Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Teen Manage OCD

The adolescent years can be difficult, but if you have a teen with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) you are faced with additional obstacles as a parent. Know that you are not alone on this journey. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), OCD affects about one in one-hundred school-age children. Once you gain… Continue reading Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Teen Manage OCD

OCD in Young Adults

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) afflicts people of all ages. However, it can be particularly difficult for young people who are just beginning their journey as independent adults. What is OCD? OCD is a mental disorder that influences a person’s mind as well as his or her actions. As the name implies, there are two distinct… Continue reading OCD in Young Adults

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Resources for Parents of Teens

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, OCD, is an anxiety disorder that affects people of all ages.  A person with OCD experiences severe anxiety related to specific things where the level of anxiety or worry doesn’t match what is happening.  The specific things that they have this reaction to are called obsessions.  Teenagers can develop obsessions related to… Continue reading Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Resources for Parents of Teens

National Anxiety and Depression Awareness Week

Each year, more than 60 million Americans suffer from anxiety and depressive disorders including our teens and children. These devastating mental health conditions affect every area of a person’s life and when the person struggling with the condition is a teenager, it can affect everything from their social development to their prospects for the future.… Continue reading National Anxiety and Depression Awareness Week

The ABCs of Children’s Mental Health

May is Children’s Mental Health Month which is a great time to talk about where parents can find more information about the mental health conditions their adolescents may be struggling with. While there is no substitute for the expertise and information provided by a qualified mental health practitioner, this version of the ABCs can help… Continue reading The ABCs of Children’s Mental Health

4 Ways to Support Your Teen With OCD

Before a mental health disorder is diagnosed, everyone in the family can feel helpless and out of control to the point that finding a name for what is happening can start to feel like the answer.  Unfortunately, knowing what is causing the problem isn’t enough to solve it.  The real work of dealing with many… Continue reading 4 Ways to Support Your Teen With OCD

How Do I Know if My Teen has OCD?

OCD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, is an anxiety disorder that can affect people of all ages, even teenagers.  People with OCD experience excessive worry about specific things, called obsessions, which they cannot control and in an effort to manage their anxiety, they feel compelled to perform certain ritualistic behaviors.  Teenagers with OCD may develop obsessions related… Continue reading How Do I Know if My Teen has OCD?

When Eating Disorders and Anxiety Disorders Co-exist

For many people with eating disorders, the challenge of overcoming their disorder is complicated because of other coexisting mental health conditions like depression and anxiety.  In fact, a University of Pittsburg Medical Center study conducted in 2004 found that two-thirds of those diagnosed with eating disorders also suffered from some form of anxiety disorder over the… Continue reading When Eating Disorders and Anxiety Disorders Co-exist

When it Comes to Information, More is Not Always Better – Part 2

In part 2 of this series, information on additional mental health conditions is covered.  Read Part 1 of the series here. Bipolar Disorder Bipolar Disorder in Children and Teens: A Parent’s Guide from the National Institute of Mental Health – Provides a great overview specific geared towards parents Children and Teens with Bipolar Disorder from WebMD.com –… Continue reading When it Comes to Information, More is Not Always Better – Part 2

What Causes Eating Disorders?

This is one of the questions parents ask us all the time.  Whether their child has already been diagnosed with an eating disorder or they are interested in information on preventing an eating disorder, most parents want to know where it starts, what makes one person develop an eating disorder but not another, and most importantly,… Continue reading What Causes Eating Disorders?