A teen with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) will struggle with difficult thoughts and impulses, which causes them anxiety and stress (often called obsessions). To help with the stress, your teen may repeatedly perform certain actions (known as compulsions). These obsessions and compulsions can cause a lot of distress and have a significant impact on your teen’s quality of life.
According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), OCD is thought to be the fourth most common psychiatric illness and recent studies have shown it to affect 1% of young people. In childhood, boys are more commonly affected than girls. However, this changes during puberty with more girls being diagnosed. You can find out more about OCD on the NHS website.
As a parent of a teen with OCD, you may feel confused about their behaviour and not know where to turn to for help. But remember, you are not to blame for their OCD, and neither is your child. However your teen is affected by OCD, there are plenty of ways that you can help them.
Unfortunately, OCD has been misunderstood and the term OCD is often misused. Some people think it just means you wash your hands a lot or you like things to be tidy. Those with OCD might have cleaning rituals, but they do not enjoy them. People might even make jokes about it or describe themselves as a ‘little OCD’. This can be frustrating and upsetting for people who actually have OCD.
The ‘D’ in OCD stands for disorder, so when someone is diagnosed with OCD, it is because they experience a significant impact on their daily functioning and quality of life. OCD is not a choice.
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