I'm a 15 year old with OCD, how do I help it?!

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I was on antidepressants for OCD about 5 years ago. I tried 2 different types. I took them for about 9-12 months before reducing my prescription to then stop taking them. As well as attempt to rebalance your brains chemical levels (pretty unnatural in itself); they act as a mild sedative to help calm the anxiety in order to help you better deal with the disorder or depression. That's the theory anyway. Though I now personally believe antidepressants are a short term fix which can merely only suppress the issues. It's also worth bearing in mind that they're only ever there to 'assist' in your recovery. They're never going to offer a cure.

Just like I did, anyone may feel inclined to give them a try because they want to get better. But from experience now, I recommend to anyone not to take them and ride it out without. After a while they made my brain/mind feel a bit numb, not clear in thought. I know of others who've taken antidepressants and experienced the same. I decided I'd rather feel edgy and clearer in thought, than numb as a result of the meds.

I personally think regular exercise and healthy eating are of greater benefit.

Firstly, don't be too taken in by the official terminology, 'OCD.' OCD is really just a slightly more complex form of a habit, which you’ve developed as a defence mechanism (albeit completely irrational) for dealing with fear and insecurity. As with any habit, the only way to stop it is to break the cycle and keep breaking it. There isn’t usually an overnight fix for curing OCD, so it may take some time and there maybe occasional relapses along the way, but if you keep breaking the cycles, you'll get over it.

Letting go, as well as not giving in to the obsessive compulsions is the only way to break the habit. OCD tends to come about as a form of escape from dealing with your fears. You've got used to giving in to it for the short term relief it provides. Whenever you give in to the obsessive compulsions you're reinforcing the behaviour (just like a habit). This is why you need to break it and keep breaking it. It's not just going to go away. You need to be brave and make yourself do it. The more you can do this, the quicker you'll overcome it. It's the only way.

Whenever you experience OCD, you’ve got to resist the temptation to act upon the obsessive compulsions. Ride out the anxiety for as long as it takes. If you can do this, and you have to, you’ll get better at doing it and learn how to free yourself from it. You should start to see how irrational it is.

It’s also important to try to relax yourself. OCD makes you anxious which increases the intensity of the compulsions, making it more difficult to deal with. So, always try to relax and remind yourself that what you're doing is irrational.

One part of the problem with OCD is something referred to in psychology as ‘negative suggestion.’ Example: Don’t think of a purple elephant. It’s impossible right? You simply cannot program your mind to NOT think about something. It’s basic psychology, the more you try NOT to think about something, the more you end up doing it. The only way not to think about something, is to think about something else i.e. change your focus.

Another significant part of the problem when dealing with the fears relating to OCD is that you’re constantly trying to push them away or suppress them. As with anything like this, you just cannot do this continually without suffering as a result. Instead, you need to be more receptive to your fears, by letting them in and dealing with them more internally. Let your thoughts flow. Pushing a problem away or trying to deal with it from what you perceive as a safe distance doesn’t always resolve it.

Try not to be too hard on yourself. Let it be easy. It really doesn’t have to be as difficult as there is potential to make it.

Keeping yourself active, getting out as much as you can and pursing interests are all going to be beneficial. These are going to keep your focus in the 'here and now' which will give you better balance. Finding focuses and goals is a good way to keep yourself moving in a positive direction.

Regular exercise and eating healthily is going to be beneficial, as I already mentioned. Try to avoid food and drink with high sugar content or caffeine. These will buzz you up and bring you down. It’s better to keep your levels balanced. That’s not to say you have to completely avoid them but some moderation is worth bearing in mind.

Keep a good sleep/body-clock, making sure you're awake during the sun's hours.

Imagine how you'd behave (or even how you used to behave) if you didn't have OCD. How do people without OCD behave?

I think it’s important to note that people who don’t suffer from OCD have the same negative thoughts and fears. You know that the obsessive compulsive habits you’ve created as a way of dealing with them really are irrational.

Medicaton mixed with therapy

I am 14 I have bad OCD there's really nothing to do ti control it it makes us who we are just let it be