Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Care for Someone With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Step1
Attend OCD support group meetings with your loved one. Not only will this help you understand the condition better, it will show your loved one that you care about him and are interested in helping him recover.
Step2
Go to support group meetings for family members of people with OCD. A local psychologist or psychiatrist can tell you if your area has a group like this. Attending meetings of a family support group can help you better understand what your loved one is going through, as well as give you ideas on how to cope.
Step3
Be an active participant in your loved one's therapy. You can do this by keeping track of their counseling appointments and medication schedule to make sure she is following her treatment program. You can also ask her psychologist if there are any ways in which you can assist with behavioral therapy exercises at home.
Step4
Let your loved one's therapist know if any new symptoms appear or if existing symptoms get worse. The treatment program may need to be altered or medications adjusted if any of these things occur.
Step5
Avoid making it easy for someone to perform their compulsions. While you don't want to actively prevent them from doing so (unless that is part of their behavioral therapy program), you don't want to go out of your way to accommodate these behaviors.
Comments
INFP said
on 9/12/2008 Help, my sister in law moved to town, and fits the description of OCD to a "T". She is causing distress to everyone she meets, and is hurting her family tremendously. I am only an "inlaw" but I really want to help,
talking to her about OCD would be an offense that she would NOT get over at this time...any recommendations?