10/13/2025
Supporting a Loved One with OCD
When someone you love struggles with OCD, it’s natural to want to help, but some forms of “help” actually keep the cycle going.
🫶 What Helps:
Loved ones can support recovery by
🧡 Reducing participation in rituals
🧡 Offering empathy without reassurance
🧡 Saying, “I believe you can handle this.”
🫶 This combo matters because:
🧡 Reducing accommodation breaks the OCD cycle.
🧡 Empathy + confidence regulate the nervous system and build resilience.
Support doesn’t mean doing the ritual, it means standing beside them with care and belief that they can face the fear.