Supporting Someone With OCD

Interacting with and caring for a family member with OCD can be very stressful. To effectively help that person, you need to do whatever is necessary to take care of your own physical and emotional well-being. Here are some tips about what you can—and cannot—do. The only way for my life to improve is if the person with OCD gets better. Although life will almost certainly be better for family members if the person with OCD gets better, there are no guarantees that he or she will.

You need to do whatever you can to improve the quality of your own life, even if the OCD sufferer does not recover. In reality, when you take care of yourself, you are in a much better position to help others. Getting help for myself will jeopardize my efforts to help the person with OCD. The person with OCD will get upset if I get help.

Learn More About OCD

There actually is a very good chance that the person with OCD will become angry if you seek help. But the fallacies lie with the underlying assumptions of this myth:. This myth is based upon the laws of a world in which things are always fair. I should be able to cope without help.

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Although life will almost certainly be better for family members if the person with OCD gets better, there are no guarantees that he or she will. You need to do whatever you can to improve the quality of your own life, even if the OCD sufferer does not recover. In reality, when you take care of yourself, you are in a much better position to help others. Getting help for me will jeopardize my efforts to help the person with OCD.

• Understanding Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders.
• How to Diagnose OCD.
• Dear Diary.
• From the Experts.

There actually is a very good chance that the person with OCD will become angry if you seek help. But the fallacies lie with the underlying assumptions of this myth:. This myth is based on the laws of a world in which things are always fair. Once again, this myth is based on a make-believe world in which you are all-knowing and never need help.

In fact, knowing when to seek help is a strength, not a weakness.

Obsessive compulsive disorder - family and friends

Interacting with, and in some cases, caring for, a family member with OCD can be very stressful. To effectively help that person, you need to do whatever is necessary to take care of your own physical and emotional well-being. You may also want to consider attending a local OCD support group that is open to family members.

Talking with others who have had similar experiences and learning about how they have approached family difficulties can be extremely helpful, if not therapeutic.

You can help bring information and education to people who have OCD and to the people who can make a difference in the quality of their lives — including family and friends, educators, clergy and the media. We aim to connect people dealing with OCD and anxiety with the resources and information they need to thrive. First Things First Some very important steps to help your loved one begin with you: Learn about OCD You will need to understand what your loved one goes through with this frequently debilitating disorder.

Help your loved one find appropriate treatment for OCD and encourage him or her to actively participate in the therapy process. Effective treatment is the most important step in gaining relief.

Stop enabling OCD in your household or in your relationship. Participating in rituals with your loved one or accommodating avoidance behavior actually does not help.

How to Help Someone with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

In fact, the effect can be just the opposite. Try to establish a positive emotional climate in the home. How you communicate with your loved one as well as the level of support you provide cannot be overemphasized.