How to Help Someone with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is frustrating for people and confusing for their friends and loved ones. There is a constant obsession in people with OCD – persistent, repetitive, and often unpleasant thoughts. ^{[1] X Source of Research} These thoughts trigger compulsions – that is, repeated actions or sequences in response to the obsession. Often people with OCD feel like something terrible will happen if they don’t do their compulsions. However, you can help your loved one or friend with OCD by being supportive and empathetic, avoiding facilitating compulsive behavior, encouraging and participating in treatment, and finding Understanding Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Table of Contents

Sympathy and support

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Support your loved one spiritually. Emotional support is always a very important factor, because it helps people feel connected, loved and protected, this factor is even more necessary for people with OCD. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Even if you don’t have a lot of knowledge about mental health or don’t think you have the ability to “cure” this disorder, support and concern can help someone with OCD feel trusted and supported. accept.
You can show your support to your loved one just by being there for them when they want to share their thoughts, feelings, or confide in their compulsive behavior. You can say things like, “I’m always there for you when you want to talk about anything. We can drink coffee or find something to eat while we talk.”
Tell the person that you want the best for them, and if you say or do something that makes them unhappy let you know – this will help your loved one open up to you and feel trust you.

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Sympathetic. Empathy is an essential element in therapy, because it helps people feel connected and understood; This is extremely important when communicating with someone with OCD. ^{[3] X Research Resources} Try to understand what your loved one is going through.

Understanding helps you to be more empathetic. Imagine that every meal the person you love is bound to arrange the food in some strange way. The behavior may seem odd at first; you ask her not to do so anymore and nag her weird behavior. But gradually when you understand the underlying cause and the fear behind it, you will feel more empathetic.
You can express your sympathy with statements like, “I know you’re trying so hard and I also know that you’re miserable because no matter how hard you try, it still doesn’t work, especially when it’s not in the right place. in my control. I don’t blame you for being angry and frustrated these days. Maybe you’re not just suffering but angry because you’re stuck with this disorder.” ^{[4] X Research Sources}

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Use empathetic and supportive communication. When communicating with that person, you need to show support for, but not encourage or facilitate, their OCD-related behaviors. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Make “client-centered” comments, such as “I sympathize with what you are going through right now. What do you think makes your OCD performance so bad? He is always by my side to support me and listen to me. I hope you feel better soon.” ^{[6] X Research Sources}
Help your loved one reassess the severity of the obsessive thoughts in her head. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

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Do not judge or criticize the person. No matter what you do, you should always avoid judging and criticizing the obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors of someone with OCD. Comments and criticism can cause your loved one to hide their disorder. This will make it difficult to help them get treatment, and also make the relationship between the two parties become distant. ^{[8] X Research Source} She’ll probably feel more comfortable talking to you if you have an accepting attitude. ^{[9] X Research Source}

An example of a criticism might be, “Why can’t you stop doing that nonsense?” Avoid personal criticism so as not to push your loved one away. Don’t forget that people with OCD often have no control over the disorder.
Incessant criticism can make your loved one feel like he or she is incapable of meeting your expectations. From there they will withdraw and avoid interacting with you.

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Adjust your expectations so you don’t get discouraged. If you are frustrated or frustrated with a loved one, it will be difficult for you to provide them with adequate and effective support. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Understand that people with OCD are often resistant to change, and sudden change can trigger symptoms.
Evaluate the person’s progress against their own, and urge them to challenge themselves. However, do not expect your loved one to perform perfectly, especially when it is beyond their ability.
Comparing your loved one to others never works, as it can make her feel inferior and defensive.

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Remember that everyone has different levels of progress. OCD symptoms vary in severity and response to treatment. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Be patient when your loved one is receiving OCD therapy.
Slow progress is better than relapse, so remember to stay supportive, and don’t frustrate her.
Day-to-day comparisons should not be made, as those comparisons do not represent the whole.

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Acknowledge small advances to encourage people with OCD. Acknowledge small results to help your loved one know that you see her progress and are proud of her. ^{[12] X Research Resources} This is an effective way to encourage your loved one to keep trying.

Say things like, “I see you wash your hands less today. Very good!”

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Keep distance and space between you and your loved one when necessary. You shouldn’t try to stop your loved one’s OCD behavior by being with them all the time. This is not good for you or the person. You need some alone time to regain strength to continue to support and sympathize with your loved one.

Remember that when you’re around a loved one with OCD, it’s a good idea to talk about things unrelated to OCD and its symptoms. You certainly don’t want OCD to be the only connection between you and the person you love.

Less Facilitating OCD Behaviors

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Don’t confuse supporting and facilitating OCD behavior. Avoiding confusion between the two is very important. Facilitating OCD behavior means encouraging or helping a person with OCD to maintain their compulsive behaviors. ^{[13] X Research Source} This can make OCD symptoms worse, because by doing so you are reinforcing compulsive behaviors. ^{[14] X Research Source}

Support doesn’t mean accepting the person’s compulsive behaviors but talking to them about their fears and showing understanding, even if you think their actions are weird.

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Do not indulge in compulsive behavior to avoid inadvertently reinforcing the behavior of the person with OCD. Many families with a loved one with obsessive-compulsive disorder often help or even imitate certain behaviors to try to protect and help that person. For example, if your loved one’s compulsion is to separate each food on her plate, maybe you can help her out. You may think this is a sign of sympathy and support, but it actually backfires. ^{[15] X Sources of Research} Behavior is the facilitation and reinforcement of compulsive behavior. Your natural reaction may be to aim to share the burden, but by doing so you expose your entire family or social network to the start of “OCD,” in which everyone are all involved in coercive actions.

By helping a loved one with compulsions, you are implying that their irrational fears are justified and that they should continue the compulsions.
No matter how difficult it is, you should avoid fueling compulsive behaviors, as that will only encourage their behavior.

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Not supporting by avoidance behavior. You shouldn’t be constantly helping your loved one avoid things that are upsetting them, especially in everyday activities. ^{[16] X Research Sources} This is also a type of facilitation for compulsive behaviors.

For example, you shouldn’t help her avoid dirty surfaces by never eating out.

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Try not to facilitate systematic behaviors/sequences. Don’t do things for people with OCD that keep them hooked on systematic behavior. ^{[17] X Research Source}

An example of this misbehavior is helping your OCD loved one buy the cleaning products she wants to obsessively clean.

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Do not adjust your daily routine. If you adjust your daily schedule to respond to the symptoms of a loved one with OCD, you can change the behavior of your entire family to accommodate basic OCD behaviors. ^{[18] X Research Sources}

An example of this would be delaying dinner time to wait for someone with OCD to complete their “procedure”.
Another example might be trying to help someone with OCD, because it’s hard for them to get their work done on time.

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Make an action plan to help yourself and others stop facilitating OCD symptoms. If you’ve always been “complicit” with that person, and now that you’ve realized this, you need to gently back away from those encouraging behaviors and keep listening. ^{[19] X Research Source}

Explain that helping them in this way only makes the situation worse. You need to be mentally prepared, because your loved one might be upset, and deal with your feelings when you are with her; You must be strong!
For example, a family that habitually indulges in compulsive behavior by waiting for the person to complete their order before sitting down at the dinner table could plan a change by not waiting any longer and not washing their hands accordingly. them anymore.
Whatever your action plan is, you need to be consistent.

Encourage treatment

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Encourage the person to seek treatment. One way to motivate a loved one with OCD is to help them identify the pros and cons of change. ^{[20] X Research Sources} If your loved one is still hesitant to receive treatment, there are a few things you can do:

Take the documents home.
Encourage the person that treatment is helpful.
Discuss how you helped their OCD behavior.
Introduce a support group.

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Discuss treatment options to pave the way for specialist treatment. Your support is one of the most important factors in helping someone with OCD, as your supportive attitude helps ease the burden on them and helps them find the best possible treatment. Be sure to discuss treatment options with your loved one to suggest specialist treatment.

Remember to let the person know that OCD is a highly curable disease, and that their uncomfortable symptoms will be greatly reduced.
You can ask your GP for more information about OCD treatment and a list of mental health professionals near you.
Don’t put pressure on a loved one with OCD. You should just discuss the different treatments and which one is most appropriate for their situation. These approaches may include medication, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and family support and understanding. Many medications have been shown to be effective in treating OCD and are effective in controlling symptoms, although they cannot be cured.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure therapy, and response suppression are treatment options, with or without medication. For people with OCD, exposure and suppression of the reaction can help relieve symptoms. ^{[21] X Research Sources} This form of therapy will gradually help people with OCD control their compulsive behaviors. Another form of therapy that can help the whole family is family therapy. This can be a safe place to express your feelings and support.

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Take your loved one to a psychiatrist or psychologist to help make treatment more effective. To find the most effective treatment, you need to see a psychiatrist (MD – doctor of medicine), psychologist (PhD, PsyD – doctor of psychology), or counselor (LPC). – professional counselor, LMFT – family therapist). Family involvement in treatment has been shown to be effective in alleviating OCD symptoms. ^{[22] X Research Source}

It’s best to find someone who specializes in OCD therapy or at least has experience in treating OCD. When deciding on a doctor, be sure to ask if he or she has experience treating OCD.

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Encourage family members to participate in treatment. Research shows that family involvement in behavioral interventions or OCD treatment can help people reduce symptoms. ^{[23] X Research Sources}

Family therapy can encourage positive communication and reduce anger. ^{[24] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}^{[25] X Research Source}
You can help your loved one keep a journal or record their thoughts to help them track obsessions and compulsions. ^{[26] X Research Source}^{[27] X Research Source}

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Help your loved one take medication as prescribed. While the thought of your loved one taking psychiatric medication may seem scary, you need to trust your doctor’s judgment.

Do not follow your doctor’s instructions for use.

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Continue with your life if the person refuses treatment. Maybe you should give up controlling a loved one with OCD. Acknowledge that you’ve done your best, but haven’t been able to fully control or help your loved one recover from the illness. ^{[28] X Research Sources}

Self-care is essential when you’re trying to take care of others. How can you take care of others when you can’t take care of yourself?
Make sure not to fuel OCD symptoms, but instead remind the person from time to time that you’re there to help when they’re ready.
The most important thing to remember is that you have your own life and you have the right to your life.

Learn about OCD

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Dispel your misconceptions about obsessive-compulsive disorder to gain a new perspective on your loved one. Research to understand this disorder is important, because some misconceptions about OCD exist. ^{[29] X Research Resources} You need to fight these misconceptions, as they can get in the way and prevent a good relationship between you and your loved one.

One of the biggest misconceptions is that people with OCD can control their obsessions and compulsions. This is not correct. If you believe they can change their behavior whenever they want, you will only feel frustrated when they don’t.

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Research on OCD to accept the person’s condition. As you learn about OCD, you will find it easier to accept that your loved one has OCD. ^{[30] X Research Sources} This process can be difficult, but knowing the nature of things makes it easier to have an objective view instead of being depressed and pessimistic. Acceptance will make you more productive, helping you turn your attention into therapy instead of brooding over the past.

Understand common patterns and compulsions such as: hand washing, religious practices (such as praying correctly 15 times to avoid possible misfortune), counting and checking (e.g. checking make sure the door is locked). ^{[31] X Research Source}
Young people with OCD are more likely to move away from or avoid activities with people due to fear of obsessions or compulsions. They also have difficulty with daily activities (cooking, cleaning, bathing, etc.), and generally have higher levels of anxiety. ^{[32] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to source}

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Continue to delve deeper into OCD to help your loved one effectively. A thorough understanding of OCD can help you support someone with the disorder. ^{[33] X Research Sources} You can’t hope to help someone with OCD if you don’t know and understand it to some extent.

There are many books written on the subject, and there is also a wealth of information online that you can find. ^{[34] X Research Sources} Be sure to find reliable academic or medical-specific sources, however.
You can also consult your GP or mental health professional for an explanation of this condition.

Steps

Sympathy and support

Less Facilitating OCD Behaviors

Encourage treatment

Learn about OCD

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