ADHD & OCD

ADHD & OCD

From All Aboard ADHD by Claire Quigley Ward

April 17, 2026 · 55 min · Season 1 · Episode 59

About this episode

This episode explores the overlap between OCD and ADHD in children, featuring insights from an expert in the field.

What does OCD look like in children and how can we spot when it overlaps with ADHD? In this episode of the All Aboard ADHD podcast, Claire is joined by Professor Per Hove Thomsen, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and one of the world's leading experts on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in young people. Together, they explore what OCD actually is, how it affects family life, and why it sometimes occurs alongside ADHD. They discuss: 💭 The 'Sticky Brain' of OCD, where distressing thoughts repeat uncontrollably despite an awareness they are absurd or irrational. 🧠 How the term “OCD” is often misused casually - moving beyond the casual use of the term to understand how true obsessions and compulsions work, and how they differ from normal childhood rituals. 🙉 The “Pull-Yourself-Together” Myth: why people with OCD can't simply choose to stop listening to their thoughts. How the shameful, frightening, or taboo nature of these thoughts can make it hard for children to open up and can often cause families to keep the condition hidden. 🔍︎How to spot early signs of OCD in children, for example behaviour changes such as taking longer the bathroom washing their hands, or…

People in this episode

Host: Claire Quigley Ward

Guest: Professor Per Hove Thomsen

Topics covered

  • ADHD
  • OCD
  • children's mental health
  • family dynamics
  • obsessive-compulsive disorder

Keywords

  • OCD
  • ADHD
  • children
  • mental health
  • obsessions
  • compulsions
  • family life
  • early signs
  • sticky brain

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: All Aboard ADHD

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