Help! My Kid has OCD, What do I do? How to do OCD Parenting

Any mental health diagnosis is hard on a parent. You want to help your kid, but unless you have a PhD in psychology you’re probably feeling a little lost. Even if you have a PhD in psychology you may be feeling lost because it’s different when it’s your own kid. 

If my kid were diagnosed with OCD toda here’s what I would want to know.

1. You can’t just take them to any therapist. Many therapists are uninformed about OCD but treat it anyway. Traditional talk therapy can actually be harmful OCD. You need to take them to an OCD specialist that offers ERP therapy specifically. It’s awesome if they have other approaches they use in addition to ERP but kids with OCD need ERP to be at least a part of their treatment. 

   
   

2. You can’t let them avoid anything. OCD parenting is hard because of this. Mental health days are not a good idea for a kid with OCD. Every time a person with OCD avoids something that makes them anxious it actually makes their overall anxiety stronger. One day of school avoidance can turn into years of school anxiety for a child with OCD.

   
   

3. OCD treatment is highly effective. If you take it seriously now, then their life and mental health won’t always be as hard as they are now. 

There's also a few things I would not do.

1. I would avoid emphasizing good behavior and breaking the rules for a minute. kids with OCD are particularly vulnerable to guilt and shame. They'll punish themselves more than you as a parent ever could.

2. I wouldn't let them watch scary scary media. With OCD things that are disturbing get stuck in your brain. That includes the jump scare from a horror movie or the fear that a post apocalyptic film brought up.

   
   

3. I wouldn't ignore it. Your kid won't grow out of it or get over it. OCD needs treatment. While medication alone can be helpful it's never truly enough and you'll have much better luck with medication and therapy combines.

If your kids has OCD then life as you know it is not over. You will learn to solve this and find resources that help.