Mommy Why Do I Feel This Way?

About the Book

This wonderfully written and illustrated book gives a picture of the world as seen through the eyes of a child with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). The narrative and art draw the reader into the emotional life of this anxious young girl. It is a life rich with a complex interplay of thoughts, feelings and behaviors. The book’s straight-forward and appealing simple language, and its boldly and evocative drawings should make it appealing, accessible, and informative for both children and parents.
We often think of childhood as a wonderful time of happy play, of curiosity and learning, of enchantment, imagination and delight. But for some children, through no fault of their own or their parents, it can be a time of worry, fear, and suffering. For children with OCD, life can be filled with the irrational dread of some feared terrible event happening, and the day may be spent in behaviors or rituals designed to prevent bad things from happening. To parents and family unaware of the child’s inner world, everything may seem to be fine in the child’s life and in the environment. But curiously, the suffering child may feel shame or guilt about their thoughts or feeling or behaviors, and try to hide them from others. Thus the child may struggle in silence until symptoms reach such a magnitude that they can no longer be contained, and a parent or sibling or teacher begins to notice the child’s painful attempts to deal with his or her overwhelming feelings and self-defeating behaviors. But help is available, if only the child could seek it, or the parents could recognize the child’s need for it. This book should make it easier for the child with OCD to identify and communicate their struggles to a caring adult. It should help the child find language for their experiences, decrease the shame in discussing sensitive and personal information, and offer and example of hope. It should give parents (as well as therapists and teachers) a safe and nonintrusive vehicle for exploring with their child the possibility that the child maybe experiencing intrusive thoughts, and unwanted and frightening and uncontrollable emotions.
OCD is estimated to affect about 2 percent of the adult population, and often begins in childhood. But symptoms more mild than the full-blown disorder affect a much higher percentage of both adults and children, and may cause considerable distress. OCD can adversely impact the child’s happiness, can interfere with peer relationships, school performance, and have a profound effect on family and loved ones.
But help is available and OCD and other childhood mental disorders can often be effectively treated. Early intervention is desired to lessen the suffering, to break harmful patterns before they become entrenched, and to allow the child to get back on track with healthful development. Much information about OCD and resources for treatment are available through organizations like the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the National Institute of Mental Health.

Stephen Lyrene, M.D.
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist
This wonderfully written and illustrated book gives a picture of the world as seen through the eyes of a child with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). The narrative and art draw the reader into the emotional life of this anxious young girl. It is a life rich with a complex interplay of thoughts, feelings and behaviors. The book’s straight-forward and appealing simple language, and its boldly and evocative drawings should make it appealing, accessible, and informative for both children and parents.
We often think of childhood as a wonderful time of happy play, of curiosity and learning, of enchantment, imagination and delight. But for some children, through no fault of their own or their parents, it can be a time of worry, fear, and suffering. For children with OCD, life can be filled with the irr

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