In fact, research has shown that accommodating the person’s request to comply with rituals or alter routines actually produces worse presentations of symptoms of OCD. Some rituals that you may need to avoid enabling include: answering repeated questions, reassuring the person about his fears, allowing the person to dictate seating at the dinner table, or asking others to perform certain things several times before serving food. It is easy to fall into this enabling behavior because the rituals and behaviors are seen as harmless. However, if the enabling has been going on for a long time, suddenly stopping all ritual involvement and reassurance may be too abrupt. Inform the person you will be decreasing your involvement in their rituals, then create a limit for how many times a day you will help with rituals Then slowly reduce this number until you are no longer a participant. It may be helpful for you to keep an observation journal, noting when symptoms seem to come up or worsen. This is especially helpful if the family member with OCD is a child.
This is very different than accommodating your loved one. Being supportive does not mean allowing the behaviors. It means holding the person accountable in a supportive way and offering a hug when he needs it. [6] X Trustworthy Source International OCD Foundation Non-profit organization dedicated to helping everyone affected by Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and related disorders to live full and productive lives. Go to source
The International OCD Foundation has a directory of group resources.
Family therapy looks at the family system and evaluates relationships between family members in an effort to understand which behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs are contributing the presenting problem. [13] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source For OCD, this may be examining which family members are helpful in reducing anxiety, which are unhelpful, which times of day are most difficult for your loved one with OCD and for other members of the family and why. Your therapist can also offer suggestions about behaviors that will not reinforce rituals, and what to do instead that is specific to your loved one’s situation.
Plan outings with friends once a week to give you a short reprieve away from your loved one. Or, find your own space at home in which you can relax. Squirrel yourself away in your bedroom to catch up on a book, or carve out time for a bubble bath when your loved one is out of the house.
Obsessions include thoughts or urges that never go away. They are also unwelcome and intrude on everyday life. These obsessions can cause significant distress. Compulsions are behaviors or thoughts that an individual repeats over and over. This can include compulsions such as hand-washing or counting. The individual feels that he or she must comply with certain rigid rules that are self-imposed. These compulsions are enacted in order to reduce anxiety or in hopes of preventing something from happening. Typically the compulsions are unreasonable and ineffective at actually reducing anxiety or prevention. Obsessions and compulsions are usually performed more than one hour per day or otherwise intrude on daily functioning.
CBT helps people with OCD examine their perceptions of potential risk which influence their obsessions, to build a more realistic perception of their fear. Additionally, CBT helps to examine the individual’s interpretation of their intrusive thoughts, because it is often the amount of importance they place on these thoughts and how they interpret them that causes anxiety. CBT has been shown to be helpful to 75% of clients with OCD. [20] X Research source
This type of treatment gradually exposes the individual to what he fears or obsesses over while refraining from acting on compulsions. [22] X Research source During this process, the individual learns to cope with and manage their anxiety until it eventually does not induce anxiety at all.
Large blocks of unexplained time that the person is spending alone (in the bathroom, getting dressed, doing homework, etc. ) Doing things again and again (repetitive behaviors) Constant questioning of self-judgment; excessive need for reassurance Simple tasks taking an effort Perpetual tardiness Increased concern for minor things and details Extreme, unnecessary emotional reactions to small things Inability to sleep properly Staying up late to get things done A significant change in eating habits Increased irritability and indecisiveness
This fear creates anxiety[26] X Research source which drives compulsions, and the person with OCD uses compulsions as a way to pacify or control their anxiety caused by their obsession.
People with a washing compulsion are afraid of contamination and usually wash their hands frequently. People who check things repeatedly (oven turned off, door locked, etc. ) tend to associate everyday objects with harm or danger. People with a strong feeling of doubt or sin may expect that terrible things will happen and they might even be punished. People who are obsessed with order and symmetry often have superstitions about numbers, colors, or arrangements. People with a tendency to hoard things may be afraid that something bad will happen if they throw even the smallest thing away. Everything from trash to old receipts gets saved.
