How to help someone with OCD: 6 tips for giving support

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) represents a constant and intense discomfort if psychological treatment is not received. So even while in therapy, it's important to have the support of friends and family.

In this article Let's see how to help a person with OCD, this impulse control disorder that is characterized by causing a great need to perform repetitive rituals called compulsions.

• Related article: "Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): what is it and how does it manifest itself?"

What exactly is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?

To better understand how to help a person with OCD, it is necessary to know what it is. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterized by the appearance of intrusive thoughts that cause the subject a feeling of discomfort, that things are out of control and that something bad will happen if a certain order is not reestablished. To mitigate this discomfort, those who develop OCD fall into the repetition of a series of stereotypical actions (compulsions) as a way of "purge" routine: scratching your nose in a certain way, washing your hands, checking under a table three times in a row, etc

People who suffer from this disorder generally have an accelerated flow of thought and a catastrophic tendency, that is, who have the perception that things will go wrong even before they start doing them, which gives them a feeling of discomfort acute.

It is because of this style of thinking that patients with this psychological disorder seek refuge within a bubble of excessive control in certain areas of their lives, by carrying out compulsions. Compulsions are repetitive and very specific rituals that the person with OCD feels the need to do immediately so that the discomfort caused by the obsessions (the intrusive thoughts) dissipates.

In addition, this type of repetitive behavior has a marked tendency to order, so that these rituals are always carried out following a very strict sequence that must not be interrupted. If something comes between people with OCD and their characteristic order in performing these compulsions, the discomfort becomes present, to such an extent that they find it impossible to function calmly in the activities of their daily routine, and they feel that it is necessary to arrange everything again according to the way they consider adequate.

How to help someone with OCD?

Now we are going to look at some ways to help people with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

1. Accompany the person to therapy

Psychological therapy helps to a great extent to channel the need for control of people with OCD. In fact, all the ways to overcome Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder involve seeking professional help in the field of mental health. The psychotherapist will be able to adequately evaluate the particular case of the subject, offering him the tools and the professional support required in these cases.

So, you have to talk to the person and try to convince them to attend psychotherapy, and once the sessions have started, encourage them not to abandon the treatment. We must not feed the idea that going to the psychologist is just an option: it is a necessary condition to leave OCD and the discomfort associated with it behind.

One way to provide support as a family member or friend is to accompany the patient to therapeutic sessions with the subject, and make him see that he is not alone, but that he has the personal support that you offer him to overcome situations complicated.

• You may be interested in: "Effective psychological treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder"

2. Do not try to face them to prevent compulsions

The main thing to keep in mind when helping people with this disorder is that Do not try to adopt a confrontational attitude to try to modify any of the rituals they perform to maintain their specific order.

The best thing will always be to adopt an attitude of understanding towards their behavior, understanding that more than a hobby it is a necessity for them. In any case, it is these patients who must be the motor of their own change based on the guidelines and training given in therapy.

3. Not getting involved in rituals

Nor is it a good idea to actively participate in the rituals that the person has, understanding that this situation instead of being positive for her, it would end up encouraging obsessive behavior, causing her to return to begin. Many family members and friends try to provide support by imitating the subject's behaviors, which is not appropriate.

Instead of this we must show the person that nothing happens when the ritual is not fulfilled, but we will do this through the example. Without being invasive, we are going to show you that the world is not a dangerous place and that you can live in it without the need for exacerbated order.

4. Positively reinforce your progress

A characteristic feature of people with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is that are aware that they have a problem but are unable to abandon their obsessive routines without help, since they depend on that sense of control to be comfortable.

What we will do to reduce these behaviors will be to give the person displays of affection and surprise prizes every time the person shows small advances for ceasing to be so methodical; in this way the subject will feel gratified and will want to continue improving.

5. set clear goals

In order for the previous advice, implementing positive behavior reinforcers, to work effectively, it is necessary to help the subject to consider achievable goals, so that it is possible to evaluate and determine the improvement that has been made in that time.

It is useless to set goals that are almost impossible to achieve, it only fosters frustration and the desire to abandon treatment (or live in a fiction in which the person believes they are progressing without this being TRUE).

6. Include the direct family nucleus

If possible, we must involve the subject's family nucleus. This way, the home environment will improve, since the direct relatives of the subject will be able to better understand why their relative sometimes acts so obsessively, and instead of arguing they will begin to provide support.

Family therapy helps a lot in these cases.; The therapist not only evaluates and helps the person with OCD, but also gives the family members the best alternatives to positively face the situation.

Bibliographic references:

• Barlow, D.H. & Durand, V.M. (2006). Essentials of Abnormal Psychology. Calif.: Thomson Wadsworth.
• Kodysz, S. (s.f.). Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Brief Bibliographic Review. Mental Health Clinical Sheets.
• Stern, E.R.; Taylor, S.F. (2014). Cognitive neuroscience of obsessive-compulsive disorder. The Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 37 (3): 337 - 352.
• stork; et al. (2008). "Obsessive-compulsive disorder in youth with and without a chronic tic disorder". Depression and Anxiety. 25 (9): 761–767.