health
My teenage daughter’s OCD keeps getting worse. What can I do?
Exposure response prevention may help her to cope with her anxiety and learn that she doesn’t need to respond to intrusive thoughts
TL;DR
- A 15-year-old girl's OCD is worsening, impacting her ability to read, her schoolwork, and causing increased anxiety.
- Previous private therapy focused on eliminating compulsions, but new rituals emerged, indicating a need to address the cause.
- Professor Polly Waite suggests OCD often develops during adolescence due to life changes and increased responsibility.
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), recommended by NICE, with Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) is the suggested treatment.
- CBT helps individuals learn to sit with anxiety without performing compulsions, which over time reduces the anxiety.
- The treatment also involves unpicking the belief that intrusive thoughts are important or dangerous, helping individuals distinguish between worry and actual danger.