In this video, I talk about how OCD can show up in eating disorders, including: Seeing calories as a form of contamination, Avoiding people or places as a compulsion.
OCD has many flavors and subtypes. One subtype that can cause a tremendous amount of guilt and overwhelm is responsibility OCD, which is similar to Harm OCD. When our kids have responsibility OCD they get stuck on the concern that their actions, or inactions, can directly cause harm in other people.
OCD doesn’t stay in its lane. It interjects itself into everything your child cares about – including their faith and religious beliefs. OCD can turn their faith into fear. OCD can turn their devotion into compulsions. It’s important for kids to understand what is their devotion to their faith versus their devotion to OCD in disguise.
OCD is sneaky, it often gets our kids to do compulsions that they may not even realize are compulsions! One common mental compulsion is neutralizing intrusive thoughts. Does your child have to compulsively pray, repeat a phrase or word or have a positive thought to neutralize a “bad” thought. Those are all examples of mental compulsions.
Most of us can’t escape having to take tests as we go through life. But for some of our kids taking a test can cause intense test anxiety. In this week’s YouTube video, I dive into the common core fears around test anxiety and offer some concrete tips on how to overcome test anxiety one step at a time.