Seeking Support for Your OCD

By Jessica Morgan and Eric Storch

Regardless of age, suffering from OCD can leave a person feeling frustrated, alone, and unsure of where to turn for help. Some people with OCD may hide their symptoms from their friends and loved ones because of embarrassment or fears that others will not understand. And, many people with OCD find it difficult to acknowledge that they may need support and help.

If you are suffering from OCD, there are treatments available that can help you improve your symptoms and quality of life. In general, seeking help as early as possible – from a trained mental health clinician like a psychologist or psychiatrist – is a good strategy. Using skills learned in working with trained professionals such as exposure and response prevention therapy can help you learn to manage anxiety, reduce your compulsions, and make improvements in your daily life. You or your parents can call local therapists in your area and ask if they have experience using exposure and response prevention therapy to help people with OCD. You or your parents can also find therapists who are registered with IOCDF here.

As you are making improvements in your life with the help of a therapist, it will also help you to have other sources of support around you in your daily life – friends and loved ones who understand what you are going through and can cheer you on in the fight against OCD. If it is hard to explain your OCD to the people in your life, it might help to ask them to read the IOCDF’s brochure, "What You Need to Know about OCD". Importantly, developing supports early in life sets up the foundation for how you will cope with stress as you get older.

Friends and loved ones should build you up, not tear you down. If you find that the people in your daily life provide criticism instead of encouragement and do not cheer you on when you are making efforts to fight your OCD, it may be useful to consider other sources of support. Struggling with OCD is nothing to be ashamed of. Online support groups, local support groups, and group therapy for OCD are all excellent sources of people who will understand what you are going through and the challenges you are facing. Click here to search our database of local support groups. If, after running a web search, you find there are no OCD support groups in your area, you can find sources for online OCD support groups here on the IOCDF website. For those teens who are under 18 years of age, it is important to talk with your parents about participating in these groups and activities.

In addition to social support, it may be helpful to identify activities that you find enjoyable. These can include an array of things, such as exercise, volunteering, or various hobbies. Filling your life with meaningful activities is an important reminder that

You are more than your OCD. OCD does not have to be what your whole life is about.

Remember that support means support for you, not support for your OCD. The people in your life should help you fight in your battle against OCD. Work with your friends and family so that they know the things that are helpful for you, versus behaviors that may get in the way of your life and OCD.