Explainer | How to recognise OCD in your child and help them, according to an expert whose son has it

A child psychologist whose young son has obsessive-compulsive disorder describes its symptoms and how she helps him manage the condition

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Parenting a child with obsessive-compulsive disorder comes with unique challenges. Clinical psychologist for children Emily Becker-Haimes shares her own experience living with a son with OCD, and gives advice for parents in a similar situation. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 4:15pm, 27 Aug 2024

Emily Becker-Haimes’ son had just turned five when she and her husband began to notice that things like his fear of bugs and his specific requests for “five hugs” felt different.

They soon realised their son had obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Becker-Haimes is a clinical psychologist for children and the clinical director of the Pediatric Anxiety Treatment Center at Hall-Mercer, a specialist clinic in Philadelphia, in the United States, that assesses and treats children and adolescents with anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), tics and trichotillomania (hair pulling).

She has been working with children with OCD for almost 13 years. Despite her experience, Becker-Haimes says it “took me some time to recognise what was going on for my own kid”.

Emily Becker-Haimes is a child clinical psychologist whose five-year-old son was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder. Photo: University of Pennsylvania

Becker-Haimes, who describes herself as not one to share personal information, says she made the “really hard decision” to talk about her experience to help other families and encourage them to seek help quickly. Earlier treatment leads to better outcomes, she says.