The family in the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder

Introduction: Familial factors have been implicated in the development, maintenance, and exacerbation of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). At the same time, the presence of someone with OCD in a family often has a severe, negative impact on the family, and the stress that creates is likely to exacerbate the obsessive-compulsive symptoms. These intricate factors have led to research on the inclusion of family members in OCD treatment. Although the body of literature on this is not large, and more research is needed, it has become clear that the involvement of family members in treatment can be very valuable. Their involvement in treatment can ease the stress on the family, help them to avoid inadvertently maintaining or exacerbating the OCD, and enable them to actively support the patient's treatment and recovery. Family quality of life: The occurrence of OCD clearly impairs the psychological well-being and quality of life of those who suffer from it (Hollander et al. 1996; Stein et al. 1996; Koran 2000), but OCD also has a severe impact on patients' family members. The caregiver burden in OCD is actually similar to that found for severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia (Kalra et al. 2008). Family members are affected in many different ways; day-to-day life can be complicated, stressful, and frustrating, with many psychological ramifications.