College life is a very big transition for many students. Especially those who are already dealing with other life problems, like a mental health disorder. Trying to learn how to live and navigate on your own can take awhile. For our whole lives, many of us have lived with our parents' support. Now, in an instant, we are out on our own, away from home. We will come across some … [Read more...]
Weathering the Scrupulosity Storm: A Story of OCD, Faith and Healing
My brain was a vortex. Thousands of thoughts, like drops of water, flowed together in a harsh rush of unwelcome emotions. They crashed together, circling down toward an uncertain conclusion, a dark place deep inside of me, from which I believed I could never come up for air. But I was wrong. As real as my feelings of fear, anxiety, sorrow, and hopelessness were, the reality … [Read more...]
The Hardest Part About Parenting a Teen with Anxiety
I’m not writing to evoke your sympathy. I know that virtually all the contributors in this amazing community are teens. So what do I hope to get from this post? I would love for some parents to step up and start writing about the experiences with the anxiety in their teen’s life. Let’s talk about how to help her/him. Let’s ask the questions where the answers are not so obvious. … [Read more...]
Help for OCD in Teens: AiT Exclusive Interview with Author Alison Dotson
Welcome to another awesome AiT Exclusive Interview, this time with Alison Dotson, author of Being Me with OCD: How I Learned to Obsess Less and Live My Life! Join us as we talk through her book, her personal journey with OCD, and advice share has for young adults struggling with OCD. AiT: You had, of course, experienced OCD yourself. Sharing about OCD isn't exactly easy, … [Read more...]
Exclusive AiT Interview: Stephen Smith, Founder and CEO of nOCD
Get ready to join us for another great interview with a mental health innovator and changemaker! Stephen Smith is Founder and CEO of nOCD, a mobile app aimed at helping people manage their OCD symptoms with evidence-based exposure exercises and tools for providers to assist patients. AiT: You have struggled with OCD personally. What was the hardest part for you in terms of … [Read more...]
Renewed Hope: One Young Woman’s Story of Severe Eating Disorder, Depression and OCD and then Recovery
It all began when I was about 8 years old. I had always been a bit of an anxious child, but it had never been a serious issue. However, it seemed like one day I was suddenly slapped across the face with unbearable anxiety. My childhood up to that point had been pretty average: I had supportive and loving parents, friends and had managed to stay out of trouble for the most part. … [Read more...]
Is OCD Ruling Your Life? KEEP BUSY!
Do constant, bothersome obsessive thoughts overpower your mind? Do you have to follow these horrible thoughts with a particular behavior or compulsion, or else your world might fall apart? Join us as we ask our most common OCD questions to Dr. Laura Kauffman, licensed child psychologist & expert contributor to Education.com: AIT: Why is that when teens with OCD try to … [Read more...]
Symptoms of OCD – Exclusive AiT Interview with Shala Nicely, MS, LAPC, NCC
Curious about what OCD symptoms really feel like? Wondering where to turn next? We're pleased to share this exclusive AiT interview with OCD expert Shala Nicely, MS, LAPC, NCC where she tells us her riveting story of her own challenges with OCD, treatment, and finally becoming a clinician to help others with this frustrating and debilitating disorder. Shala is the Co-Founder, … [Read more...]
Part 2: Q&A On My #PANDAS Storm: My Story of Triumph Over OCD Terror
Join us as Anxiety In Teens sits down with one of our AiT Contributors for a special Q&A section following her PANDAS and OCD testimony. This is a continuation from "Part 1: Finding Sunshine In A #PANDAS Storm: My Story of Triumph Over OCD Terror." AiT: How did you find out that PANDAS was the correct diagnosis? KR: My mother was discussing my symptoms with a close … [Read more...]
Part 1: Finding Sunshine In A #PANDAS Storm: My Story of Triumph Over OCD Terror
If I could describe the last four years of my life in one word it would be storms. There were storms ranging from some short-lived scattered showers to severe storms that threatened to obliterate everything in its path. My storms did not come with a loud alert message from my cell phone warning me of the upcoming inclement weather. It was not that simple. I had to brave out the … [Read more...]
It’s Not Cancer…It’s Trichotillomania
It is normal to trim or pull out a few split ends once in a while, but some people impulsively pull our their hair to the point of noticeable hair loss. Many people may assume that these individuals are going through chemotherapy simply because they have bald patches of hair. That, however, is not the case. These people suffer from trichotillomania. Trichotillomania … [Read more...]
What It Is Like to Live With A Hoarder
Many of you may have heard of the show Hoarders on A&E. According to the show's physician, Dr. David Tolin, one may have a hoarding problem if you meet all three of these criteria: 1. You regularly hang onto a large number of possessions that most other people would not consider to be very useful or valuable. 2. Your home, or parts of your home, is so cluttered that … [Read more...]
Dermatillomania: One Woman’s Story
Join us with Author and Advocate Angela Hartlin as she tells us her journey dealing with Dermatillioma. AiT: In your words, what IS Dermatillomania? AH: Dermatillomania is also known as compulsive skin picking (CSP). You may also hear it being called CSP, acne excoriee, psychogenic excoriation, or neurotic excoriation. It is a disorder that is linked with depression, … [Read more...]