NOCD App - anyone used this?

[Tbzrb]

My 19yo son’s OCD has been continuing to get worse, and at this point he’s also showing signs of depression. He’s been pretty stubborn about therapy /medication (he’s prescribed Zoloft but doesn’t want to take it) and insists he wants to figure it out on his own. Things have gotten to the point where I told him that I’ve been researching intensive outpatient as well as inpatient treatment options. But stubborn as he is, he did some research of his own (finally, which is a good thing) and found an OCD therapy app called NOCD. They claim good results and have some impressive reviews, but I would love to hear from this community if anyone has tried this app/therapy/treatment approach.

p.s. I never did follow up on my last (only) post but want to thank everyone who replied - the support and experiences shared was incredibly reassuring and I appreciate you! I’ll learn to be better with interacting, it’s just almost overwhelming compared to the little support I have in real life…thank you ☺️

[LiveOutLove_22]

Hey I relate a lot to your story. My mom and I went through the same thing. I fought with her constantly about medicine the problem with me is I was prescribed medicine from a doctor and lied about taking it. I knew it was wrong but I thought I could figure it out without medicine. I hit a breaking point in December. It was either I take my medicine or potentially go to a hospital or facility. My mom and I had a sit down with my doctor I felt so stupid but for the first time I was being honest with myself. Since January I’ve been taking my medicine consistently which is a huge accomplishment. I meet with my doctor regularly and she is pleased with my progress. I also see an ERP OCD therapist who I love. When I started this process officially I had to make the decision to do this for myself. My mom is my favorite person who is so strong I know it must have caused her pain to see her child go through such difficulties. But the fact that your son is doing researching on his own is huge step. So if that is helping him so far that’s great as my therapist says with OCD baby steps are huge and all part of the process. What I would say is the more you push your son the more he is going to fight against it and you. OCD is scary and challenging it takes over everything but eventually with the right help he will find his way and learn to live with OCD instead of it taking over his life. I’m still on my journey but this platform has been amazing to me the people on here are amazing so please utilize this space for guidance and feedback. All I can say is patience trust me my mom and I are in a better place now so eventually things will get better. I’m sorry I know this is long. I wish you and your son the best.

[Tbzrb in reply to LiveOutLove_22]

Thank you for sharing your experience, it does sound similar, and I’m so happy that things are getting better for you! I’m waiting for my son to come to the same realization you had, that in order for him to feel better about everything he will have to want to do what he needs to. Right now he can admit how horrible his OCD is and how miserable and out of control he feels, but can’t seem to accept that medication & therapy will help. I’m not convinced the app will be effective due to the severity of his compulsions/rituals, but I agree with you - the fact that he’s identified something he thinks will help is a good thing. It’s a start.

[Littleducky5]

I loved NOCD!! But it can become a compulsion to keep checking the community boards. I highly recommend he connects with a therapist on there to start ERP therapy as it's the gold standard for OCD! It helped me tremendously and I'm now able to use the techniques I learned when I feel myself about to spiral. Good luck to him!!

[AZladyforever]

yes! My 17 year old son is using it. It is therapy that they do online with someone. So far it is teaching him to handle the anxiety and to do th exposures. I would recommend it. I have to let my son handle his own progress because if I get involved, it causes arguments. I also set him up on Talkspace for some therapy. My son was getting depressed. He tells me it’s nice to talk to someone.

[Lauragbr]

I recommend also following Shannon Shy on Facebook

[Natureloverpeace]

Someone mentioned that NOCD is listed in the IOCDF Resource Directory. The IOCDF lists anyone who asks to be listed and has a license to practice therapy and claims to treat OCD. The IOCDF attaches a disclaimer with the listing which says that they don’t endorse anyone on the list nor do they vet them other than to verify their licensure. One of the higher ups there said that had to do with limited data space in the Resource Directory . I think NOCD has some good educational articles but I would be cautious about getting treatment from them. The director, Patrick McGrath does a great job but there have been many complaints about the skill level of the clinicians . People at the IOCDF have also heard several complaints. A very well respected OCD specialist thought it was okay to get treatment from NOCD for mild cases only.

Someone mentioned Shannon Shy’s videos. I would also add Nathan Peterson’s and Jonathan Grayson’s videos to the list. Nathan Peterson is an OCD specialist and Jon Grayson is a top OCD expert. OCD Stories podcast is also good. The IOCDF does livestreams on Tuesdays and Wednesdays which are recorded. They are available on various platforms. The schedule can be found at iocdf.org. Click on Support then Livestreams.