I Have OCD But My Parents Don’t Believe It

If you are a teenager, or a young adult still living at home, and suspect you have OCD, it is important to talk to your parents about it.

Yet, what if you tell your parents and they refuse to listen, or think the symptoms are imaginary, or do not believe in seeing therapists or psychologists for personal problems.

Here are six options, suggested by OCD expert Fred Penzel, Ph.D., that young people in this situation might use to get their parent's support.

1. Find people who will listen and understand. Your school counselor or psychologist, a health education teacher, your school’s nurse, the family doctor, and spiritual leaders are options. Not only can they validate your experience, but may be willing to participate in a meeting with your parents or other family members.
2. Because OCD tends to run in families, you may have a relative with symptoms who will be a friend, and possibly an advocate. If this individual is trusted within the family, your parents might listen to him or her.
3. About one in every one hundred people have OCD, so there is a good chance you know someone who has it—maybe a friend, or a friend of a friend. Not only might this person be someone to confide in, the friend’s parents might agree to speak with your parents.
4. You will be able to talk about your OCD experience with more confidence if you educate yourself about it. Read books, or get OCD information from reputable websites. Your school counselor may have reading materials or book recommendations.
5. Feeling angry with your parents for not acknowledging the OCD is understandable, but fighting with them about it will not help. When people fight listening goes out the window. Realize that though your parents love you, they just don’t “get it.” To help them understand, see whether they are willing to read articles or books about OCD, or will watch videos and documentaries that provide basic OCD information. A book called, What To Do When Your Child Has Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by Dr. Aureen Pinto Wagner is recommended.
6. Consider joining an in-person or online OCD support group—especially if you feel lost and alone. If you belong to a church, mosque, or synagogue you might find help there, and a trusted leader may be willing to speak with your family.

To get through to your parents you will have to win them over, and that requires patience and persistence on your part. Once you get through to them, the next step is locating a mental health professional that knows how to treat OCD using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure & response prevention (ERP). He or she can discuss with you whether using medication would be beneficial.

Source: IOCDF
Photo credit: Carissa Rogers