Reply to 18 year old is considering taking medication for OCD and anxiety

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[quote=Anonymous]My daughter started Zoloft her Sophomore year of high school due to crippling social anxiety. It took a while to find the correct dose but once the medication kicked in at the right dose it made a huge difference. By her senior year she had actually tapered down to 1/4 of her “normal” dose and was doing really well. She and I both initially struggled with the thought of “what if meds are needed forever?” but the conclusion was that IT’S OKAY and to cross that bridge when she comes to it. Her social anxiety was debilitating and she felt/recognized that she was missing out on so many experiences because of the anxiety.

Particularly if your daughter’s anxiety is related to social situations, my advice is definitely to start now, before she goes to college, and let her know it’s always okay to tweak the dosage as needed (under her Dr’s supervision/recommendation).

Another suggestion I have is to always go with your gut feeling and encourage your DD to listen to her intuition as well. My daughter had a really rough start her first semester of college (in Boston) and ended up increasing her meds to 3/4 of her “normal” dose. When she was really struggling those first few months of school, she came home or I flew up to Boston every other weekend and SO MANY people (well meaning family and friends) were insistent that she needed to learn how to “just deal with it” and not come home (or see me) so often—saying things like she would never get adjusted to college and make friends if she was coming home a lot or FaceTiming me everyday, but she was literally in tears every day because of the social anxiety and not making friends. My gut instinct told me she needed to see me (just to have some sort of human connection) so I went against everyone’s advice and continued to have her either come home or I would fly up there every other weekend, and by the end of her first semester at school, she had started making friends and was actually enjoying school. She had always enjoyed her classes but finally felt like she fit in and liked college. She also joined a sorority and several clubs in the fall, which helped with her making friends.

I have never been a helicopter mom and my daughter has always been very independent. She had traveled internationally by herself several times before college so it was somewhat of a surprise that she had such a hard time adjusting. She had a great second semester and obviously didn’t need to physically see me or fly home. Pinpointing the dose that worked best for her made all the difference—she is doing so well that she is staying in Boston though the summer,  taking classes and working.

When someone has anxiety, particularly social anxiety, even the smallest thing can feel overwhelming and create a downward spiral. It become easy to focus on what college is “supposed to look like” and feel that you are missing out. In my daughter’s situation, the medication allowed her to successfully be able to apply the CBT strategies and techniques to manage her anxiety. She still struggles with anxiety, particularly in social situations, but is able to function and enjoy life.

Best of luck to you and your daughter as she navigates this journey, and to all PPs who are going through this as well!
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