Helping family member with intrusive thoughts
My daughter is really struggling with intrusive thoughts. She is currently in therapy, but she seems to really struggle between sessions. It hurts to see her in so much pain. How can I help her with her thoughts in between sessions?
This is very kind of you! My advice would be to keep her busy, plan activities, make her leave the house and plan things she loved to do before these thoughts occurred. My thoughts mellow down when I’m busy and don’t have time to think. Always reassure her that the thoughts aren’t real and they don’t define her. I deleted social media for a bit and that helped too! X
yes social media too. i deleted all of mines except for discord to keep in contact w friends and tiktok just to keep me busy whemever im bored. it helped plenty
I wish my family had kept me more occupied. Idle hands are OCD's plaything. Also please make sure your daughter is seeing a therapist who specializes in OCD. Medication can also help make ERP easier and she may not need it later in life if she resolves it now. I wish your daughter the best of luck on her healing journey!
ur such an amazing, thoughtful person for being considerate and helping ur daughter get the help she needs to recover: that's what anyone needs. a supporting, loving parent. i think a lot of the times; telling someone u know about ur ocd would be relieving but it could come with constant confessions, re assurance seeking etc. if this ever happens, don't let ur daughter confess or re assurance seek as it is a compulsion and will only make her ocd worse. what helps me personally is spending time with the people i love, going outside is a big distraction. i hope ur daughter recovers
I would say the fact that you asked this shows you’re a great parent. When I was young I had parents who basically told me to “get over it.” It resulted in going untreated until now (I’m 33). My best advice would be to be gentle with her but also be gentle with yourself. Help her use the tools she’s learning in therapy. And use it as an opportunity to learn something fun and new. Does she like art or creating or sports, etc? I always felt best when I was younger when I could dive into a passion. Hugs to you!
Give her as much love & support that you can without feeding her compulsions. The therapist should be able to guide you. Hope this helps.
Need tips on battling intrusive thoughts.
What are some strategies you use to keep intrusive thoughts at bay between therapy sessions?
Can someone recommend a book to help parents with a teen with OCD? My daughter currently suffers from religious OCD. She thinks the devil is going to harm her or someone. She asked me for help but I honestly don’t know how to help her. She is currently in therapy and taking Fluvoxamine, but I have not seen any progress and I think her anxiety is actually getting worse. Her therapist does not specialize in OCD so we are looking into other options. I am looking for any advice, I feel very helpless and don’t know how to comfort her. I feel like I am saying all the wrong things. Thanks
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