"OCD affecting teenager's life"

Our teenager had been having obsessive issues since COVID. It had come to the point where it dominated his every life. The whole family were impacted as he continually washed his hands and carried out cleaning rituals. This often happened during the night and was very disruptive. He often freaked out about contamination worries. He grew very isolated even from his siblings , and we felt unable to free him from his rituals. We found it so hard to understand what was happening to him. He himself was at a loss to explain it.

We were referred to Camhs and he had deep reservations about this. How would he be able to relate to a stranger? How could he begin to unravel all the things that had taken over his every day life? We are so glad that he did eventually agree to attend Camhs. We were at the point where he could not focus on anything other than cleanliness. It is no exaggeration to say that his life has been transformed and he now is in a much better mindset, hopeful and happy .

From his initial meeting with Larissa things began to change. She instantly made him laugh which had become a very rare event at that stage . The sessions with her weren't always easy . Larissa was funny and warm but was always very direct and was always challenging him. She broke down so many of the theories that had trapped him for so long. She sent him away with exposure tasks that were daunting. She was ever careful to equip him with tools to overcome his fears. She was ever keen to celebrate his successes. Over time, his confidence grew. Little by little, he stopped doing most of the behaviours. With Larissa 's encouragement he attended socialisation activities. Our son surprised himself by enjoying these in spite of himself .

Micheala and Laurence were very welcoming. I can't thank Larissa and Dr Redpath enough. Our son knows he is a work in a progress but Camhs has given him vital life tools for the future. He feels like he has his life back.

Thank you Camhs.