In Episode 8 of Wisdom Shared, I sit down with my friend, Rosemary Bushey, and her 15-year-old daughter Lauren who was diagnosed with a mental illness in 2018. Signs and symptoms appeared much earlier but Rosemary and her husband assumed it was typical teenage defiance. It was only after witnessing a decline in grades, unusual behaviors and what they refer to as The Crisis that led to Lauren’s hospitalization, that they finally received a diagnosis of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). A staunch advocate for her daughter and removing the stigma around mental illness, Rosemary is currently getting her master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. In this episode, she shares some of the behaviors and activities Lauren engaged in, how the family responded, her guilt over not recognizing the patterns sooner, and how she and other parents can advocate for their children and take care of themselves. Lauren speaks openly about what it’s like to be diagnosed with OCD, and she offers up her wisdom to other kids and parents and emphasizes how important it is to talk about what’s going on and not to be ashamed.