When a Family Member Has OCD: Mindfulness and Cognitive Behavioral Skills to Help Families Affected by Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

My sister, best friend, and platonic soul mate has suffered from OCD since she was very young, and I've been wanting to expand my knowledge in order to be more helpful in her therapy goals. We were both a bit nervous, since most books about family of OCD sufferers in the past were to 'how to deal with it' sort of books. It has plenty of facts, examples and helpful tips that it's clear the author is a family member who has helped his own family suffering with OCD, which was incredibly helpful and eye opening for me. I marked it up and highlighted the heck out of it so I could retain the info better. When we skimmed through it together, seeing her symptoms, compulsions, and examples that explain it from the sufferers perspective really helped her feel seen and less alone in her condition, as well as seeing how the OCD effects me, particularly on an emotional level. This book is only my first step in educating myself, and it has already taught me so much and has already helped tremendously in reframing my thought process with seeing and hearing her compulsions, and it has already made my sister feel more comfortable opening up to me about what she's struggling with in regards to it. I highly recommend it, as a starting point and as a thoughtful refresher

I've read several books aimed at those who have loved ones with OCD, but this has been by far the best. This is a great book. Very helpful at understanding OCD better and how to help and avoid making it worse. Two thumbs up!

As an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker I was looking for a resource to recommend to the professionals I supervise and the families with whom they work. The text explains in plain language the lived experience of OCD for the sufferer and the struggle of those who want to help. It includes good explanations of treatment options and in particular CBT and ERP. It also emphasises the value of knowledge and self care for those in relationship with someone with OCD. I was particularly happy with the inclusion of academic level referencing and the lists of further online and support resources. This text of course was written pre-Covid-19. I would imagine any future edition will need to include an update related to hand washing compulsions post Covid 19 and the need to differentiate between socially proscribed hand washing for particular social community contexts and when / how we can assess whether treatment is indicated. Overall this resource is a great resource for families and mental health professionals.

Would've given four stars if the writer had simply refrained from the word 'she' and 'his.' Gender pronunciation made the book entirely more frustrating than it had to be..I mightve become a little obsessive compulsive from just reading this.

This book is incredibly helpful for understanding what OCD really is and how it affects both the person and their family. It breaks things down in a clear, compassionate way and offers practical tools for support. A great resource if you’re trying to help a loved one with OCD and want to be more informed.

I have ready many books on OCD, Anxiety, and Panic. Although many of them were informative, this book was the first one that immediately "clicked" for me. This book truly allowed me to understand what our child is going through and what we can do to help. It is even so informative and clear that it was painfully obvious what we were doing wrong. The book is laid out clearly and addresses different obsessive behaviors and clear topics on how to deal with them. This book is a MUST READ if you have someone close to you suffering from OCD. Although the book is written for people who have a family member with OCD, this book was an EXCELLENT BOOK for our OCD child who for the first time, after reading this book, was able to identify her compulsive behavior. I highly recommend this book. It is an easy read and the first book on OCD that has given my family hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

A critical resource for people who have loved ones with OCD, as well as for people who live with OCD themselves. OCD is an extremely difficult mental health condition, if you are reading this review and are looking for valuable information on how to handle OCD, I recommend this book.

Would highly recommend this to anyone who has OCD or who has a loved one with OCD. I found it very well written, easy to understand, and helpful.

Very helpful and informative

This book has been a great help for me. Seeing OCD as an inner beast or creature that is trying to take over my partner's mind has been a refreshing perspective for me when my wife is suffering, she has found it helpful too. The reminder that "I am not my partner's counsellor or nurse" was much needed for me. I think it is very easy to want to "fix" (aka help) someone with OCD or mental health, and then it is easy to get frustrated when they don't respond well. This book uses a lot of clean OCD examples, which my wife does not like being compared to since that is stereotypical hollywood OCD, vs "Pure OCD." But this book does talk about Pure OCD and comments on how cleaning OCD starts with Pure OCD, because the obsession is in the mind first before being externalized. Highly recommend for family members/friends of OCD sufferers.

Thank you Jon for authoring such a wonderful book. I have read blogs, books but this book is unique. Very well written in simple lucid language. You have done fabulous job of addressing every minute detail. The emphasis that you have put on being empathetic, kind and compassionate towards OCD person really creates wonders. I am overwhelmed the way you have captured the journey of entire family going through the phases. Thank you very much for being the guiding light for many Iike us.

This is a great book for family or anyone who interacts with a loved one suffering from OCD. Explains the condition from the sufferer's point of view and gives suggestions on how to deal with it. Excellent book to keep for revision.

El Transtorno Obsesivo Compulsivo (TOC, o en inglés OCD) es mucho más común de lo que creemos y es probable que en tu entorno de familiares, conocidos, etc. acabes relacionándote con alguien que lo padece. Hay muchos libros enfocados a la propia persona que tiene el TOC, pero ¿qué pasa con nosotros, los familiares, conocidos, parejas, etc. de esta persona? Nosotros queremos ayudar, estar a su lado y comprenderles mejor. Este libro es muy especial porque tiene muy claro que es para ayudar a profundizar en el tema a aquella gente que no lo padece. Es un libro muy completo que ilustra muy bien la forma de pensar de alguien con TOC, luego hace un repaso de las obsesiones y compulsiones más comunes, habla de los tratamientos, etc. Gran parte está dedicada a dar directrices sobre cómo actuar para ayudar a la persona. Os adelanto que no hay una receta mágica, sino que el libro se basa en ayudarte a entender para que a partir de ahí tú busques la fórmula que funcione mejor en tu caso particular, pero no es tarea fácil. Me gusta mucho el orden que sigue el libro, que incluye esquemas y demás. Es lo suficientemente largo para profundizar bastante pero lo suficientemente corto como para que sea ligero de leer y fácil de comprender. En todo momento se dirige al lector como a aquella persona que está intentando entender mejor a otra persona querida con TOC y eso hace que conectes muy bien con el libro. Tras leerlo he podido tener conversaciones muy interesantes con gente con TOC y sé que a ellos les ha gustado y ayudado que otra persona les entienda y no les vea como "bichos raros". Me siento más cercano a ellos y ellos a mí, y todos ganamos. Por tanto, para el poco dinero que vale, me parece un libro genial y que da una información de enorme valor para vuestra felicidad y la de vuestro ser querido con TOC. Es más, el libro me ha introducido en mundillos como el mindfullness y demás que sobrepasan el ámbito del TOC y que me han llevado a seguir leyendo sobre ellos.