Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Obsessive, compulsive symptoms (OCS) in adolescents and young adults may be a sign of serious mental illness including major depression and suicidal intent.  A study at the University of Pennsylvania looked at 7,000 subjects 11 through 21 years of age and found that 20% of those with OCS had thoughts about harming themselves or others and pictured violent images.  Psychiatrists know that such children are likely to develop major mental disorders.   Teens who evidence repetitive and ritualistic behaviors including checking and rechecking things, cleaning over and over, and ordering and reordering items need to be carefully monitored for the development of mental illness.  If you see this in your teen, speak with their pediatricians about a referral to a child psychiatrist.   Vidcast: https://youtu.be/0T2vkePHt8   #Obsessivecompulsivesyndrome #depression #suicide #repetitivebehavior #cleaning #ordering #checking Ran Barzilay, Ariana Patrick, Monica E. Calkins, Tyler M. Moore, Daniel H. Wolf, Tami D. Benton, Jam