Find help / Teen guide
Teen guide · ages 13 to 17
The thoughts you're scared to say out loud.
Everyone gets weird, dark, or gross thoughts sometimes. With OCD, they stick, they feel like they mean something, and you do stuff to make them go away. You're not a bad person. Your brain is stuck in a loop.
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Is this OCD or just anxiety?
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A thought is not a wish. Having a thought about hurting someone, or about sex, religion, or who you are, doesn't mean you want it. OCD goes after what you care about most. That's why it hurts so much.
You're not the only one. OCD often shows up in the teen years. Plenty of people in your school probably deal with it and hide it, just like you.
It gets better. Treatment works, and most people who get it feel a real difference.
Compulsions you might not notice
- Googling your thoughts to prove they don't mean anything
- Asking friends "Do you think I'm...?" again and again
- Replaying conversations to check what you said
- Confessing things that aren't really wrong
- Rereading messages before sending, many times
- Avoiding people, places, or content that trigger thoughts
They feel like they help. They keep the loop going.
How to tell someone
You don't have to explain every thought. You can start with:
“I've been having thoughts that won't stop, and I do things to make them go away. I think it might be OCD. Can you help me talk to a doctor?”
Pick someone you trust: a parent, a school counsellor, a coach, a nurse, your doctor.
Getting help on your own terms
Your school nurse or counsellor is a good first stop. Therapy for OCD is practical: you and a therapist work on small challenges, at your pace. Nobody forces you.
In Quebec, from age 14, you can see a health professional without your parents' permission.
Kids Help Phone is free, confidential, and open 24/7: call 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 686868.
If you're thinking about ending your life, that's different from an OCD thought, and you deserve help right now. Call or text 9-8-8, any time.
Steps to get careOCD explained
Reviewed by the Nuanse clinical committee · September 2026. This page is education, not a diagnosis.