We all want our children to have the easiest life possible; we want them to feel safe, self-confident and loved. As a parent, watching your teen struggle with overwhelming thoughts or behaviors can be distressing. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is often misunderstood, especially in teenagers, who might already be navigating the challenges of adolescence. Recognizing and addressing OCD early can make a significant difference in your teen’s well-being. So, how can you support your teen while also understanding what they’re going through?

Understanding OCD in Teens

OCD is characterized by unwanted, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors or mental acts (compulsions) performed to alleviate anxiety or prevent a feared event. For teens, OCD can manifest in various ways, such as excessive hand washing, checking locks repeatedly, or needing things to be “just right”. These behaviors are more than quirks—they are often time-consuming and can interfere with daily life, school performance, and social relationships.

Teens with OCD might feel embarrassed or confused about their thoughts and actions, making it difficult to open up. They may also worry about being judged or misunderstood. As a parent, your understanding and support can play a crucial role in helping them manage this condition.

3 Ways to Navigate Your Teen Having OCD

1. Educate Yourself and Your Teen: 

Learning about OCD is the first step in reducing fear and stigma. Understand that OCD is not a choice or a sign of weakness—it’s a mental health condition that requires compassionate care. Though it can manifest in different ways for different people, there are hallmark signs and symptoms that reflect the nature of OCD. Once you are able to understand how behaviors are influenced by thoughts and compulsions, you can more easily notice and understand your teen’s tells, signs, symptoms, and triggers.

You may find yourself unlearning stereotypes and also discovering things about OCD that would have never occurred to you. Because OCD can manifest with all different kinds of thoughts, such as taboo thoughts, and also with behaviors that most people aren’t aware of, like skin-picking or hair-pulling, there is a broad spectrum of information to familiarize yourself with. With this knowledge, you may take note of the way you think about others’ behavior, the way you think and talk about your own habits, and the expectations you might have about OCD that aren’t benefiting your teen.

Did you know that body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) such as skin-picking and hair-pulling are the more common manifestations of OCD-related BFRBs, but that there are even more sub-types? Did you know that there are different ways to handle relationship dynamics (whether those are familiar, platonic, or romantic relationships) when one partner has OCD? Are you aware of how OCD impacts daily life, when it causes aversions to certain events or opportunities, or when it manifests as perfectionism? All of this information can benefit you when you are trying to understand your teen and benefit your teen when they are trying to understand themself.

Share this knowledge with your teen to help them feel understood and less alone. Books, reputable websites, and mental health professionals can provide valuable insights. You may choose to read the same book, go through the same website, or watch videos together. Or you may choose to review them separately. Either way, set aside some time to talk about what you’ve learned and questions you might have. Be aware that your teen will get different things out of the same information; neither of you is right or wrong, just approaching the information from different points of view.

Be clear with your teen that information about OCD is always evolving, and that it would be unreasonable for them to expect themself to know everything there is to know. Rather, remind them that the wealth of information they have available is meant to guide and reassure them; let them know that if they feel they are developing a relationship with reading and learning about OCD that causes distress, that is a good time to ease off and bring that issue to a trusted adult – likely a therapist.

You and your teen may decide that you want to attend groups for others who struggle with OCD. These might be in-person or online; joining a community together gives you access to the inside scoop about some things, while also allowing you to know what your teen is hearing. Not all treatments are best for all people. Hearing from someone who is benefiting from one modality of therapy, or whose OCD manifests in a specific way, can help your teen understand what doesn’t apply to them. It is always helpful to address your own specific situation, which not only means learning about how to help yourself, but eliminating what doesn’t apply. These groups are great for your teen to know they are not alone, and for you to know you are not the only parent of a teen with OCD. It is something you can do together to expand your knowledge and your support network.

2. Foster Open Communication: 

Create a safe space for your teen to talk about their experiences without fear of judgment. Listen actively and validate their feelings. It will mean far more to them if you tell them you support them and that you’re here for them than if you try to manage whatever is happening for them. Sometimes, this can make us feel as though we aren’t really doing anything to help, or like we’re not being supportive, but that isn’t the case. Instead of trying to “fix” the problem immediately, focus on understanding their perspective. This is still an active task; it’s about so much more than just hearing what they have to say. However, through listening, being curious, and resisting the urge to suggest what actions to take, you are actually doing the work that will help your teen feel safe and understood. Reassure them that it’s okay to seek help and that they are not alone in this journey.

Your teen may attend in-person and/or online OCD therapy, where they can receive professional guidance, support, and education. But you still have a role to play in being able to talk to your teen about their emotions, symptoms, needs, challenges, fears, and more. You are the person who sees your teen the most often. When you are educated about the signs and symptoms of OCD – especially lesser-known types – and you are able to have an open dialogue with your teen, you are in the perfect position to help them navigate their mental health struggles. Part of what we do in our Woodland Hills OCD therapy sessions is explore how teens feel and practice being able to open up and share, as many teens want desperately to feel understood by their loved ones.

When you consider how best to foster open communication with your teen, remember that you and your teen might have different ideas about what constitutes a safe environment. If your teen is more likely to open up while doing something else, like working on a puzzle, coloring, or fidgeting with something, then that might be the best way to ensure that you are able to hear from them in an honest way. To you, this might feel distracted or avoidant; don’t focus on what is happening and how it compares with what you would prefer. Focus on the results. Are you able to converse with your teen? Do they share with you? Can you think of instances when they opened up about something and you were able to problem-solve the issue together using these methods? If it’s working, it’s working.

Normalize checking in with one another by modeling the behavior yourself. While there are some adult issues and problems that children aren’t suited to hear about, that doesn’t mean that you can’t share anything about yourself or your struggles. “I was having a tough time at work today because…” is a great way to share with your teen about something that was hard on you, showing that you can be vulnerable, too. When you tell your teen about how you made a silly mistake, or you felt misunderstood, or you were having a hard time letting go of a thought, you give your teen the opportunity to be there for you. When they have an issue, it will feel like a natural part of your reciprocal relationship to approach you and say, “I was having a tough time at school today because…”

3. Work With an OCD Specialist: 

You want to be there for your teen, you want to have all the answers and be able to guide them through anything that comes their way in life, but mental illness is not something you should expect yourself to be able to navigate without support. OCD often requires professional intervention. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), particularly Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), is considered the gold standard for treating OCD. A mental health professional can help your teen develop coping strategies and gradually reduce compulsive behaviors.

You and/or your teen might have pre-existing ideas about what it means to see a therapist and/or need mental health support. If no one you know attends (or has attended) therapy, this might seem like a brand-new and overwhelming experience. The truth is that so many people attend therapy for so many reasons. The idea that we “should be able to take care of ourselves” isn’t a helpful one; even therapists attend therapy to utilize the support and knowledge of other mental health professionals. Therapy is a safe space in which to obtain qualified assistance when it comes to mental health. Consider how you speak about therapy in front of your teen, and ensure that they aren’t feeling stigmatized by you. If they are confronted with opinions from others that are negative and harmful, they should know that they have a safe person to talk to about it. Similarly, you might have to prepare yourself for any preconceived ideas your teen has about therapy and those who attend.

The process of seeing an OCD therapist doesn’t have to be a one-person situation. Family involvement in therapy can also provide essential support. The families of patients who see us for OCD therapy in Woodland Hills benefit from qualified education, having a safe space in which to explore their own questions and frustrations about OCD and being reminded that it is not their job to “fix” their family member’s OCD, or to manage it all on their own. It also feels more collaborative and communal for your teen when they aren’t the only person who attends therapy.

Exposure and Response Therapy involves real-world and imagined exposures. This requires a mindful awareness of triggers; your teen may spend time taking stock of when they feel the most compelled to enact a compulsive behavior. They might recognize that certain environments can be a trigger. For example, busy and crowded places can create anxiety and are perfect fodder for thoughts about safety, hygiene, and social power. Or they might note that when they feel a certain way in their body, they are more likely to have intrusive thoughts about whether they have the energy to take on the day, if they feel confident about interacting with others, or if they’ll make it through the day without any mishaps.

Working with their OCD therapist, they can establish how much rest, hydration, nutrition, and movement seem to be required for them to feel a base level of comfort. This doesn’t completely eliminate thought, but it sets your teen up for their best chance at a reduction in these intrusions. From there, your teen can work on how to respond when these triggers arise. What was their previous response? How can they center and ground themself and nurture their bodies when they feel this way?

When it comes to external triggers, however, there is less that can be controlled; these are the situations where it is important to imagine the event and create a plan for how to respond that isn’t a compulsion. This therapeutic practice is also beneficial in that not all compulsions are a response to something happening, but rather a ritual that is done in order to “prevent” something unpleasant. Through imagined exposure, your teen can learn how to approach the idea without ritualizing, confront the trigger, and process the exposure to the trigger without compulsive behaviors, as well.

Seeing people adapt and adjust to their diagnosis is one of the most rewarding aspects of being an OCD counselor in Woodland Hills. When you are able to support your teen by providing a safe space to communicate and learn, you are showing up for your child in immeasurable ways. You may feel that you are out of your depth when your teen is first diagnosed with OCD, but you are not. You are not meant to be your teen’s sole support system; if you can use the resources at your disposal, you can be part of their journey to living with OCD. Together, you and your teen can tackle their OCD through open communication, community support, and education.

OCD Treatment in Woodland Hills 

OCD isn’t just about washing hands or checking if doors are locked. It can affect your relationships, and driving, or even appear during postpartum periods. Understanding the OCD cycle and making meaningful changes requires professional guidance. Our OCD treatment, available in Woodland Hills or virtually, offers treatment that incorporates ERP, CBT, ACT, and mindfulness techniques to help you manage OCD effectively.

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