Is Your Teen Struggling to Cope with OCD Symptoms? Here’s How to Help

When thinking about obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), you might not consider your teen as someone likely to experience it. What is often surprising for parents is to learn that OCD actually most commonly develops in teen years. 

As a teen, it can be difficult to seek help from others. They may want to handle it on their own. 

OCD can be complex and it can be difficult to know exactly what compulsions or obsessions your teen is having, but we can look at ways to approach it. 

Educating Yourself: Signs of OCD in Teens

Some obsessions and compulsions begin in adolescence which can then be carried to adulthood. 

Examples of common obsessions are unwanted or disturbing thoughts of harming oneself and others, worrying about germs and illness, or being fixated on orderliness. Many individuals with OCD have multiple obsessions, and OCD symptoms can outwardly appear as a teen who is simply high-maintenance or a ‘perfectionist’, so these are things to look out for. 

Examples of common compulsions are excessive checking, needing to repeat actions, counting, constant washing and cleaning, or arranging things in a particular way.

OCD can be time-consuming for teens as they have to constantly engage in their compulsions to suppress obsessive thoughts and get relief. It is important to understand that their obsessions are unwanted thoughts that are intrusive. This struggle can be hard to share with others, who may not understand why they become so preoccupied with their obsessions.

Open Communication

Teens are more likely to try and handle things on their own as they naturally want to seek more independence, however, it is important as parents to show you have an open space that they can go to for support and to talk without judgement or criticism. They should feel comfortable approaching you about what they are experiencing and how they are coping. Be encouraging and show available supports, such as offering to connect to professionals who can help them work through the complicated beliefs and behaviors of OCD. 

Opening up a conversation by acknowledging their recent behaviours, validating their experiences, and understanding that this is difficult for them to discuss, can help them be more transparent and keep you aware of what's going on.

Parent Involvement in Compulsions

Seeing your teen distressed and feeling a sense of relief only when engaging in their compulsions can be difficult for parents. You might feel like you should let these compulsions happen because it helps your teen find relief, but this reinforces the cycle and struggle of OCD. 

If your teen is actively seeking help and you are altering family dynamics and schedules for your teen’s compulsions by accommodating them, this slows down progress since you are reinforcing these compulsions as a priority. 

Instead of reinforcing compulsions, it is recommended that you set limits and boundaries to working with their symptoms while staying supportive and empathetic. This can be difficult to do since you do not want to make your child distressed, but keeping these boundaries and staying firm while a child starts to manage OCD can help change the narrative.  

Helping Them Understanding Why Help is Important

Once speaking with your teen about their behaviours and experiences with OCD symptoms, you can start speaking about seeking professional help. This can be intimidating at first to teens but early intervention is critical, and an open discussion with a healthcare professional and your teen about different options can help you see how to take your first steps to recovery. 

Exposure and response prevention (ERP) is most effective with OCD. Teens in ERP therapy are gradually exposed to feared thoughts or situations (obsessions), while they are restricted from engaging in their related compulsions. Teens can learn how to develop coping mechanisms and, by preventing their compulsions, have more time for things like school, activities, and hobbies.

If your teen is struggling with OCD, we have therapists who can help you and your teen begin the journey of understanding OCD, what is happening during obsessions and compulsions, and how to manage it. Please contact us at Healing Voices Psychotherapy to book an appointment for OCD Therapy and take the first step towards healing and wellbeing for your teen and family.