Re: Hi! - Kathy

[Guest guest]

Hi Kathy,

Thank you for the response!! Actually, the doctors are looking at the

possibility of PANDAS. Can you please tell me where to find out more

information about " Exposure & Prevention Therapy " . I would really

appreciate it!!

Blessings,

Kristie )

[Guest guest]

Hi Kristie, Exposure and Response Prevention therapy is a type of Cognitive

Behavior Therapy. This approach to OCD treatment is detailed in March

and Mulle's therapy manual " OCD in Children and Adolescents. " Though

this is a treatment manual it is reader-friendly and you don't need a psych

background to understand it! I used this manual (plus lots of help from the

experts on this list) to teach myself E & RP techniques to help my daughter.

You might also visit www.ocfoundation.org for CBT information and also I

believe an article by Dr. Jenike detailing how to choose a CBT therapist.

Basically E & RP involves helping your son to " boss back " or not respond to

OCD's rules, starting with the easiest to resist compulsions and working up

in a stair-step fashion to the hardest to resist ones. This creates

anxiety--but at a tolerable level--and the kids learn that this yuck feeling

goes away whether they do the OCD thing or not, and in time the compulsion

is extinguished. The sense of empowerment the kids get when they realize

they don't *have* to do everything OCD says is great. After awhile E & RP

becomes a family lifestyle, and everyone including the OCDer is much less

jerked around by the disorder.

BTW the PANDAS article I mentioned in my last post is now under " bookmarks "

at the ocdand parenting site. It's about halfway down the page.

Kathy R in Indiana

----- Original Message -----

From: <lovelymamu@...>

> Thank you for the response!! Actually, the doctors are looking at the

> possibility of PANDAS. Can you please tell me where to find out more

> information about " Exposure & Prevention Therapy " . I would really

> appreciate it!!