Role of family variables in the maintenance and treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Mental illness in one of the members takes a heavy toll on the family. Symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) not only affect the individual, but also impact the individual’s environment. Family members are easily drawn into compulsive rituals or avoidance behaviors in order to prevent or reduce the distress related to the illness. Such behaviors of family members may serve the same function as compulsions which are contradictory to the principles of exposure-based interventions used in the treatment of OCD. Given this bidirectional relationship between family reactions and symptomatology in the affected person, family context plays an important role in the maintenance and treatment of OCD. Thus, it is imperative to understand the role family variables that can have an effect on the course/outcome of illness, which might also help in management of this complex psychosocial condition. In this review, we briefly discuss the impact of OCD on family and how family members contribute to the maintenance of the symptoms of illness with their responses. The possible ways of engaging the family members in the treatment to address relevant family variables are also discussed.