OCD tends to worsen during pregnancy and the postpartum period because it’s the most unpredictable time for a woman, and people suffering from OCD struggle with unpredictability. “Being anxious during pregnancy can cause a lot of harm to the developing infant. During the postnatal stage, the infant can be fussy, and not easily soothed by a mother who’s anxious herself,” adds Dr Bagadia. Aditi eventually realised that if she didn’t get professional help, it would affect her relationship with the child. With her husband’s support, she sought help. They both spent time in understanding the condition and the best option for treatment—a combination of medication and therapy. After months of therapy and support from her husband, Aditi was free from her illness. Now, she spends her days enjoying being a mother, and is looking forward to getting back to work, as well.
Family and friends play an important role in one’s battle against OCD. Without them or any other emotional support, an individual with OCD may find it quite difficult to escape its perils. Consider 45-year-old Ashok, who lived alone in an apartment. He lost his mother when he was young and had no siblings. When his father, too, passed away, his OCD worsened. Ashok had obsessions around symmetry and numbers, which were followed by checking behaviour that would go on for hours every day. To suppress his anxiety, he would arrange his desk in a particular order every morning, spend hours going through reports, miss deadlines and often argue with his co-workers if something was not done the way he preferred them done. Due to his compulsive behaviour, Ashok sunk into depression. That’s when his boss came to the rescue.
He connected Ashok to a therapist who suggested behaviour therapy to reduce his compulsive behaviour. The therapist helped Ashok look beyond his trauma of losing his parents, which was a trigger for his OCD. Through daily practice, Ashok was able to overcome his disorder and return to a normal work life.
When others start recognising OCD as a disorder, and not some “every-day-behaviour”, it becomes easy for patients to cope with their anxiety. It is an assurance that they are not alone in their battle. “Many people don’t open up for the fear of being teased or laughed at, especially for something that looks trivial to the observer but can be really painful to the sufferer,” says Dr Bagadia. The first step for any family member or a friend is to build trust. Once a person suffering from OCD feels comfortable sharing his predicament, people can suggest corrective measures to deal with it. “Family members should strongly encourage possible long term psychotherapy and ensure the patients take their medication, refuse to comply with obsessive and compulsive demands for absolute cleanliness and rigidities of behaviour, etc. The most important is to support and maintain optimism about continuing treatment,” adds Rothenberg. The assurance of not being alone is bigger than any intrusive thought or compulsive idea. If those with OCD have the unflinching support of their loved ones, they can win their battle quite comfortably.
Krishna Dutt
March 13, 2019 at 5:20 pmVery informative and useful story. This story clarifies a lots of commen misinformation. Worthwhile writing, Congratulations dear Arun and team soulveda. I always mention team soulveda because, whatever appears on surface is team cooperation too.
Soulveda
March 13, 2019 at 6:20 pmThank you Krishna for the continuous support and motivation. We really appreciate it.
Prasad Rv
November 7, 2019 at 5:33 pmGood information, but not mentioned what kind of psychotherapy can be administered.
Soulveda
November 26, 2019 at 8:09 pmThank you, Prasad. The part of the article is emphasising on the contribution of family members when it comes to supporting a loved one with OCD.