Psychotherapist Lynn Lyons discusses Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) management strategies with a mother of 3 for a 9-year old boy in a family of three.
[6:50] The boy is using prozac and has just begun private therapy sessions with an OCD specialist. Lynn emphasizes that it is crucial to speak with a specialist, as OCD is well understood and specialists will have an excellent understanding of effective treatment strategies.
[9:18] Lynn expresses concern that the parents are only involved in the last 5 minutes of the therapy sessions, suggesting that since they will be deeply involved in the treatment
[15:05] With OCD it is important to be direct with children in discussing the reasons and worries that are driving the behaviour, and not to worry too much about the specifics of the thoughts or stigmatizing them.
[19:53] If the OC action seems to be driven by the the child feeling like their thoughts are disturbing, then it is important to “normalize that brains come up with weird thoughts all the time” and that it’s the “reaction to the thought that makes it so powerful”.
[21:43] Lynn distinguishes between internal and external compulsions.
[24:27] Exposure and Response Prevention is described – The goal is to interrupt the compulsion when you have the obsessive thought.
[31:05] OCD has a strong genetic component to it.
[32:10] Although medication can be helpful, particularly while trying to find a suitable therapist, it will be essential to develop skill building to interrupt the compulsions
[33:30] The rest of the family should know that they do not, and should not accommodate the compulsive behaviour, as accommodation is a strong predictor for treatment failure, which is very counterintuitive.
[42:45] Treatment can progress quickly.
Recommended Resource: https://iocdf.org/
