Could My Teen Have OCD?
Your teen appears to be walking funny. You’re watching them from behind and it reminds you of that old school yard game, step on a crack and break your momma’s back. You ask your teen what’s up with the funny walk and they look worried. More worried than you think they should. Actually, they look scared.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a type of anxiety disorder. There are two components to this disorder and they are the obsession and the compulsion. The obsession can be fear based as in; Did I turn off the stove? did I lock the door? Are my loved ones okay? Is that fruit clean? What might that person have done with their hand before offering it to me to shake? These obsessive thoughts need something to help calm the person down so a ritual is developed to self-soothe. The ritual is called the compulsion. They have to do it or the obsession will make them very anxious. They can become so anxious they have a panic attack and pass out. It is truly that scary.
People frequently use the expression “OCD” to refer to someone who is very anal retentive or meticulous. Perhaps you can see now how that is an incorrect use of what it means to be OCD. OCD is a common mental health disorder that develops in the early to mid teen years and can be recognized by the debilitating rituals 
that compromise their function like repeated hand washing or scrubbing the skin raw in the shower to rid of germs. Some celebrities with OCD include the actor Leonardo DiCaprio who fights the urge to repeatedly walk through doorways, the singer Katie Perry who has melt downs when she sees fingerprints on shades and the performer Justin Timberlake who has only certain foods in his fridge and who needs his environment extremely neat and orderly for him to function are examples of what your teen may do. Part of the difficulty suppressing compulsions is that your teen thinks something bad will happen possibly to a loved one if the compulsion is not done. Again, with this kind of fear-based anxiety, it is easy to empathize.
Treatment can involve everything from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to medication, if the anxiety is completely overwhelming. The point is there is absolutely help for this condition and you should seek this for your teen because it will help them get the most out of life rather than being imprisoned by rituals that hold them back from living life. The celebrities above have made the decision to resist their compulsions and have become quite successful. How ‘bout your teen?
Resources:
OCD Quiz http://psychcentral.com/ocdquiz.htm
OCD info http://helpguide.org/mental/obsessive_compulsive_disorder_ocd.htm
Support Groups:
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