New here...son was diagnosed OCD at age 6. Now he is 16 and has POCD and he is absolutely spiraling right now. I feel helpless because I cannot relieve his anxiety. He is convinced he is a sick person no matter how many times i tell him this is the OCD not him. He is physically sick from the worrying. NOCD therapist cannot see him until next month and i have no clue what to do. Any advice on coping mechanisms?

First off, you have to stop reassuring him as of right now. Answering his questions = reassurance, and that makes things 100% worse, not better. I suggest Dr. Martin Seif’s book on Intrusive Thoughts. He needs to read it and so do you. Maybe read it out loud together so you’re both on the same page.

Thank you so much....I will get the book immediately!

He’s the first doctor I found about OCD and his book was my first introduction 7 years ago!

you can also get the book on Audible book

I enthusiastically second Nica’s advice about reassurance! It sucks to not be able to help your child feel better right away, but sitting with him in his uncertainty and letting him know it’s ok to feel his feelings is the best thing you can do for him. Maybe you could watch some videos together about OCD and reassurance so that he fully understands how you’re trying to help him. If you’re very concerned about his physical symptoms (e.g. if he’s having serious trouble eating or sleeping), visiting a psychiatrist might be necessary so he can get to a place where he’s physically ok. He doesn’t need to tell the psychiatrist about his OCD theme; it should suffice to say that he has an OCD diagnosis and is experiencing a lot of distress right now.

Before I realized I had OCD I sought reassurance from everyone. Now that I've stopped I'm doing 10x better. It's counter intuitive but it's the best thing to do for him. Unfortunately, this is something only a therapist is 100% equipped to deal with. In the meantime, I'd say educate yourself and your son as much as you can and just be there for him. He's lucky to have a parent who loves him as much as you!