Why Teens With OCD Need Treatment

OCD is incredibly stressful for both your teen and the rest of the family. If your teen has OCD, they are in deep pain right now. To your teen, OCD seems like a huge wall slowy crumbling over them, and they increasingly feel helpless against the worry, fear, and anxiety OCD brings. However, OCD isn’t inescapable. With treatment, your teen can rise above OCD and break free from the pain it brings.  

What is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder? 

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder in which people have intrusive thoughts and engage in obsessive behaviors. However, it has a straight-forward treatment protocol. Some basic steps are followed to help teens with OCD. Normally the treatment team includes both a psychiatrist for medication, and a therapist for cognitive-behavioral therapy. This blend is extra helpful when treating OCD.

Treating Teens with OCD

OCD is hard to deal with, but it is treatable. Though the specifics of treatment vary from case to case, it has 3 common steps. Let’s explore how to treat teens with OCD.

Step 1

First, the OCD must be defined. This means the person who has OCD works with a therapist to find out which obsessions (thoughts) lead to which compulsions (actions).  For example, a person might obsess over leaving the stove on. The compulsion is to check if the stove is on several times before leaving the home. The therapist then helps clarify what the person is truly afraid of. This person might be afraid that their house will burn down, which represents loss of control, which is the underlying fear. 

Step 2

The teen getting treated for OCD then meets with a psychiatrist. They explain to the psychiatrist how the OCD is manifested, and the psychiatrist prescribes medication accordingly. Psychiatric medication is extremely effective with OCD. When medication is combined with therapy it’s found to be even more helpful. Most of these medications take 4-6 weeks to take full effect. 

Step 3

As the medication is building up in the person’s system, the therapist and client work together to confront the anxiety that is playing a role in OCD. When doing this, the therapist uses a process called “exposure and response prevention.” Let’s use that example of the person who’s afraid of leaving the stove on again. Say they want to make sure it’s off 6 times, so the therapist directs them to check only 5. Once they become comfortable with that, they will continue working to cease making sure the stove is off until they stop checking completely. 

Using Baby Steps to Treat Teens With OCD

This process moves slowly. Someone with OCD cannot instantly reach the finish-line of treatment. If they are afraid of leaving the stove on, they can’t stop making sure it’s off right away. Treating teens with OCD requires baby steps, but every step is set at a pace that is both slightly challenging while still tolerable to the client. Though is may sometimes seem like it’s taking a while, using small steps is a very important part of the treatment process for teens with OCD.

OCD Is Conquerable! 

OCD is hard on everyone in the house. It causes you stress, makes your teen frustrates your teen, and is difficult for everyone else too. The good news is that OCD is beatable! Give me a call, and I’ll be glad to talk about treatment for your teen. Together, we will beat OCD!

Helping teens grow and families improve connection, 

Lauren Goodman, MS, MFT