很少有孩子没有特定的担忧或恐惧，孩子们养成习惯是很正常的，比如睡觉的时候。但是对于大约1- 2%患有强迫症的儿童来说，这些想法和行为变得如此强烈，它们既会给孩子带来极大的痛苦，也会破坏孩子的功能。加州大学洛杉矶分校塞梅尔研究所和加州大学洛杉矶分校的斯图尔特和琳达·雷斯尼克神经精神病院为这些儿童开设了全国为数不多的以医院为基础的强化门诊治疗项目之一。加州大学洛杉矶分校儿科强迫症强化门诊项目为8-17岁的儿童提供每天3小时的个人和团体治疗，以及家庭治疗、父母教育和支持，以及药物管理。该项目每周提供四天，为期至少两周，具体时间取决于儿童障碍的严重程度。项目主管R. Lindsey Bergman博士说，强迫症儿童表现出的症状的严重程度和类型差异很大。尽管强迫症通常被描述为对污染的恐惧或需要事物井然有序，但其症状范围很广。伯格曼博士解释说，大多数强迫症患者都有强迫和强迫行为。强迫是产生焦虑的，难以控制的侵入性思想和恐惧，而强迫是通常为了减少与强迫思想相关的焦虑而发展起来的行为或仪式。强迫也可以表现为与侵入性思想无关。 For example, sometimes a behavior such as counting or touching is done repetitively until it feels right rather than because an intrusive thought triggered the behavior. In other cases, the ritual or behavior can be directly related or in response to the obsessive thought. For instance, fear of contamination can lead the child to want to avoid physical contact or public spaces. A childs concern about having the numbers and letters on schoolwork look just right can lead to constant erasing until there are holes in the paper and the work is never completed. Religious or moral obsessions, termed obsessive scrupulosity, may result in compulsive confessions or praying for forgiveness, even over the smallest incident or behavior that others would not judge as objectionable. Research has provided evidence for two effective OCD treatments, Dr. Bergman says. One is medication, most commonly in the form of prescribed selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors. The other — often used in combination with the medication — is a particular form of cognitive behavioral therapy called exposure and response prevention. The child is exposed to the feared thought while resisting engaging in the compulsive behavior, in a graduated fashion — practicing at first with something thats just a little bit scary, Dr. Bergman explains. A reward system is used to reinforce the childs attempts at engaging in exposure activities regardless of their success in resisting compulsions. Over time, and with follow-up at home, compulsive behaviors are extinguished as the exposures demonstrate that negative consequences do not result when the compulsive behavior or ritual is resisted. www.uclahealth.org