Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a psychological condition that impacts between 1-2% of the US population. People with OCD have unwanted thoughts, feelings, and fears that are called obsessions. Obsessions cause anxiety and to alleviate this distress, the person engages in external or internal behaviors called rituals.
If someone you love has been diagnosed with OCD, knowing how to support them can be difficult. Their OCD behaviors might impact your relationship and interfere with your own daily life. You might struggle to understand why they can’t just stop engaging in the compulsions.
At CBT Westport, we work with family members frequently and educate them on how to best support their loved ones. Here are the top three suggestions that we make.
Encourage evidenced based treatment
Helping your loved one find a therapist who is well-trained in treating OCD is a pivotal step in supporting them. The gold standard treatment for OCD is a type of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) called Exposure and Response Treatment (ERP). ERP works by helping a person face the things that trigger their anxiety in a structured fashion and with the assistance of a therapist. This treatment works to uncouple obsessions and their associated compulsions and teaches effective coping tools for anxiety. In addition to ERP, the provider might recommend a medication consultation. When combined with therapy, there are several effective medications that may help.
Recognize and reduce accommodation and reassurance behaviors
OCD research in addition to clinical observation suggest that family and significant others can play a role in maintaining OCD. Accommodating might look like changing your family routine to allow for OCD rituals, buying excessive amounts of cleaning products to mitigate germ obsessions, or helping your family member by doing things for them that are related to their OCD (driving, touching door handles, etc). Reassurance occurs when a family member alleviates anxiety by providing information related to the OCD. In the short term, individuals with OCD ask for reassurance or accommodations that will decrease the anxiety they are feeling. In the long term, this kind of behavior will maintain the OCD or even make it worse.
Get educated and find your own support
Loving someone who has OCD can be stressful. There are several ways you can find your own support. Start by searching the internet for local or online support groups for family members and reading articles by trusted mental health sources.
Websites:
- International OCD Foundation (https://iocdf.org)
- Obsessive Compulsive Foundation (ocfoundation.org)
Books for Family
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: New Help for the Family
- Loving Someone with OCD: Help for You and Your Family
Family and friends can be negatively affected by the demands of OCD in a loved one. CBT Westport has clinicians who are highly trained in treating both patients with OCD and supporting their family members.