No one knows for certain what causes OCD. We know what areas of the brain are implicated in OCD, but the rest seems up for discussion. We need more research to understand this disorder.
Some kids have OCD symptoms due to an umbrella of issues under PANDAS/PANS. Research is showing that inflammation in the brain can impact mental health and cause neuropsychiatric symptoms, including OCD. Many kids have autoimmune issues, infections such as strep or have had environmental exposure to things like mold or Lyme that can cause an inflammatory response. 
In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I invited Jessica Gavin, a PANDAS/PANS advocate and mom to three kids with PANDAS/PANS, to explore the world of PANDAS/PANS with me.
To learn more about the PACE IVIG study and see if you qualify go to the PACE  Foundation website.


PSP 339: Understanding the Relationship of PANDAS/PANS and OCD

The truth is we are all surviving parenting one day at a time. Add child anxiety or childhood OCD and it can be overwhelming! On The AT Parenting Survival Podcast your host Natasha Daniels will ride the Parental roller coaster with you. She will teach you parenting approaches to help child anxiety and OCD, she’ll give you a new perspective on common parenting problems and will re-invigorate your sparkle for parenting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Education

Training

Language Courses

Higher Education

K-12

Educational Technology

Kids & Family

Parenting

Health & Fitness

Mental Health

Self-Improvement

When you bring your child to a cardiologist, you expect they know all the evidence based treatment interventions to help your child. When you bring them to an endocrinologist you assume they are an expert in all things endocrinology. But sadly you cannot assume the same when seeing a mental health therapist. The truth is not all therapists are properly trained and informed on how to assess, diagnose and treat OCD. That means we, as parents, have to have enough knowledge to spot a helpful versus a harmful therapist. We have to know what evidenced based approaches work and why. We have to ask the right questions to know that we are in the right place. 

PSP 368: Why OCD Can Get Worse with the Wrong Therapist

There is nothing worse than seeing the first signs of anxiety or OCD return. It is a stomach dropping kind of feeling. It can bring all those old emotions flooding to the surface.  But the good news is the return of anxiety or OCD doesn’t mean your child is starting from scratch. All those past skills are still there under the surface. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I explore what happens when our child’s anxiety or OCD returns and how to navigate it. 

PSP 367: If Your Child’s Anxiety or OCD Returns are You Starting Over?

It can be a struggle to know how to help a child with separation anxiety. Separation anxiety impacts the whole family. Often parents jump into doing exposures or challenges around separating, without fully understanding the core fear behind their child’s struggle.
In this week’s episode of the AT Parenting Survival Podcast I explore two most common core fears around separation anxiety and what steps parents can take to make some progress.


PSP 366: Helping a Child with Separation Anxiety

One of the biggest questions I get from parents is, “Why does my child’s anxiety or OCD show up more for me?” It can be a source of contention when one parent sees all the struggles and the other parent sees nothing.
It can cause people to finger point and waste unnecessary energy playing the blame game.   The truth is…that is the norm. 
In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I’ll explore why kids tend to show their anxiety or OCD more to one parent than to anyone else and what we can do about it.


PSP 365: Why Does My Child’s Anxiety or OCD Show Up More For ME?!

Our parenting style directly impacts how we approach our child’s anxiety or OCD. How do you feel about setting boundaries? What emotions do you feel when your child is in distress? How do you feel when you pull back your accommodations around anxiety or OCD?
Our parenting style plays a role in these questions. 
Your parenting style wasn’t developed out of thin air. We are a mix of our childhood experiences, our feelings around how we were parented and our hopes for our own kids.
In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I help you take a deeper dive into your parenting style, where it came from and how it plays a role in your child’s anxiety or OCD journey.


PSP 339: Understanding the Relationship of PANDAS/PANS and OCD

Download our free app to listen on your phone