I have a spouse who struggles with GAD and OCD…

I am no therapist but I do have a spouse who struggles with generalized anxiety disorder, OCD and major depression- so I have experienced SOME of what you are going through.

In addition to proper medication and counseling, my spouse found a Recovery support group to be of tremendous benefit. It is a free group run by members. The purpose of the group is to, first, feel accepted and understood by others who truly KNOW. Second, to learn cognitive coping mechanisms to deal with the messages etc. one experiences through this type of illness. I am confident that it saved my spouses sanity.

If it’s okay, I’ll give a link- www.recovery-inc.org. They have hundreds of groups meeting all over the place. The website has a group finder. I have attended these meetings with my spouse and I’ve also learned a great deal about coping with stress even though I do not have the affliction. It also brought us a lot closer together as a couple. Good luck!

Thank you very much for sharing this useful information. I am always open to people sharing links/information they have found useful. Hopefully in this way, my blog becomes a rich resource covering a wide variety of topics. I also want to commend you in actively participating in your spouse’s treatment. So many times people adopt the attitude of “this is your problem, so you go to therapy” or “you fix it.” Whenever there is a mental and/or physical health diagnosis that affects a spouse or a child, it will affect the entire family. It is important then that the problem be treated from a family/spousal perspective (systemic) rather than only individually. I always invite/challenge family members (and most especially a spouse) to be part of the treatment process if everyone involved is comfortable with doing so. Kudos to you!