Hello, I'm new to these forums. I'm looking for advice on how to help my mother. She is 67 years old and has obsessive/compulsive disorder. She has had it for as long as I can remember. When I was growing up, I didn't realize that she had a mental illness. I just knew that she did some very strange things and that I didn't want any of my friends to find out about them. It's only been the last ten years or so that I've realized she has an actual illness, OCD, and only now that I'm even beginning to actually research this disease. Now I'm wondering, should I confront her about this? I wish someone would have tried to get her help before now, but for whatever reason no one has - or maybe they have and she's rejected it? I just don't know. I recently also found out that her brother also has OCD symptoms. He has a daughter with schizophrenia. So now I'm wondering about how much mental illness runs in her family. She has talked about how her mother's house was always so messy - was her mother a hoarder, I wonder? Her sister is that way also. One note: I'm adopted, so I'm not worried for myself with this. I'm just finally putting the pieces together of why my childhood was the way it was and now thinking that I should try to find some way to help her. But at 67 is it too late? And, I suspect that she will deny having any problem and refuse to get treatment - this has been part of her modus operandi on other issues over the years.

Any help from those who have experience with this will be appreciated.

Thank you,
K.