The Family Guide to Getting Over OCD: Reclaim Your Life and Help Your Loved One

255 Pages·2021·2.287 MB·English

by  Jonathan S. Abramowitz

Praise for The Family Guide to Getting Over OCD
“Reading this book is basically like having Dr. Abramowitz as your fam-
ily’s therapist. There are many explanations and examples that helped us
understand what our daughter was going through and connect with her in a
healthier way. The real game changer was when we successfully stopped par-
ticipating in her compulsions. Following this book’s advice was not always
easy, but it definitely improved our child’s self-confidence and reduced the
level of frustration in our family.”
—Len G., Wake Forest, North Carolina
“If you have a family member suffering from OCD, this masterful book offers
guidance and hope. Dr. Abramowitz helps you understand what your loved
one is going through, what treatment entails, and how you can provide the
best support. This is an impressive work that fills a significant gap in the
field, and that will be helpful to everyone who cares about someone with
OCD.”
—Eric Storch, PhD, Professor and Vice Chair of Psychology,
Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences,
Baylor College of Medicine
“This excellent resource is packed with great examples. In simple, clear lan-
guage, it describes specific strategies you can start using immediately to
increase your support of your loved one—while reducing accommodation
of OCD. This book is a ‘must have’ for anyone with an adult or child family
member struggling with OCD.”
—Lisa W. Coyne, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical
School; Director, New England Center for OCD and Anxiety
“By far the most comprehensive family-focused OCD resource. Dr. Abramo-
witz, one of the premier leaders in the field, includes everything a loved one
needs to know in one easy-to-read book. He guides you through each step
needed to help someone with OCD.”
—Bradley C. Riemann, PhD, Chief Clinical Officer,
Rogers Behavioral Health
The Family Guide to Getting Over OCD
Also from Jonathan S. Abramowitz
FOR GENERAL READERS
Getting Over OCD:
A 10-Step Workbook for Taking Back Your Life, Second Edition
Jonathan S. Abramowitz
The Stress Less Workbook:
Simple Strategies to Relieve Pressure, Manage Commitments,
and Minimize Conflicts
Jonathan S. Abramowitz
FOR PROFESSIONALS
Exposure Therapy for Anxiety:
Principles and Practice, Second Edition
Jonathan S. Abramowitz, Brett J. Deacon, Stephen P. H. Whiteside
The Family Guide
to Getting Over OCD
Reclaim Your Life and Help
Your Loved One
JONATHAN S. ABRAMOWITZ, PhD
THE GUILFORD PRESS
New York London
Copyright © 2021 The Guilford Press
A Division of Guilford Publications, Inc.
370 Seventh Avenue, Suite 1200, New York, NY 10001
www.guilford.com
All rights reserved
The information in this volume is not intended as a substitute for consultation with
healthcare professionals. Each individual’s health concerns should be evaluated by a
qualified professional.
Purchasers of this book have permission to copy handouts, where indicated by
footnotes, for personal use or use with clients. These handouts may be copied from
the book or accessed directly from the publisher’s website, but may not be stored on or
distributed from intranet sites, Internet sites, or file- sharing sites, or made available
for resale. No other part of this book may be reproduced, translated, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written permission
from the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America
Last digit is print number: 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in- Publication Data is available from the publisher.
ISBN 978-1-4625-4136-2 (paperback) — ISBN 978-1-4625-4601-5 (hardcover)
To all the couples and families affected by OCD
who have shared with me their trials and triumphs

Contents

Author’s Note ix

Acknowledgments xi

Introduction 1
PART I
Understanding OCD
1
What Is OCD? 9
2
How Does OCD Set Its Trap? 22
3
How Do Families Get Entangled in OCD? 31
4
Treatment That Can Help Your Relative—and Your Family 47
PART II
Preparing to Untangle Yourself from OCD
5
Why Your Loved One May Refuse Treatment— 59
and What You Can Do
6
Learning the Facts about Anxiety, Obsessions, and Uncertainty 73
7
Learning to Communicate Effectively 85
vii
viii Contents
PART III
Reducing OCD’s Influence Step by Step
8
Taking Stock of Your Situation 101
9
Preparing Your Loved One 117
10
Setting and Maintaining Expectations 130
11
Reducing Accommodation 148
12
Responding to Arguments, Threats, and Extreme Behavior 168
13
Staying on Track 181
PART IV
When Your Loved One Is Ready for Help
14
Finding the Right Treatment Program and Provider 197
15
Becoming an Effective Exposure Therapy Coach 213

Resources 229

Index 231

About the Author 241
Purchasers of this book can download and print enlarged versions of
the handouts at www.guilford.com/abramowitz4-forms for personal use
or use with clients (see copyright page for details).