- Date posted
- 6w ago
My daughter is spiraling
She's been dealing with this for years but I've never seen her like this. She has her first visit with a nocd therapist tomorrow. How can I help her?
She's been dealing with this for years but I've never seen her like this. She has her first visit with a nocd therapist tomorrow. How can I help her?
It’s heartwarming to see a parent care so much. I don’t have that, so it made me a little emotional. If she needs space, give it to her. Encourage her to drink something cold—it can help with panic. Applying something cold to the back of her neck and chest can also be calming. Taking deep breaths every few minutes might help too. Sometimes lying on the floor can be grounding. It sounds ironic, but physically grounding yourself can be surprisingly effective. I’ve found that letting myself cry on the floor helps; eventually, the intense feelings peak and pass. Watching a comfort show, snuggling up with a blanket, or just letting the emotions out can also be soothing. I don’t have the best suggestions, but as someone who constantly spirals and deals with intense panic attacks, these are things that have helped me, even if just a little. I hope her session tomorrow goes well!
Thank you so much!! Those are great suggestions.
It seems simple but just be present. Physically and emotionally. Let her know you are there and available if she needs you. Asking too many questions or giving advice can sometimes be more stressful in the moment, but being there when she panics or cries or wants to talk is huge! Let her know she’s not alone although it likely feels that way in her head - you are there to fight with her and for her. Growing up, my mom was the only one there for me with this and it helped tremendously. I’d get annoyed at times with too many suggestions that I couldn’t deliver on, but valued her being present and trying.
Thank you. As a mom it is difficult to remember not to try to come up with solutions.
I also want to mention that since she is an NOCD member, you can get access to a parent/loved one support group on Mondays. It’s through the apps group features
I didn't know that! Thank you. I will definitely look into that.
Welcome to NOCD! I am so glad your daughter will be getting help for this. Her therapist will support you as well. Please do check out the family support group referenced dslite. We also have resources for you on the NOCD YouTube channel, I have linked a few below for you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZVIeBV9M-c&t=4s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jzHHjSI4Ek&t=4s
Hello Anonymous, Congratulations on the start of your daughter's treatment journey! I hear that you want to help her. At NOCD we offer education sessions to family members as a service. If your daughter is a minor, this will be part of the process and will be discussed with you in session. If your daughter is an adult, then you can ask her if she be willing to involve you in the process, to receive education from their therapist on how to help. Please reach out to our care team at care@nocdhelp.com to ask for an education session to facilitate this process. I hope this helps to answer your question and know that at NOCD, we are always here to help!
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Hello. I am a mom of a 15 yo who has been diagnosed with severe OCD and also depression and anxiety disorders. Medication was recommended. Specifically clomipramine. As of now he refuses to take it. Says he 50 % of the way considering it. He was not able to complete most of his HW last week, spends much of the day feeling anxious, isolates in his room for hours. Says he wants to try to manage it - says he’s doing better bc he was able to focus in his math class - says he doesn’t want med bc he is afraid it will mess w his mind (numb his feelings). Any advice for how to get him over this hump? Any good experience from med? It’s hard for me to watch him suffer knowing that med is an option and he could be feeling better. Also hard to watch him get zeros in classes when he is smart and capable. Thank you ahead of time. Also, his NOCD therapist is on vacation but had recommended med as well to help my son engage better in ERP
I’m going through a really bad flare up. I developed ocd many years ago when I had my first child. Postpartum ocd. I suffer from harm and pocd. At first I had mostly mental and some physical compulsions but the physical faded away pretty early on and i’ve just done mental compulsions since. My ocd was in remission for alot of years and if the ocd would pop up now and again, I was easily able to shrug it off and not engage. A few years ago I went through a stressful time in my life and the ocd came back to stay. At first it was bad but then it got better and has been pretty mild until now. It’s been really bad this week and the physical compulsions are even back. I never thought it would ever get this bad again. My ocd is making me doubt who I am and how I feel. I know it’s all ocd and not real or true but the ocd makes it feel so real that I can’t easily dismiss or disprove it. The more I try to disprove it the more real the ocd makes it feel. I’m really struggling and don’t know how to get back on track. I don’t have access to a therapist because there are no ocd specialists near me and my insurance doesn’t cover online therapy. That’s why i’m reaching out here. Has anyone been through a rough relapse? How can I get through and past this??
Since I developed ocd as postpartum my ocd has mostly always targeted my kids. It started as harm and then switched to pocd. Both are equally very painful. For years I was mostly able to keep my ocd at bay but when it comes back it’s so bad. I have a son and a daughter and my ocd switches back and forth from kid to kid with horrible intrusive thoughts and now even intrusive ocd dreams. With each thought I get past and start to feel relief another one pops right up. The thoughts feel so real and true even though I know it’s just the ocd and not how I think or feel, the ocd always makes me doubt myself and question everything I think or do. I know other moms/dads go through this too. Please anyone who has or is going through this please tell me how you deal with this. 😪
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