OCD: An Overlooked Teen Anxiety Disorder

If your child is exhibiting any of the following symptoms: obsessive thoughts, repetitive behaviors, frequent mood swings, extreme shyness or isolating behaviors or depression, your child may be suffering from one of many teen anxiety disorders.

Teen anxiety disorders are one of the biggest psychological problems affecting our youth today.   If you are unfamiliar with teen anxiety disorders, maybe anti-social behaviors and or anorexia ring a bell.  Many of these psychological behaviors have the same root cause, an anxiety disorder.  And although a chemical imbalance of the brain is partly to blame in many cases, the outside influences of the world we live in play even a greater role.  This article will seek to highlight some of the most common teen anxiety disorders and behaviors, including, perhaps the most overlooked one of them all, obsessive compulsive disorder.

If your child is exhibiting any of the following symptoms: obsessive thoughts, repetitive behaviors, frequent mood swings, extreme shyness or isolating behaviors or depression, your child may be suffering from one of many teen anxiety disorders.  While some of these behaviors are identifiable rather easily, many of the physical symptoms associated with such disorders are not so visible, unless you are very much in tune with your child.  These symptoms may include difficulties breathing, frequent headaches, nausea, dizziness, problems sleeping, elevated heart and pulse rate and on and off again eating patterns. 

If you can relate to any of these symptoms, you may agree that nowadays it seems that there are more kids on anti-depressants than are not.  And even though depression and ADHD behaviors are the most common reason for prescribing drugs for our kids these days, there are certainly others plaguing our kids and teen today.  Obsessive compulsive disorder is one of the more common anxiety disorders among teens. 

Obsessive Compulsive Anxiety Disorder It was also better tolerated by the same group of patients. Phosphatidyl choline Phosphatidyl choline is another beneficial supplement for the treatment of anxiety disorders. Phosphatidyl choline increases the central neurologic activity of the brain, thus enhancing mood. Phosphatidyl choline is a constituent of lecithin, which is needed to adequately form the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. L-Glutamine L-Glutamine is an amino acid has been used for years to stabilize depression. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Symptoms

However, it is often overlooked or blanketed into a more common category such as manic depressive or anti-social disorders.  In fact, did you know that bulimia and anorexia are often associated with OCD because it normally starts as obsessive thoughts geared toward being thin and good looking?  OCD can be a very debilitating disorder.  Not only is the person bombarded by troublesome thoughts all of the time, but it can lead to serious behavioral problems such as cutting, eating disorders and the like.   For example, kids may become obsessed with thoughts of becoming popular or staying thin.  Although it is common for kids to go through generalized thoughts such as these, when the thoughts consume who they are, the issue is a deeper one and should be addressed.  Parents can never be too careful when monitoring their children's behavioral patterns.  If you see the warning signs, seek help from a professional. 

So, how can you treat anxiety disorders such as obsessive compulsive disorder?  Believe it or not, you have many options both conventional and holistic in nature.  Some of the most common forms of treatment include cognitive-behavioral therapy, relaxation techniques, reflexology, biofeedback therapy, herbal medicine and of course prescription drugs.  The process of finding a therapy that works for you or your teen is normally through trial and error process.  Some people respond better to conventional treatment than others, and vice versa.  There is however, no substitute for knowledge to make educated decisions. 

Obsessive Compulsive Behavior

08/18/2008
Is compulsive buying a disorder? (Seattle Times)
Is compulsive buying an illness? If so, how can it be treated?

Is compulsive buying a disorder? (Seattle Times)

08/18/2008
Anorexia's destructive behavior (American Psychological Association)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch August 18, 2008 Aug. 18--Twenty years ago, when Cheryl Bergin was a teenager and in the throes of anorexia nervosa, she weighed a mere 54 pounds.

Anorexia's destructive behavior (American Psychological Association)

08/20/2008
How the Brain Adjusts to Redirected Plans (Psych Central)
New imaging techniques have allowed researchers to study how our brain can switch from one plan to another on literally a moment’s notice. And the new knowledge may lead to enhanced understanding of psychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder and attention deficit disorder. As an example you’re about to leave work at [...]

How the Brain Adjusts to Redirected Plans (Psych Central)

08/18/2008
Is compulsive buying a disorder? (Seattle Times)
Is compulsive buying an illness? If so, how can it be treated?

Is compulsive buying a disorder? (Seattle Times)

08/18/2008
One family's challenges (Lancaster Online)
When Abigail Horn and Richard Herr first noticed their son Ricky's tics a few years ago, they weren't quite sure what to think. Ricky Herr is a typical 7-year-old who enjoys playing outdoors with his friends, going to school and having fun. But his unusual body movements and vocalizatio...

One family's challenges (Lancaster Online)

08/18/2008
Anorexia's destructive behavior (American Psychological Association)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch August 18, 2008 Aug. 18--Twenty years ago, when Cheryl Bergin was a teenager and in the throes of anorexia nervosa, she weighed a mere 54 pounds.

Anorexia's destructive behavior (American Psychological Association)

08/20/2008
Switching It Up: How Memory Deals With A Change In Plans (Science Daily)
How do our brains switch so elegantly and quickly from one well-entrenched plan to a newer one in reaction to a sudden change in circumstances?

Switching It Up: How Memory Deals With A Change In Plans (Science Daily)

08/18/2008
Anorexia's destructive behavior (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Twenty years ago, when Cheryl Bergin was a teenager and in the throes of anorexia nervosa, she weighed a mere 54 pounds. Tiny as she was, Bergin made big demands. Whatever food she ate, her mother, Carol, had to eat twice as much. She always insisted on specific types of meals and preparation.

Anorexia's destructive behavior (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)