Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a marked uptick in the number of kids and teens who experience obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety disorders.
While the conditions can occur throughout the lifespan, there are unique considerations when it comes to anxiety and OCD in younger people. To address this important topic, McLean Hospital hosted its second annual Anxiety and OCD in Kids and Teens Course on March 26, 2025.
Almost 2,000 mental health professionals, educators, parents, and other invested adults attended the training. Experts at the forefront of treating anxiety and OCD in kids and teens shared their expertise in areas including recognizing how anxiety shows up in different settings, assessing and diagnosing the conditions, and which treatments are available.
“The upward trend in how anxiety and OCD are impacting the lives of young people is staggering,” said Scott J. O’Brien, director of Education Outreach at McLean.
“The good news is that there’s so much that trusted adults can do to be supportive and helpful. It was with this in mind that we crafted this year’s course, building on topics from our 2024 course and really digging into actionable tips that parents, educators, and health care professionals can use to affect positive change in the day-to-day lives of youth who are struggling.”
Course attendees learned how to recognize anxiety and OCD in young people, how to support kids and teens who are experiencing symptoms, and how to find effective treatment. Questions from the audience helped to inform the compelling conversations with the experts.
Since learning from lived experience is so important in understanding mental health conditions, attendees also heard from a participant in McLean’s Deconstructing Stigma campaign who described his recovery from OCD, which he first began to experience as a child.
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The Anxiety and OCD in Kids and Teens Course is available on demand. Watch now—it’s FREE!
Continuing medical education credits are also available for a small fee.
Anxiety at Home and in the Classroom
When looking at anxiety and OCD in kids and teens, it’s important to understand that the conditions are a family matter. “As a parent, it is almost inevitable that you will be drawn into your child’s anxiety or OCD symptoms,” according to Eli Lebowitz, PhD.
In a discussion about anxiety at home, Lebowitz and Lisa W. Coyne, PhD, explained how parents and other family members can recognize when these conditions appear in the home environment. They described how family members can help anxious kids: for example, by refraining from behaviors that exacerbate the conditions.
School is another setting where anxiety and OCD manifest in specific ways. Symptoms of the conditions can be confused with defiance or a lack of interest in schoolwork, and can even result in school refusal. Yudelki M. Firpo-Perretti, PhD, and Abigail Stark, PhD, discussed how teachers, administrators, and other adults in the school system can recognize symptoms and support kids.
Stark pointed out that so many young people are “good at hiding” feelings they believe are shameful. Firpo-Perretti added that when understanding anxiety in youth, “I think it does call for patience, nonjudgmental curiosity, and sometimes also being able to make a few light guesses about what a kid is feeling.”
Understanding How Anxiety Is Diagnosed and Treated
Coyne and Adam Reid, PhD, took a deep dive into diagnostics, describing the various ways clinicians recognize, assess, and diagnose anxiety and OCD.
“When I think about how to assess and treat anxiety and OCD, I would categorize them all as disorders of avoidance,” Coyne said. She and Reid outlined the different forms anxiety can take (panic disorder versus social anxiety, for example) and how conditions such as ADHD and autism can be confused with or coincide with OCD and anxiety.
Reid said that when it comes to the assessment phase, “I always talk about slowing down … we’re not going to rush treatment until we really understand what’s going on.” As part of their discussion, the experts advised parents on ways to find a mental health professional who specializes in treating these conditions.
Personal Experience: Kyle’s Journey Through OCD
To round out the course, audience members listened to an interview with Kyle, who outlined his journey through childhood OCD. In the interview, Kyle explained how, from the age of about 4, he experienced compulsions that were “quirky” but didn’t interfere with his life. He described how, over time, his obsessive thoughts eventually became exhausting and frustrating.
It wasn’t until Kyle received treatment for recurring migraine headaches as a young adult that a psychiatrist correctly diagnosed OCD. After receiving an accurate diagnosis, he received effective treatment.
Today, Kyle is thriving and wants other people with anxiety and OCD to know, “It does get better, and there’s hope—if you feel like it’s not getting better, know that you don’t have to go at it alone. There are so many people and resources available to you.”
Lebowitz offered a similar message of hope, especially for parents: “The world is full of kids who used to have OCD, full of kids who used to have an anxiety disorder. These are common problems. They’re debilitating problems. They are also treatable problems. So, if you’re in a low moment now, you can have a lot of hope that your kid can also be a child who used to have [anxiety or OCD].”
The 2025 course is available for on-demand continuing medical education credits. Sign up now!
