She’s acting obsessively

QMy daughter is going spare at her daughter’s behaviour. The girl is 16 – bright, pretty, with plenty of friends. But she seems to have a cleanliness obsession and washes her hands not many times a day, but many times an hour. In fact, her hands are now red and chapped as she washes them so often. We’ve tried talking with her about it but she gets defensive. My daughter tried forbidding her from washing more than once an hour, but the girl got so distressed she had to let go on that.

SUZIE SAYS

AThe past two years have probably been toughest on teenagers of everyone. At the time when they should have been pulling away from their parents and being with their own age group, they were stuck at home with the adults. We all felt confused and powerless during the pandemic. There are several coping mechanisms that we grasp as a way of getting back in control, and excessive handwashing is one of them. The family needs a referral to mental health assessment and support, which their GP could make.