially useful to take care of them, and this care should be regular, daily.

It is very important that the child led an active lifestyle, every day I learned something new, learned to explore the world around me.

Communication with loved ones can also be considered as the prevention of neurosis.

It is important to take care of the baby’s health, since a weakened nervous system can be a consequence of weakness of the body as a whole.

At the same time, playing sports with constant participation in competitions can, on the contrary, provoke neurosis. It is better to engage not in sports, but in physical education and physical labor.

A healthy, loved, properly raised baby, surrounded by loved ones, leading an active lifestyle. not susceptible to neuroses. If this happens, it can be cured without much difficulty.

What to do if a child is afraid to poop in kindergarten? you will find on our website.

What to do with the “bad habits of children” - the so-called obsessive movements? Word from the expert:

The child began to bite his nails, make strange movements with his hands or head, and often blink or squint for no reason. All these signs may be manifestations of obsessive movement syndrome. We will tell you what it is and what to do about it in this material.

What it is

Obsessive movement neurosis is quite common in childhood. Most often, monotonous repetitive movements or series of such movements appear in children of preschool or primary school age. This is not a separate disease, but a whole complex of disorders both at the mental and emotional levels. The movements that the child makes are unmotivated and are very difficult to control.

Medicine classifies this phenomenon as a manifestation of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Obsessive-compulsive neuroses are included in the classification of diseases. Despite this, childhood syndrome has been studied quite little, and one can only guess about its true causes and mechanisms.

In order not to frighten parents, it should immediately be noted that a child with obsessive movements is not considered mentally ill. He is not disabled, does not need isolation and does not pose any danger to others. The only person he can harm is himself. And even then, only in cases where obsessive movements are traumatic.

Most often, according to current pediatric practice, parents go to the doctor with complaints that the child has begun to bite his lips, chew his legs and skin on his hands, bite his own hands, pull out his hair or almost constantly twirl his hair. finger, wave your arms and shake your hands, swing your body from side to side. It is noteworthy that the baby begins to repeat such movements precisely when he finds himself in an awkward or uncomfortable, from a psychological point of view, situation. If he is afraid, if he is confused, upset, irritated, offended, he begins to compensate for the discomfort with a habitual and calming movement or a whole series of them.

The manifestations of the syndrome do not always have pathological neurological or psychiatric causes. Due to little knowledge, it is sometimes very difficult to establish what became the “trigger mechanism”. But this diagnosis, if given to a child, is not a death sentence and in most cases does not even require classical treatment.

Causes

It is believed that the main cause of the bad habit of making obsessive movements is severe stress, a deep emotional shock that the child has experienced. Due to the fact that the baby cannot express in words the feelings overwhelming him, emotions find a way out on the physical level. This disorder is usually temporary, and as soon as the baby recovers from the experience, he will be able to get rid of unnecessary movements and actions.

Psychological reasons also include:

1. mistakes in raising a child (strictness, physical punishment, connivance and permissiveness)
2. difficult psychological climate in the family (divorce of parents, scandals and quarrels between adults in front of the child, physical violence);
3. a sharp change in the usual habitat (sudden move, transfer to another school, another kindergarten, transfer to a grandmother, etc.);
4. conflicts between the child and peers.

Physical causes that can lead to the disorder or contribute to its development under unfavorable external conditions include:

• history of traumatic brain injury;
• unfavorable heredity (there are close relatives with mental disorders, diseases of the central nervous system, as well as alcohol or drug abusers);
• concomitant neurological diagnoses (hyperactivity syndrome);
• congenital mental illnesses (autism, schizophrenia);
• congenital pathologies of the brain and central nervous system.

Sometimes children experience a whole complex of causes that combine both physical and psychological factors that contribute to the development of obsessive movements. Establishing the true cause is an incredibly difficult task even for an experienced doctor, but this must be done in order to know what specific help the child needs. Some of the reasons can be easily resolved by a confidential conversation with the baby or a visit to the office of a child psychologist, but some will have to be treated with medication.

Symptoms

Obsessive movement syndrome has a great variety of manifestations. It all depends on the child’s personality, his character, temperament, physical development, and age. Tics are most common in children under six years of age. They are always physiological in nature, involuntary and often disappear as suddenly as they appeared.

Obsessive movements of a more complex level are better influenced by volitional effort. Theoretically, a person can prohibit himself from biting his nails, but the child’s will and motivation are not very good, and therefore he is simply not able to cope with such movements. Most often, obsessive movement syndrome is manifested by the child biting his nails, the skin around them, smacking or twitching his lips with enviable regularity, biting his lips, blinking frequently and deliberately, constantly coughing or sniffling. Sometimes the syndrome manifests itself more pronouncedly - by rocking the body back and forth or from side to side, shaking the head, and unjustifiably waving the arms.

All such movements pose absolutely no danger if they are isolated or occur rarely.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder syndrome is characterized by cyclicality, regularity, monotony and constant repetition of very specific movements.

Often parents try to simply stop such manifestations. If they are pathological in origin, the child does not perceive criticism and demands to stop adequately, the movements intensify, and with the persistence of adults, the baby may begin to become hysterical.

Diagnostics

Not a single doctor in the world, when parents come to him with complaints about obsessive movements of a child, can say exactly what is causing this behavior in the baby. Therefore, mom and dad need to take a very careful look at the child, analyze recent events, and only after that go to see a doctor.

It is better to start diagnosing by visiting a neurologist. Parents will have to tell this specialist in detail in what situations and how often the series of movements are repeated, what nature they are, and also whether the child has recently had stress or upheaval.

In addition, you should write down and bring to the doctor a list of all the medications your child has taken over the past couple of months. Some medications can have this effect on the nervous system.

If after this there is no clear reason, the doctor will advise you to undergo an MRI of the brain(to rule out brain pathologies), and also pay a visit to a child psychiatrist, who will examine the child for mental disorders. It will be useful to take blood and urine tests, which will help determine whether there is any inflammatory process in the body, as well as whether it has a deficiency of vitamins and some minerals (in particular, calcium). Their lack can also lead to disorders of the nervous system.

This is where the available list of diagnostic measures ends. In medicine today there is no single standard for assessing such a condition as obsessive movement neurosis, and therefore doctors will make a diagnosis based mainly on the stories of parents.

Treatment

If the psychiatrist and neurologist consider that the child is healthy, and the tests did not show any significant deviations from the norm, then parents should not worry and do not rush to stuff their child with pills and injections. This requires a different approach. Therapy will consist of eliminating all phenomena and events that traumatize the baby’s psyche.

You need to communicate with your child, talk, walk, draw together, watch movies, read. And be sure to discuss everything.

Sooner or later, the baby will definitely report what bothered him so much, and the parents will be able to understand why the obsessive movements arose.

Under no circumstances should you forcefully stop the child’s attempts to make movements; you should not once again focus your attention on them and draw the child’s attention. If the child’s movements pose a danger to himself (he bites himself, scratches his face), you should definitely attend classes with him from a child psychologist, and, if necessary, from a psychotherapist. The baby needs to be monitored more closely.

Medication and concomitant treatment for obsessive movement neurosis are prescribed mainly when medical specialists find justified medical reasons for the occurrence of the disorder.

In particularly difficult cases, antidepressants are prescribed. In all other cases, they try to make do with milder therapy options.

Prescribe mild sedatives, preferably of natural or plant origin, which include "Glycine" And "Persen", to improve cerebral blood supply is prescribed "Cinnarizine" together with magnesium preparation "Asparkam". To strengthen the nervous system, B vitamins are prescribed, in particular, the drug "Milgamma". Herbal teas with a sedative effect - based on mint, valerian, oregano, and motherwort - can also be recommended as a sedative. At home, it will be possible to give your child soothing medicinal baths with medicinal herbs, however, provided that the doctor approves of this, because such procedures quite often cause an inadequate reaction in children with a predisposition to allergies.

Obsessive movements in a child are quite common. They are difficult because they involve constant repetition of monotonous movements over a long period of time. For example, parents may begin to worry about the question of why it sways, shakes its head, and so on.

Let’s try to understand in more detail the concept of “obsessive movement syndrome.” In addition, we will consider the symptoms, causes, methods of treatment and prevention of the disorder.

Why does obsessive movement syndrome occur?

Who is most susceptible to this type of disorder? What is the cause of obsessive movements?

Most often, they affect children who are often in stressful situations, brought up in dysfunctional families, or children who have suffered traumatic brain injuries. But there are also cases when obsessive movements appear in a child for no apparent (to parents and others) reasons. In any case, it is important to identify the factor that contributes to the development of the disorder and eliminate it in time so as not to aggravate the situation even further.

Symptoms of obsessive movements

There are many variations in the manifestation of this type of disorder. Caring parents should be alert to situations where their child very often:

• snaps fingers or sucks them;
• bites nails;
• shakes his head or sways his whole body;
• often sniffles (not including the presence of a runny nose);
• swings his arms or swings his leg;
• pinches the skin on the hands or other parts of the body;
• blinks frequently;
• often turns the neck or tilts it to one side;
• twirls her hair on her finger.

At the same time, it is important to repeat that the presence of a problem can be said not by performing the above actions once, but by repeating them regularly.

What can obsessive movements be associated with?

In young children, symptoms of the disorder mostly manifest themselves. There may be a constant repetition of any one or several signs at once.

As for school-age children, their obsessive movements may be accompanied by enuresis, stuttering or neurotic insomnia. This is especially true for expectation neurosis, which manifests itself as a result of the fear of making a mistake (for example, when answering near the board, and so on). In this case, obsessive movements in a child may be accompanied by tics in the form of coughing, sniffing, blinking, and grunting. Their intensification is usually observed during times of excitement, fear, worry, and anxiety.

Are obsessive movements normal in a child?

What do doctors say about this, including the well-known Dr. Komarovsky? Obsessive movements do not always indicate the presence of mental problems. In cases of mild severity, they may soon disappear on their own. It is important to remember that often such actions are the next stage in learning about the world and growing up.

But if a child has been snapping his fingers for a long time, shaking his head, or other symptoms of the problem are observed, it is worth contacting your local pediatrician for a special diagnosis and, possibly, prescribing the necessary type of treatment.

Diagnosis of the disorder

We must not forget that obsessive movements in children are not a separate disease, but may indicate the presence of more serious problems. And only with the help of special diagnostics can the presence of pathologies be excluded or detected. For example, the cause of constantly repeating movements may be the presence of the following diseases:

1. Obsessive-compulsive disorder.
2. Trichotillomania.

Moreover, they can manifest themselves at absolutely any age, both in completely healthy children and in those who are distinguished by a slow pace of intellectual development.

Therapy for obsessive movement neurosis

How to get rid of such a problem as obsessive movements in children? Treatment involves different types of therapy, depending on the extent and severity of the symptoms of the disorder.

While in some cases drug treatment is not required, in others medications are used. The most effective combination of psychotherapeutic sessions with a child psychologist and drug therapy. At the same time, parents must understand that for the child’s successful recovery, they will also have to make some efforts.

First of all, you should reconsider your parenting methods. It is unacceptable to use shouting or assault against a child. The look and voice should always be calm and friendly.

In addition, the baby must be taught to be independent, neat and clean, and from a very early age. It would be useful to conduct hardening exercises, communicate with peers, read together, and so on. At the same time, it is important not to overdo it and prevent both physical and mental fatigue.

It is advisable to dance with your child for at least a few minutes every day. You need to choose funny and rhythmic songs that the baby will like first of all.

Drug treatment

Once the true reason why a child bites his nails or makes other obsessive movements has been identified, the pediatrician may decide on the need for drug treatment.

The most commonly prescribed drugs are:

• "Asparkam."
• "Glycine".
• "Cinnarizine".
• "Pantogam".
• "Persen."
• "Milgamma".

We must not forget that such drugs can only be used as prescribed by a doctor, as they affect the central nervous system. They are used only in extreme cases, when serious deviations are observed or the disease is in a very advanced stage.

Treatment with traditional medicine

Folk remedies for getting rid of the disorder can be used in combination with basic therapy. Some of them help entertain the child and distract him from the problem, while others help calm his nervous system.

Let's consider several possible options:

1. Soothing baths. During daily water procedures, you can use herbs such as string, chamomile, lavender, mint. They calm the nervous system and relieve tension.
2. It would seem such a simple remedy, but it has an excellent effect. To prepare it, you need to dilute a teaspoon of honey in a glass of warm (in no case hot!) water and give it to your child to drink just before bedtime.
3. Decoction of oat grains. To prepare it, you need to rinse the oat grains and cook them until half cooked over low heat in a liter of water. After this, strain the resulting broth and add one spoon of honey to it. Give it to your child a glass once a day.

Preventing the appearance of the disorder

It is within the power of each parent to prevent or at least reduce the likelihood of the child developing obsessive movements or any other mental disorders and neuroses.

First of all, prevention methods include sufficient communication with the baby. It is important to set aside at least some time every day to talk with your child (regardless of his age, even with a baby), read fairy tales to him, find joint entertainment (drawing, modeling, dancing, active games, and so on). This will help establish trust and make the child calmer.

The next stage is protection from stressful situations. Of course, it is impossible to foresee everything, but it is within the power of parents to do everything possible so that the child is as prepared as possible for them. To do this, you can, for example, act out scenes with different unforeseen situations, so that if they arise, the baby will not be confused or scared, but will know how to act correctly.

It is necessary to establish a daily routine and strictly adhere to it. In addition, it is important to teach the child independence and responsibility.

Another important point, which was already mentioned above: in no case should mental and physical overwork be allowed, as they do not have the best effect on mental balance. You can also use the methods that were described in the section “Treatment using traditional medicine” - soothing baths with herbs and sea salt, water with honey at night, and so on.

The main thing that absolutely all parents need to remember is that the child’s health (including psychological) is completely in their hands.