---
title: "How to Help Someone with OCD Without Feeding It"
heading: "How to Help Someone with OCD"
url: https://drvohras.com/guides/how-to-help-someone-with-ocd
language: en-IN
author: "Dr Vohra's"
updated: 2026-10-21
license: "Page text: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)."
---

# How to Help Someone with OCD

This is the markdown version of https://drvohras.com/guides/how-to-help-someone-with-ocd, a page of Dr Vohra's, a psychiatry and psychology clinic in New Delhi. It is information, not medical advice; the clinic's contact details are at the end.

The single most important thing a family can do for someone with OCD is to stop participating in the rituals: no more answering "are you sure the door is locked?" for the tenth time, no more washing things because they ask, no more rearranging the day around the compulsions. This is called reducing accommodation, and it is part of treatment, done gradually and with the person's agreement, alongside exposure and response prevention (ERP) with a therapist.

Dr Vohra's · Updated 21 October 2026

## Why reassurance makes OCD worse

Reassurance is a compulsion done by someone else. It brings a minute of relief and then the doubt returns stronger, so the asking increases. Over months, families can end up spending hours a day in rituals. Stopping feels unkind, which is why it works best as an agreed plan: "We have decided together that I will not answer checking questions; I will say 'that is the OCD asking' and we will move on."

## What helps

- Learn about OCD: the thoughts are unwanted, not wishes; the person is not choosing this
- Agree a plan with the person and their therapist to cut accommodation step by step
- Praise effort at resisting rituals, not the outcome
- Keep family life going: meals, outings, routines
- Do not argue about whether the fear is rational; OCD already knows it is not

## Treatment that works

ERP, a form of CBT, is the treatment with the strongest evidence, and family involvement improves results, especially for children and teenagers. SSRIs at adequate doses help moderate to severe OCD. Dr Vohra's provides both, in person in New Delhi and online.

## Frequently asked questions

- **Is it cruel to refuse reassurance?**: It feels that way at first. Done as an agreed plan, with warmth, it is the kindest thing a family can do, because it lets treatment work.
- **Can OCD in a child be treated?**: Yes. Family-based ERP is effective for children and adolescents, and the clinic's child and adolescent psychiatry work covers it.
- **How do I book at Dr Vohra's?**: Call or WhatsApp +91 99992 49223, email help@drvohras.com, or use the contact form. In person at 29/24, East Patel Nagar, New Delhi 110008, or online across India.
- **What if this is an emergency?**: Call Tele-MANAS 14416 or KIRAN 1800-599-0019 (24x7, free) or 112. Dr Vohra's is not an emergency service.

## Book a consultation

Call [+91 99992 49223](tel:+919999249223), email [help@drvohras.com](mailto:help@drvohras.com), or visit us at 29/24, East Patel Nagar, New Delhi 110008. Online consultations are available across India in English and Hindi.

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## Sources

- [NIMH: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder](https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd)

If you are in crisis or having thoughts of self-harm, call Tele-MANAS [14416](tel:14416), KIRAN [1800-599-0019](tel:18005990019) or Emergency services [112](tel:112). Tele-MANAS and KIRAN are 24x7 and free anywhere in India. Dr Vohra's is not a crisis or emergency service.