In a recent Dear Abby column, a reader writes: I’m 13 and I’m afraid I may have OCD. I want to find out, but what’s standing in my way is that sometimes my parents think I make stuff up to get attention. While Abby’s advice for the reader to just overcome his or her fears and… Read more »
As we celebrate OCD Awareness Week this week (October 13–19, 2014), what better way to help raise awareness than to support programs that help kids and family all year long? For the second year in a row, the IOCDF has been gifted with an incredible opportunity to help kids and young adults who are living… Read more »
The 2nd Annual 1 Million Steps 4 OCD Walk in Boston is a month away! The International OCD Foundation is proud to have 6-year old Cameron Lucas-Pelletier as one of our Grand Marshals. Last year, Cameron, his mother Jiliane, and his grandmother Jeanette all attended the walk. They formed a Walk Team and together they raised… Read more »
I had the privilege of visiting with a third-grader named Faith over lunch this past winter. She is the cutest nine-year-old in the world, all eyes and sweet, sweet smile. Not kidding, you look at this little girl and think, Oh my gosh, a hug from this child could change the world. Faith is the strongest, bravest nine-year-old… Read more »
OCD begins in childhood. Despite this, it takes an average of 14–17 years between onset of symptoms and access to effective treatment due to stigma around mental health issues, and lack of awareness about available treatment options. We are working to change this, and you can help. You have no doubt heard the terms, “Black… Read more »
Every year, we hear from teens and young adults at our Annual OCD Conference, what a life-changing event the conference is — and not necessarily because of the sessions or talks — but because of the friendships, bonds, and camaraderie formed among our young attendees, who so rarely get to make connections with other teens… Read more »
Challenge… we hear that word a lot in the OCD and related disorders community. People living with OCD are challenged daily to face their fears. It takes determination and a great deal of courage. OCD can make daily life difficult for adults, but imagine what it is like to have OCD as a child. You,… Read more »
Recovery can be one of those watershed moments for those with OCD. Fletcher Wortmann — one of the speakers on this year’s new Young Adult track at next month’s OCD Conference — recently wrote a great blog talking about this feeling: I was born in 2007, at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts. And it’s the… Read more »
As we get closer to next month’s 20th Annual OCD Conference in Atlanta, we’ll be highlighting some of the new and exciting programs we are offering this year. First up, the new experiential workshop for kids and teens: A Weekend Adventure of Kicking OCD’s Butt. To tell you more about this fun new program, we asked workshop leaders Rachel Busman, PsyD, and Jerry Bubrick, PhD, to answer some frequently asked questions.
“PANDAS like other forms of OCD, can be characterized by fears of doing something terrible, but not acting on those fears,” says Jeff Szymanski, PhD, clinical psychologist and executive director of the International OCD Foundation. To read the full Media Alert, click here.
