Reddit mentions of Loving Someone with OCD: Help for You and Your Family

this is a really good book for a support person to have and explains how 'helping' someone with their ocd rituals is really enabling it in the long run.

http://www.amazon.com/Loving-Someone-OCD-Help-Family/dp/1572243295

if she's able to get therapy, i highly recommend finding someone with experience treating ocd with CBT and ERP therapies - the researched-based recommended treatments. some good websites explaining this and offering provider directories are www.ocfoundation.org and www.beyondocd.org.

you are right in that stress can cause ocd symptoms to increase. and in a sense she's right in that you can't necessarily help her with this b/c it's her own fears/anxieties that are causing the problems. it's good that she's not seeking a lot of reassurance from you b/c that can become a ritual in and of itself (and one that really challenges relationships).

probably the best thing you can do is just be educated about ocd and let her know that you are willing to support her in her fight against it.

I've seen the effects that ocd can have in a person. The anxiety and panic attacks it induced. I wouldn't wish that on any one. hugs

Have your doctors been any help? Do you have any CBT? My ex saw good results from that. Anti depressives also helped take the edge off the worst of it.

I apologise for giving unsolicited advice over the internet, but you said you had no other support. I think that sometimes making proactive actions can sometimes feel very empowering and reduce the feeling of powerlessness. Two books I've heard good things about:

• http://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Obsessive-Compulsive-Disorder-Books/dp/1849010722
  
• http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1572249218/
  
  I'd also recommend http://www.amazon.com/Loving-Someone-OCD-Help-Family/dp/1572243295 for anyone that is around you. I'm acutely aware of the emotional drain of caring for someone. I also know that it's very tempting to try to placate ocd sufferers, but this is only enabling and normalises their behaviour, making their symptoms worse.