OCD doesn't just affect the person who has it. It has the potential to really affect (or, as I say, INFECT) the entire household. It can cause arguments, disagreements, general distress, and so many other difficulties that complicate things for everyone involved. In what ways have your OCD affected your loved ones/household?

I can see this as someone with OCD and also someone who had a parent with OCD. For me, having a parent with OCD involved hiding if we went to triggering places, engaging in excessive showering if we went to places like a doctor’s office, and avoiding saying things that may bother him. If you offended him or said something negative about him (“criticized him”), he could go from 0 to 100. He also would ignore what I’m saying if he thought I might trigger him. He never told us directly to do these compulsions like showering but made my mom be the middle man. So it definitely affected me a lot that he never got treatment. Of course, there was a lot of arguing in the house and over little things like if we touched something or moved something we weren’t supposed to. A lot of petty arguing and chaos went on. Additionally, he would ask for reassurance a lot. — I know that my illness affects the family in asking my mom to wash her hands or get rid of objects I don’t like. I used to ask a lot for reassurance but I’ve asked my mom not to give it to me and I’ve stopped asking for it because I learned that I have OCD and found out that it makes the OCD worse. But mostly I try to tolerate the uncertainty because I know how it affected me to have someone in the household with OCD. I try to keep my OCD to myself as much as I can, but I can cause petty arguments over people touching things, not washing their hands etc.—My dad has germ contamination as a theme; hospitals, dentists, etc. I have a lot of themes not necessarily germs, but I have a cat contamination theme. I’m afraid of things from my sister’s house since she has a cat. I’m allergic and had allergic reaction which triggered this theme.

It can really wreck a household and cause people to walk on eggshells when it’s not acknowledged and treated. If my dad got triggered, even if it wasn’t something we did, he would change the whole atmosphere of the house and ruin activities if he thinks someone slighted him in anyway. Nobody wants to bond or be together when there’s such a tense, unpredictable environment. He would determine the emotional thermostat in the room. If he was upset, we’d just have to ride it out. He’d have tantrums when triggered and not care about anyone else’s feelings but his own. The worse part is he never acknowledged that he had OCD or that he was struggling. This caused mistrust, hurt feelings, and a missed opportunity to communicate about a problem that “doesn’t exist.”

In short, OCD can greatly affect the family. The first step toward a healthier future is acknowledging the elephant in the room: “OCD.” Kids and families can tolerate a lot but the worst thing is when you can’t talk face to face with an individual about their illness that affects the whole family. I can’t begin to name how many ways this illness affected my childhood and now adulthood. I just wish to be well at this point.