Anxiety, OCD, and ADHD in Kids with Dr. John Parkhurst

About this episode

Dr. John Parkhurst discusses the increasing prevalence of anxiety, OCD, and ADHD in children and the importance of recognizing these issues for effective treatment.

Kids' mental health looks different now than it did a decade ago. More kids are struggling with anxiety, OCD, and ADHD, and parents are often unsure whether what they're seeing is normal or something that needs professional help. In this episode, Dr. John Parkhurst, a child psychologist at Northwestern, helps us understand what's really happening with kids right now. He explains why anxiety spikes during puberty, how to recognize the difference between typical worry and an anxiety disorder, and what sets anxiety apart from OCD. We also talk about ADHD, executive function, and the treatment options that actually work from therapy to medication to combined approaches. As a child psychologist with expertise in anxiety disorders, he's worked in this field for over a decade and conducts research on how to help primary care physicians better identify and treat mental health challenges in kids. In this episode, we get into the specifics of what anxiety actually looks like, how it differs from OCD, and why the distinction matters for treatment. We also discuss ADHD, the role of hormones during puberty, and what the research shows about which treatments work best. Highlights Anxiety in…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Sameena Rahman

Guest: Dr. John Parkhurst

Topics covered

• kids mental health
• anxiety
• OCD
• ADHD
• treatment options
• puberty
• executive function

Keywords

• anxiety
• OCD
• ADHD
• kids mental health
• treatment options
• puberty
• executive function
• child psychologist
• mental health challenges

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Northwestern

More episodes of Gyno Girl Presents: Sex, Drugs & Hormones

• Why AI is Medicine's Future (Not Its Replacement) | Dr. Ami Bhatt · June 12, 2026 · 54 min
• Women's Sexual Health Innovation with Sabrina Johnson, CEO of Dari Bioscience · June 5, 2026 · 53 min
• Trauma, Lost Desire, and ART: A Breakthrough Therapy with Brooke Bralove · May 22, 2026 · 1h 7m
• Teaching Anatomical Language, AI in Medicine, and Why Three OB-GYNs Stopped Delivering Babies with Dr. Meredith McClure and Dr. Ashley Fuller · May 15, 2026 · 54 min
• Endometriosis, Pelvic Floor PT, and the Medical Gaslighting That Keeps Women in Pain with Jandra Mueller · May 8, 2026 · 55 min
• Perimenopause, Mental Load, and Why We're Not Going Away with Beth Crosby (Garbage Mom) · May 1, 2026 · 52 min