Helping Your Child Who Is Showing Signs Of OCD: What You Can Do

23 October 2015
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As a parent, you always want to do everything in your power to ensure that your child is as happy and healthy as possible. That health you try to promote is both mental and physical, of course. As such, when you notice that your child is showing possible signs of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), you are likely concerned and unsure of how to proceed. In order to be sure that your child's OCD symptoms do not become a colossal hindrance in their lives, get to know some of the ways that you can help your child overcome their OCD.

Seek Out Counseling Services

One of the best ways to deal with OCD symptoms is to seek out counseling services. When you take your child to a therapist or counselor, they will sit down with your child and have a conversation as well as go through questionnaires and surveys to determine whether or not your child actually has OCD or is dealing with a different issue.

If your child does have OCD, then continued counseling sessions will help them to determine the root causes for their obsessive thinking and compulsive behaviors. The primary form of counseling for OCD is known as cognitive-behavioral therapy. This form of therapy focuses on both a person's thought patterns and their behavioral patterns. 

As such, the therapy will deal with the ways in which the thoughts and behaviors your child exhibits interact with one another and how they developed. Counseling sessions will also help them to develop coping mechanisms to prevent them from engaging in those OCD behaviors.

Prescription Medications

Another treatment option that is commonly used for obsessive compulsive disorder is to prescribe antidepressants. Prescription antidepressants will help to correct hormonal imbalances in the brain that may be contributing to the OCD symptoms your child is suffering from.

While you may be concerned about your child taking prescription drugs for mental health, it is important to remember that prescription medications are used when OCD symptoms are so severe that counseling alone may not get the results necessary. Medication can be a temporary boost to get your child to the point where they are able to engage in their therapy sessions and give the new coping mechanisms a try.

Now that you know a few of the ways that you can help your child who is showing signs of OCD, you can take the necessary steps to get them the assistance that they need. Contact a company like Albano Fischetti Counseling to get started.