OCD isn’t just being “neat,” organized, or liking things a certain way. Unfortunately, that’s one of the biggest myths about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. For many teens, OCD can feel confusing, scary, and isolating—especially when their symptoms don’t match what they see in movies and TV shows, or on social media. As a Teen Counselor in Woodland Hills, I know that understanding what OCD really is can be the first step toward getting the support you need and deserve.

What Is OCD Really Like?

Many parenting disagreements aren’t actually about the child—they’re about different beliefs, expectations, and experiences that each partner brings into the relationship. Many of our opinions as adults are and were shaped by the way we were treated as children; some people recreate what they saw when they were young, others reject those discipline styles or rules and go the opposite way whenever possible. It can be almost impossible to find someone whose parenting style lines up precisely with yours, and even if you’ve had those conversations, the actual reality can be very different once you are a parent.

OCD can look like:

• Intrusive thoughts that feel upsetting, scary, or unwanted.
• Constant worry that something bad will happen; a pervasive sense of “doom”, and/or the felt need for hypervigilance to “guard” against the bad thing that is coming.
• Repeated checking (doors, assignments, texts, homework, etc.).
• Needing things to feel “just right” in order to relax or let go of any anxiety.
• Repeatedly asking for reassurance from parents, friends, or teachers.
• Mental rituals like counting, praying, or replaying situations in your head.
• Avoiding certain people, places, or situations because they trigger anxiety.

Many teens with OCD know their fears don’t fully make sense—but that doesn’t make the anxiety feel any less real.

3 Things Every Teen Should Know About OCD

1 – Intrusive Thoughts Don’t Define You

One of the hardest parts of OCD is believing that having a thought means something about who you are. The thoughts that can arise with OCD can range from upsetting, to taboo, to subjects that are considered abhorrent to the person thinking them.

The truth is:

• Thoughts are not actions. A thought can arise without your conscious choice and without reflecting anything about your values or opinions. What gives power to thoughts is how we respond to them. You can try to imagine that these thoughts are a balloon drifting by in the air, or a boat passing by on a river. You see it, you accept that it is there. But you’re not chasing the balloon, or following the boat. It has come into the forefront of your mind, but it’s not who you are.
• Thoughts are not intentions. Our brains are very powerful and not fully understood. There are many unconscious or subconscious thoughts that can come from any region of our minds without any seeming reason. This doesn’t mean we are going to follow through on the thought, or that the thought reflects how we want to show up in the world. Many of us, whether we struggle with OCD or not, often find that we can’t control how things turn out, regardless of how well-intended we are. Why then, would a thought that isn’t reflective of our ideals and goals say anything about us as people?
• Thoughts are not predictions. This one can feel especially scary to people who have OCD. Our brains always seek to find meaning and patterns; a recurrent thought can begin to feel like a premonition. It can be tempting to ask ourselves, “If this isn’t a warning, then why is it so recurrent?”

Having an intrusive thought does not make it true. In OCD therapy, we review and revisit this affirmation often.

2 – Reassurance Often Makes OCD Stronger

Investigating an OCD trigger can actually have the unintended effect of validating it. In our Woodland Hills Teen Therapy Sessions, we practice letting go of a thought without needing “proof” that it wasn’t valid, or by using a ritual to deal with it.

When anxiety spikes, it can feel natural to ask:

• “Are you sure everything is okay?” This leads to seeking out a problem, or some “reason” why the emotion is there. If you look hard enough for troubles or issues, odds are you can find them. When your anxiety is heightened, even the smallest trigger can feel overwhelming. When discovered, this trigger becomes an omen, cementing the obsession that your OCD brain was fixated on.
• “What if I did something wrong?” Like checking for safety, this question can also lead to a “discovery” of something that wasn’t really an issue. It also creates an environment in which absolute reassurance is necessary before you can move on. With time, it can be immensely difficult to step away from the pervasive thought without an established level of reassurance that you did not, in fact, do anything wrong.
• “Do you think this means something?” This question takes the idea that things happen for a certain reason to a whole other level. While the concept can be reassuring in hard times, seeking a meaning for each and every intrusive thought can lead to associations that have nothing to do with one another, or rumination that takes over the ability to set aside triggers and triggering thoughts.

While reassurance may help temporarily, it often strengthens the OCD cycle over time. Helping your teen to move on without reassuring signs, or reassurance from yourself and others, can help to minimize the impact of OCD on their daily life.

3 – OCD Doesn’t Always Look the Same

There are common stereotypes about OCD that get a lot of attention. This can reduce OCD to a very narrow scope, leading to a misunderstanding of symptoms and how they can present. Some of the people we see for Teen Therapy in Woodland Hills didn’t realize all the ways their OCD was manifesting.

Some teens struggle with contamination fears, while others experience:

• Fear of harming someone. Dealing with intrusive thoughts about doing harm to another person can be not only distressing, but isolating. Fears of what others might think of you, or what the ramifications might be (punishment, very strict supervision) can lead to keeping the struggle with these thoughts secret. It is important for those who have OCD and their loved ones to know that these thoughts aren’t indicators of actions that will be taken.
• Relationship doubts. This can be your platonic, familial, and/or romantic relationships. It can include fears that you aren’t really loved, that the other person isn’t actually “right for you”, and more.
• Religious or moral fears. An insistence upon meeting a certain standard of virtue can be difficult to pick out, especially if your teen is part of a community that instills and praises certain values. If that is the case, it is imperative that you take care to protect your teen from religious/moral OCD, in spite of how affirming it might be to see them so dedicated to something you believe in. If your teen has different religious or moral beliefs from yours, this is also not the time to discount their values entirely, but to find a way to connect with them about a tolerable level of concern about their behaviors, as opposed to fear of what will happen if they “do something wrong”.
• Perfectionism. Obsessions and compulsions are a breeding ground for perfectionistic behavior. This manifestation of OCD can really rear its head during the school year, as a drive for “perfection” overtakes their thoughts. It can be challenging to find a way to encourage hard work without feeding OCD thoughts.
• Health anxiety. With OCD, this can show up as concern about symptoms, focus on “health habits” in order to “safeguard against illness or injury”, and/or recurring fears about becoming ill or disabled. These concerns and habits often include the ritual aspect of OCD, wherein certain protocols must be followed in an effort to ward off illness or injury. These habits can take place before, during, and/or after any activity or action.
• A need for certainty. OCD can make shades of gray very difficult to tolerate; many times, there is a desire to know exactly what will happen, or has happened. Routines, schedules, moral quandaries, decisions, and more can end up dictated by the thoughts and triggers of OCD, with anxiety levels skyrocketing in scenarios where certainty isn’t possible.

OCD can take many forms, and no two people experience it exactly the same way.

Key Takeaways

• OCD is much more than being organized or liking things clean.
• Intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors can affect many different areas of a teen’s life.
• OCD is common, treatable, and nothing to be ashamed of.

How Therapy Can Help

Therapy can help teens understand their OCD, reduce anxiety, and develop healthier ways of responding to intrusive thoughts. Treatments like Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) are highly effective in helping teens break free from the OCD cycle and regain confidence in themselves.

If you’re struggling with thoughts or behaviors that feel overwhelming, know that help is available—and recovery is possible.

OCD Treatment in Woodland Hills 

OCD is much more than hand-washing or repeatedly checking locks. It can affect many areas of life, including relationships, driving, parenting, and the postpartum experience. The cycle of intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors can feel overwhelming and difficult to break on your own.

Working with an OCD specialist can help you better understand how OCD operates and develop effective strategies for managing it. At our Woodland Hills office and through virtual therapy, we provide evidence-based OCD treatment using Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and mindfulness techniques to help you reduce symptoms and reclaim your life.

Contact us today for your complimentary 20-minute phone consultation with our Admin Team today!