Listed
amongst the top 10 most debilitating illnesses by the World Health Organisation
in terms of loss of income and decreased quality of life, Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder is thought to affect 2-3% of the UK population.
It is our belief that everyone affected by Obsessive Compulsive Disorder should receive the most appropriate and the highest quality standards of care, support and treatment.
Our objective is to make a positive and meaningful difference in the everyday lives of people affected by Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, by providing accessible and effective support services and by campaigning for improved access and quality treatment and care for people with OCD. We believe it is vital that every person affected by OCD receives the highest quality of treatment and care that they are entitled to and deserve.
We facilitate a safe environment for people affected by OCD to communicate with each other and provide mutual understanding and support.
How can you help make a positive difference to sufferers' lives? By making a donation (every penny really makes a difference), or you can help by joining OCD-UK, which will help us achieve our goals and make a real difference to the lives of people affected by OCD.
There are a number of easy ways that you can donate to OCD-UK, details of which are listed on our donation page.
Please support our important work by becoming a member today.
June 19, 2009
Latest 'Compulsive Reading'
The latest copy of the OCD-UK magazine, 'Compulsive Reading' is now available.
OCD-UK members will automatically receive their copies within the next few days.
To receive your copy completely free of charge then become an OCD-UK member today.
Alternatively, from next week you can purchase a copy of the magazine for just £2.99.
Join OCD-UK | Buy a copy of the magazine
June 17, 2009
Children with OCD - Alton Towers Day Trip
A trip to a theme part is something that most young people take for granted. But for others who are disabled and disadvantaged, these are happy moments that they rarely experience.
Through the partnership support between OCD-UK and Merlin's Magic Wand Children’s Charity, OCD-UK are delighted to announce plans to take 50 children that suffer with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and 50 parents / guardians for a fun day out at Alton Towers on Tuesday 4th August 2009. What’s more, we will even throw in an OCD educational gift pack for each family.
As well as the fun and excitement of the trip, both the children and their parents will benefit through meeting others affected by this debilitating illness, improving their personal development and leading to enhanced self-esteem and confidence.
We believe every child has the right to experience the magic of enjoying childhood, and OCD-UK are working towards supporting and helping children affected by OCD to do just that.
The day will be facilitated by trained OCD-UK volunteers, and with anxiety support available on the day, should any child require it, from an expert from the Institute of Psychiatry.
If your child suffers with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and you think they deserve this magical experience, please download and complete an application form or contact us for details.
 |
 |
Word version of the Application Form | PDF version of the Application Form
June 14, 2009
Unique Conference Specifically for Family Members of OCD Sufferers
OCD-UK is delighted to announce the first event of its kind, an OCD conference with a difference, a conference specifically aimed at the family, friends and carers of people with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
This unique conference, a day of education and support, takes place in Reading, Berkshire on Saturday 25th July 2009 where some of the country’s leading OCD specialists will be involved in imparting their expertise, advice and experience.
| Morning Session | |
| 10:00am - 10:10 | Maria Bavetta - Introduction |
| 10:10 - 10:45 | Dr Victoria Bream - Keynote |
| 10:45 - 11:10 | Melanie Wells - Inspirational speaker |
| 11:10 - 11:50 | Dr Isobel Heyman - Keynote |
| 11:50 - 12:00pm | Break |
| 12:00 - 13:15 | Workshop Session - Choice of 4 options |
| 13:15 - 14:00 | Lunch Break |
| Afternoon Session | |
| 14:00 - 14:40 | Neil Bailey - Inspirational speaker |
| 14:40 - 15:15 | Dr Fiona Challacombe - Keynote |
| 15:15 - 15:30 | Break |
| 15:30 - 15:50 | Vanessa Rogers - Inspirational speaker |
| 15:50 - 16:20 | Christine Wilding - Keynote |
| 16:20 - 16:30 | Maria Bavetta - Close |
Read Full Press Release | Conference Details | Book Tickets
June 12, 2009
Support OCD-UK - Run in the British 10K
 |
Join our other 15 fun runners and take part in the British 10k for OCD-UK with 25,000 other people raising money for various charities. The 10k (6.2 miles) takes you past many of London's famous landmarks in what is always a thoroughly enjoyable day. The image of OCD-UK's Kylie on the far right shows those that ran for OCD-UK in the 2008 race thoroughly enjoyed their day.
For those interested in this year's event, the date has been confirmed for the 12th July 2009.
OCD-UK have just increased the number of guaranteed places (available on a first come, first served basis) for the British 10k in 2009. Contact us for details if you would like to enter the run, or simply print out, complete and return this application form.
You may also want to create your very own online sponsorship page to email to family and friends at the OCD-UK page on the Just Giving website.
Print Application Form | View Race Map | Create Your OCD-UK Fundraising Page
June 11, 2009
Professor Paul Salkovskis - Live Webchat
Earlier this year Professor Paul Salkovskis, OCD-UK patron and OCD expert, answered your questions live on this website! Today we have updated the page with some additional Q+A that came in just after our webchat closed. Paul kindly came back and responded to those questions which we have now added to our website.
This link will take you to our webchat page.
2009 Webchat | Previous 2005 webchat with Prof Salkovskis
June 10, 2009
Research Grant Awarded - Treatment Availability
OCD-UK with the support of a grant from Comic Relief has announced a year long research project to understand and evaluate if treatment guidelines have had a positive impact on providing treatment for people with OCD across the UK.
In 2005 the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) launched a set of guidelines for the identification, treatment and management of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). In general, healthcare professionals in the NHS are expected to follow NICE’s clinical guidelines for the treatment of the illness.
OCD-UK Chief-Executive Ashley Fulwood commented. “Since 2005 these guidelines have been freely available to Primary Care and Mental Health Trusts, yet despite this we are receiving complaints on a daily basis from individuals claiming that they still can not access the correct form of therapy”.
“This research will provide us with the hard evidence about which Trusts are adhering to the treatment recommendations from NICE, and which have still yet to implement them some 4 years later. People with OCD deserve access to the correct form of treatment today, not tomorrow.”
OCD-UK intends to measure services now, and use the data collated to ensure the government’s current initiative to Improve Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) has a significant benefit to the OCD community as it is fully rolled out over the next 3 years.
Results of this research will be shared with National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and the Care Quality Commission (formerly Healthcare Commission).
June 7, 2009
OCD-UK Criticise MP Sir Gerald Kaufman
OCD-UK has today issued a press release criticising Veteran Labour MP Sir Gerald Kaufman for using Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder as an excuse for, by his own admission, ‘bizarre and daft’ MP expense claims.
June 4, 2009
An Audience with Dr Adam Radomsky, July 12th
Since our launch in 2004, OCD-UK have been working to host and facilitate events providing the OCD community with the opportunity to listen to, and question keynote experts in the field. We host another of these exclusive and intimate events from 3pm on Sunday 12th July 2009 in London with Canadian OCD expert, Dr Adam Radomsky.
The 'Audience with' events take two forms - a keynote lecture and Q+A session, as well as allowing you the opportunity to network with other OCD sufferers.
To book your ticket/s and for more information, visit our event page here.
May 15, 2009
OCD-UK Compulsive Blogging
The OCD-UK team comes from all walks of life and, just like you, they have been affected by Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, most of them still affected by the illness.
Take a look at our new blog website where our trustees and volunteers will share their experiences of working for OCD-UK.
This is their place to talk to you, our members, and tell you a little about what is going on in their life, or about an aspect of their work for OCD-UK. We hope that you will find it both interesting and give you a better understanding about the people running your charity.
Check back weekly for updates!
OCD-UK Compulsive Blogging Central
May 8, 2009
New Book - OCD The Facts
Oxford University Press have this month published an updated version of their extremely informative book, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (The Facts).
This Fourth edition, endorsed by OCD-UK, has been updated with succinct explanations of recent research, information on treatment advances and the recent expansion of treatment services for anxiety disorders, including OCD.
Author, Stanley Rachman gives a clear account of the nature of obsessive-compulsive problems which will prove useful for sufferers and their families, as well as general readers interested in finding out about the disorder.
You can order a copy of this book direct from the OCD-UK shop, or use the OCD-UK Amazon link to order from Amazon.
OCD-UK members can read reviews and extracts from this book in the next copy of the OCD-UK magazine, Compulsive Reading.
OCD-UK Shop | Order from Amazon
April 26, 2009
Thank You Jenny
Thank you to Jenny, who took part in the 2009 Flora London Marathon in support of OCD-UK and managed to raise a fantastic £1651. She finished in the brilliant time of 4:48:55, and even managed to take timeout to pose for this photo at the 14 mile mark with the OCD-UK support team. She really does not look like she had just run 14 miles, does she?! Thank you to Jenny.
Come back soon to read about Peter and Tom's Flora London marathon stories.
OCD-UK are proud of all three of our intrepid 26.2 mile runners.
Fundraising events | British 10k Entry Form
March 29, 2009
OCD Guide for Young People - Brand New
OCD-UK are delighted to announce the release of a brand new OCD information guide, written specifically for young people.
The project was completed with the support and dedication of a team of OCD-UK volunteers who wrote, designed and produced this booklet. We are also indebted to Dr Victoria Bream and the team from the National Service for Young People with OCD and Related Disorders from the Children’s department of the Maudsley Hospital in London, all of whom supported our project.
With the support of 'Awards for All', we are able to print 10,000 of these booklets, which will be distributed to schools, universities, CAMHS, OCD clinics and many other outlets.
You can view and download the booklet by clicking the image above. Alternatively, you can receive a copy by sending a DL sized SAE to OCD-UK. If you would like to distribute multiple copies around your community, please contact us directly.
We hope this booklet helps educate and support the younger members of our community.
OCD guide for Young People | OCD guide for Younger Children
March 28, 2009
OCD Message Lamps
In 2006, OCD-UK forum user Kathryn designed some ideas to try and alleviate the anxiety associated with OCD as her final degree project in Design.
One of Kathryn's designs was glow in the dark lamps which glow with the OCD message 'It's just a thought', the OCD-UK slogan referring to OCD.
Kathryn is now selling these lamps to anybody that thinks they may be helpful, with 10% of proceeds being donated to OCD-UK. For more information click here.
March 14, 2009
CBT for OCD After Having a Child - Research
A treatment trial for mums who suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) with young children (less than 6 months) is taking place, offering a talking therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). It is run by the Institute of Psychiatry and the Centre for Anxiety Disorders, Maudsley Hospital, London under Professor Paul Salkovskis. Treatments can be conducted at home for convenience.
For more information, review the full research proposal on our website research listings page here.
An article by Dr Challacombe related to this research can be found in issue 16 of our members' magazine, Compulsive Reading. The magazine is free when you join OCD-UK, or can be purchased from our shop.
Dr Challacome Research | Other research listings
March 10, 2009
2008 OCD-UK Conference Review Presentations
OCD-UK’s 2008 conference took place on Saturday 18th October 2008 in Derby, where some 160 people commuted from across the UK to attend.
It was a chance for everyone involved with OCD UK to celebrate what the charity has
achieved this year, as well as benefiting from the experience of expert speakers.
OCD-UK have made 90 minutes of audio freely available for those unable to attend. Click here to read more about the Derby conference and to open the audio visual extracts from the conference. Click here to purchase the full 4 hours worth of audio visual extracts.
Derby Conference Review | OCD-UK Shop
March 9, 2009
OCD Conference - For Family, Friends and Carers
A day of education and support for the family, friends and
carers of people with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder!
OCD-UK will be hosting what we believe is the first ever OCD conference that is specifically tailored for the family, friends and carers of people with OCD.
This unique conference takes place in Reading, Berkshire on
Saturday 25th July 2009, where we have gathered some of the
country's leading OCD specialists.
Click here to read more, view our agenda and to book your tickets for this unique new event.
About our FFC Conference | Full Agenda | Book Tickets
March 6, 2009
Introductory Overview of the Four Steps for OCD
The best selling OCD self-help book Brain Lock has been popular with the OCD community for many years.
This introductory video is aimed at complementing the book and was filmed live in London on 9th October 2006 (running time of 34 minutes).
Watch the Four Steps video | Buy a copy of Brain Lock
March 6, 2009
Now Accepting PayPal Donations
OCD-UK are now able to accept Paypal and Mastercard Debit for making Donation and Shop purchases from OCD-UK. All payments are powered by Royal Bank of Scotland's WorldPay payment service, made safely and securely using encrypted webpages.
March 5, 2009
An Audience with Dr Adam Radomsky
Date for your diary: On Sunday 12th July 2009, OCD-UK will host an event with Canadian OCD expert, Dr Adam Radomsky, who is on a whistle-stop visit to London and kindly agreed to give up his only free day to talk to our members. This ever popular event will have two features - a themed lecture by Dr Radomsky followed by an open Q+A session.
The event will take place in London from 4pm - 6pm. Full details will appear on our website in the next few days.
For those travelling to London for this event, be sure to come along earlier in the day and cheer on the OCD-UK running team who will be taking part in the British 10k, raising money for OCD-UK.
February 22, 2009
'OCD'
'OCD' is a short film by Matthew Tregoning. OCD-UK would like to thank Matthew for this brilliant piece of work and are honoured to offer him the opportunity to showcase his work.
Tell us what you think of Matthew's video, and we may include your comments on our website! And don't worry, we only publish your first name.
If you have any OCD related videos or artwork that you would like to submit for consideration for displaying on our website, please contact us. We would also be happy to help you storyboard your video.
Send us your comments | View another OCD video
February 11, 2009
New Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteers are the backbone and unsung heroes of OCD-UK, providing an
invaluable service to the OCD community.
Volunteering with OCD-UK can be rewarding, challenging and great fun. As well as making a positive difference in the life of someone with OCD, you can also gain valuable experience and skills.
OCD-UK have spent some time reviewing our entire volunteer policies and have appointed Kylie Cloke, a member of our management committee, to help and support our chief executive in supporting our volunteers. We hope the commitment we show our volunteers will ultimately benefit the entire OCD community.
Take a look at our list of volunteer opportunities - or if you have a skill that you think would benefit OCD-UK, then Kylie and Ashley want to hear from you!
Volunteer Opportunities | Application Process
December 3, 2008
Research Policy and Opportunities
OCD-UK value the importance of clinical research aimed at furthering the understanding of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Anxiety illnesses.
Each year we receive dozens of requests for our members to take part in various studies, but OCD-UK have a very stringent policy in listing research requests, in order to protect our member's rights, dignity, well-being, very valuable time and of course safety. Therefore, OCD-UK will only ever list those research projects that have received NHS ethical approval (please note this differs to university ethical bodies) and which our research panel feels will make a significant difference, without carrying any potential risk to our members.
OCD-UK believe our policy on listing research requests ensures our members and community can have confidence in participation. The research we take such care to list will only be beneficial with the support of participants. So, if you are able to help, please do spare a few minutes of your time to browse the research opportunities.
Full information for open research requests are on our website here.
Research Pages | Latest Research Request
November 29, 2008
New CBT Therapist Register
A new on-line register, CBT Register, launched by the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) and the Association for Rational and Emotive Behaviour Therapy (AREBT), is now online.
This new website means members of the public who are looking for an accredited CBT therapist will be able to find one within just a few clicks. CBT, which is supported by extensive clinical research, is recommended as an effective treatment for OCD by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
As the leading organisations in the CBT field, the BABCP and AREBT have been accrediting CBT therapists since 1994. In line with government moves to improve access to effective psychological therapies, the two organisations have now come together to form a single CBT Register UK.
Visit the new CBT Register website
November 16, 2008
New Hoarding Research
New research conducted at the Institute of Psychiatry has shown that, in most cases, compulsive hoarding is not related to an underlying OCD. These results suggest that, in most but not all cases, compulsive hoarding is a separate syndrome from OCD and may explain these patients’ poor response to existing anti-obsessional treatments.
The findings also have implications for the classification of OCD and compulsive hoarding in the DSM-V.
Read the research report press release.
October 22, 2008
OCD-UK Conference, Derby
A huge thank you to everyone that made our conference in Derby last weekend a huge success.
Since our conference we have been inundated with lovely emails thanking us, and also asking about the speakers at our conference. A full review of our conference will appear in our next members' magazine and on the web site shortly.
Sarah opened our conference and you can read Sarah's poem here. Karley opened our afternoon session with a live performance of her song, 'Sometimes', which you can listen to here.
Thank you to them, all our volunteers and all those that attended and made the conference a huge success.
October 2, 2008
National Commissioning Group - Severe OCD Treatment
In 2007, the National Commissioning Group of the Department of Health (DOH) established a national treatment service for people with OCD who have either not benefited from previous treatments or suffered setbacks after treatment. Treatment will be delivered by highly expert specialists in OCD who have provided a summary of the services offered.
September 2nd, 2008
OCD Guide for Young Children
The first stage of our awareness and education booklets for young people and their families is now complete. Our OCD Kids' booklet and website are aimed at very young children and uses our cartoon characters, Jolly and Grump, to help explain what OCD is.
The booklets will be available by early next month. Parents can request copies of the booklet completely free of charge by sending an A4 size SAE (large letter stamp).
To compliment the booklet, we have created a website at www.ocdkids.org. The website and booklet are designed so that parents can talk through the illness with their children.
August 11, 2008
Children and Young People's Education Project
OCD-UK are delighted to announce that, in July, we were awarded a grant from 'Awards for All', a
lottery grants scheme funded by the National Lottery. The grant will allow
OCD-UK to create, produce, print and distribute a series of OCD education
and awareness information booklets for specific target audiences.
Children and parents who are sufferers or affected by Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) need information tailored for their specific needs and age of understanding, and to date there is no such information easily and readily available for these groups. The booklets will be completed and made available free of charge to the public and health authorities over the next 12 months.
OCD-UK chief-executive, Ashley Fulwood, commented "We are delighted that ‘Awards for All’ recognise the importance of this project and how specifically tailored information will make a real difference to young people and their families". Ashley went on to say "I would also like to mention that these booklets have only been made possible through the dedication and commitment of a team of volunteers, all of whom have been affected by the illness themselves and have already given up hundreds of hours between them
to make this project a vision, which we can now see through to completion due
to the award of this grant".
August 9, 2008
Raise Funds for OCD-UK When You Shop Online
Just a reminder that when shopping online for anything from books, dvds, flowers, insurance even holidays, please do so through the Easyfundraising website. By doing so (at no cost to yourself), your purchase, which you were making anyway, will earn OCD-UK a free donation. Remember, it is totally FREE to you - it costs you nothing other than 2 or 3 extra mouse clicks to go to your chosen retailer through the Easyfundraising website.
Easyfundraising have now added high street giants Argos and Boots to their website. So, when buying anything online from Argos or Boots be sure to use this link to navigate to their websites.
So far we have earned over £450 in donations through your support. So, thank you and carry on shopping. Read more...
P.S. If you register before the end of September (again free to do so) you will be entered in a prize draw for a luxury hamper.
August 1, 2008
What Does OCD Look Like?
Earlier last year, student James Ellis-Clark asked for our help in preparation for an
art project he was working on to explain what OCD looks like.
Take a look at his artwork from his exhibition during 2007.
This article and pictures first appeared in the OCD-UK members magazine,
July 13, 2008
Dr Jeffrey Schwartz OCD Podcast
Listen to a recently recorded podcast with OCD-UK's overseas
ambassador, Dr Jeffrey Schwartz, talking about
OCD, which was recorded with RTE's Gerry Ryan in Ireland. Listen to the podcast now.
May 6, 2008
Could you help Professor Salkovskis and his colleagues with their research?
To continue the success of their current research programmes aimed at improving the understanding and treatment of individuals with anxiety problems, Professor Salkovskis and his colleagues are looking for participants for their studies.
This is a research study investigating reassurance seeking, which is a common reaction when people feel anxious. We are recruiting participants who are aged 18-65 and currently have a diagnosis of OCD. Please note that we are interested in people who do not seek much (or any!) reassurance but also those who do.
We will send a 20-page questionnaire, which takes about 40 minutes to complete. You will receive a £10 gift voucher for taking part. The questionnaire also has the information about the experimental study in which you may be interested.
Read the full research brief for full information
May 6, 2008
A Better Way - By Stuart
OCD sufferers come from all walks of life and, despite the illness, can, in some cases, achieve great things, either personally or professionally.
We have many examples of this on our website of sufferers' creative work. Today we were delighted to receive Stuart's story and a copy of him singing 'A Better Way'.
Read Stuart's story and listen to A Better Way.
Stuart's Story | A Better Way (MP3)
April 20th, 2008
Perfect - Audio Recording CD
Perfect is an original project of music, readings and interviews by Nelli Hogan relating to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
The audio CD running time is approx 58 minutes and includes an interview with OCD-UK patron, Professor Paul Salkovskis.
Nelli has kindly donated 20% of sales to OCD-UK when ordered through ourselves. To order the CD, which costs £10 (inc P+P) please send a cheque made payable to OCD-UK or make a donation online for £10 (add a note in the additional information box to refer to the audio CD).
March 20th, 2008
Has your child got OCD?
Are you interested in taking part in a research project investigating the caregiving experiences of parents of children and young people with a diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder?
Annabel Futh is looking for parents/ carers of children under 18 years who are willing to write about their experiences and complete a few questionnaires. Read our research page for more information.
March 14th, 2008
Sometimes - By Karley
OCD sufferers come from all walks of life and, despite the illness, can, in some cases, achieve great things, either personally or professionally.
We have many examples of this on our website of sufferers' creative work, and today we were delighted to receive Karley's story and a copy of her singing 'Sometimes' on lead vocals.
Read Karley's story and listen to Sometimes.
Karley's Story | Sometimes (MP3)
February 29th, 2008
HOCD, POCD and ROCD - The truth behind the terms!
By Kathryn Dwyer
Recently, on our forums and on other OCD-based resources the terms
HOCD, POCD and ROCD have started to be used with increased
frequency. Up until recently and despite being a very aware charity, we
at OCD-UK didn’t really know if these terms had any scientific
meaning, or were just made-up acronyms. A discussion topic was
started on the online forums which caused some debate and
consternation as to exactly what the two terms mean.........
Read the full article in our members magazine, Compulsive Reading which includes comment from Dr Raj Persaud, Prof Paul Salkovskis, Dr Steven Phillipson and Dr Fred Penzel.
All new members receive a complimentary copy of the magazine, or you can purchase a copy from our online shop.
5k Registration Pack | Events Page
February 27th, 2008
Gemma's Success Story - Education The Key
Always keen to emphasise that it is possible to achieve success over ones OCD, we were delighted when we received a fax from Gemma, from her local CMHT, highlighting her own success in limiting the impact of OCD on her. Gemma was keen for us to display the fax in the hope it encourages others to educate themselves more about their illness, and in turn, to empower them to manage and treat their OCD.
"We were impressed by the extensive research and reading that you have undertaken for yourself. We thought that you had developed a good understanding of how OCD can develop and be maintained. You have also been able to limit the impact of OCD on your life with real success, and made great use of the support offered through OCD-UK."
February 19th, 2008
Understanding OCD
The following PowerPoint presentation was created by OCD-UK volunteer, Scott Wigglesworth and was created in order to try and explain what OCD is It may be suitable for family, friends, carers of OCD sufferers and some health professionals trying to get a better understanding of the illness.
To view the presentation, you will need PowerPoint installed on your PC and click each slide to progress to the next slide. View the slideshow or to view a PDF of the presention click here.
View the PowerPoint presentation | View PDF of the presentation
February 6th, 2008
Carers OCD Conference 2009
Family members play a vital role in the recovery process of a person with OCD and just like the person with OCD, family members can suffer just as much.
Over the last year we have begun researching the problems faced by Family, friends and carers (FFC), and how we, as a charity can help you. Therefore we are planning to host a conference specifically for family, friends and carers of OCD sufferers during Spring 2009 and we are seeking your help in preparation. Read more...
January 20th, 2008
Easy Search The OCD-UK Way
Easysearch (part of the Easyfundraising team) is our new charity search engine where you can raise funds for OCD-UK, simply by surfing the web!
Powered by 
the world's 2nd largest search provider, easysearch works just like Google giving you fast, accurate search results every time you search online. But unlike Google, easysearch gives you something back!
When you search using easysearch, OCD-UK will receive around a penny for every search you make. It doesn't sound like much, but the pennies soon mount up and a keen searcher can raise £25.00 a year - or more - just through your normal online searching!
So bookmark your new search engine: http://ocduk.easysearch.org.uk/
Easysearch is completely free to use, so this is a great way to support OCD-UK, just by surfing the web as you do already!
Go to Easysearch to search online for OCD-UK | Go to Easyfundraising to shop for OCD-UK
November 28, 2007
REACH for Recovery
When OCD takes its grip it can be very difficult, seemingly impossible to see a way forward. Designed by the OCD-UK chair, Maria Bavetta, we hope this simple and practical 5 point plan, which can be practiced daily, will help initiate and maintain recovery.
REACH for recovery - PDF printout (19 kb)
So print it out and pin it to your fridge to remind yourself of these 5 tips to initiate or maintain recovery.
View and printout the REACH for recovery printout | Discuss in our forums
November 26, 2007
Brain pattern associated with genetic risk of OCD
Cambridge researchers have discovered that individuals with OCD and their close family members have distinctive patterns in their brain structure. This is the first time that scientists have associated a genetic trait with family risk for the disorder.
These new findings, reported today in the journal Brain, could help predict whether individuals are at risk of developing OCD and lead to more accurate diagnosis of the disorder.
An OCD-UK spokesperson commented: "We hope this new evidence may lead to a much larger study which helps conclusively prove these findings, which in turn help to pinpoint a contributory factor into the exact cause of OCD which is so widely debated at the moment."
Read the full story in our news pages
October 10th, 2007
CBT Waiting Times Down to 2 Weeks by 2010?
OCD-UK has learned that the government is to spend millions more on providing CBT in England.
Health Secretary Alan Johnson said by 2010, £170m a year would be spent - allowing 900,000 more people to be treated using psychological therapies.
Currently, on average, patients wait 18 months to start treatment. The new plan aims to reduce that wait to just a fortnight, in line with improvements in outpatient waiting times in other parts of the NHS.
The Department of Health said that all GP surgeries would have access to the treatments as the programme 'rolled out' across the country. It is planned to recruit an extra 3,600 therapists.
OCD-UK welcome this positive move for people with OCD and other anxiety disorders. However we hope that this is just the start of more funding to improve the lives of people with depression and anxiety disorders, and to ensure the long term stability of the proposed targets. We are concerned that any future change in political power may mean a shift of this funding to other 'high profile' areas of the NHS and hope that quality is not sacrificed for shorter waiting times.
July 1, 2007
Come and meet Jolly and Grump
Our brand new children's OCD awareness booklet is now available for download.
OCD-UK would like to acknowledge our dedicated team of volunteers who worked on this project and created this superb booklet.
Download our children's OCD awareness booklet (1.73mb) PDF
May 21, 2007
News Exclusive: DOH Funding for Severe OCD
New Department of Health funding means that patients with severe OCD or BDD should now find their route to specialist treatment easier to negotiate, with the news of NSCAG funding removing the need for prior funding approval from patients' own local Primary Care Trust (PCT).
At present, if a patient with OCD or BDD is referred to one of the specialist centres, then approval must be given by the local PCT before the patient can receive treatment, and this often leads to delays and refusal of treatment for the patient. Most services provided in the NHS are funded by local primary care trusts (PCTs) to meet the needs of their local population through contracts negotiated with GP practices, hospitals and dentists etc. The National Specialist Commissioning Advisory Group (NSCAG) was set up to advise Department of Health (DH) Ministers on which NHS services are best commissioned nationally, rather than locally, to ensure a high quality of clinical care and equity of access for patients as well as securing value for money.
Given that OCD and BDD are closely related conditions, a severe OCD and BDD service was jointly designated and commissioned by the NSCAG from 1st April 2007 on behalf of English residents. Scottish residents also have access to the service under an agreement between NSCAG and the National Services Division, Scotland. Health Commission Wales has separate agreements with providers for Welsh residents.
The new service is limited and the designated centres providing the NSCAG commission treatment will have caps on the amount of patients they can see each year. However, OCD-UK are delighted that those in our community most desperately needing treatment will find their route to treatment easier to navigate, with the red tape of funding now removed.
There are four designated centres providing treatment. These are:
- London - South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (adults and adolescents)
- London - South West London & St George's Mental Health NHS Trust (adults)
- London - The Priory Hospital North London (adults and adolescents)
- St Albans - Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Trust (adults)
Treatment provided by the four centres will be in line with NICE guidance and will be for patients with the very severe OCD, defined as 'Level 6' in the guidance, who have not responded to standard treatments. This includes at least two previous courses of CBT and the requirement for the patient to have had a course of SSRI medications is currently being debated.
Referral to the new service will be from the patient's own local mental health team, who will need to make a referral for the patient for NSCAG funding at one of the four designated centres.
July 21, 2006
What do I say?
One problem that we see frequently is the difficult task of actually
telling your GP what is troubling you. So often we see the same worries,
'What do I say', 'I get to the Doctors and skirt around the real issues',
'I don't know where to start', 'I'm too 
embarrassed
to say', 'It's so hard to tell my Doctor'.
Often, it is that opening sentence that is the hardest to say. So, to help with such problems, we have put together a single, printable information sheet that can simply be handed to your GP. Hopefully, this will break the ice and allow your GP to ask the necessary questions that will enable them to correctly diagnose and offer the best available treatment.
The form can be downloaded completely free of charge or available upon request with a SAE.
Well done Caramoole and Scott for this idea and following the project through to competition... by sufferers, for sufferers.
Download the What Do I Say GP sheet.
What is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?
Often
referred to as the secret illness, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
is a condition where a person will experience repetitive, intrusive and
unwelcome thoughts (the obsessions), which will usually cause the person
to carry out repetitive behaviours (the compulsions) in a vain attempt
to relieve themselves of the obsessions.
Sufferers are plagued by persistent, recurring thoughts about feared situations (obsessions), which they attempt to fight with mental or physical rituals, excessive repetition of actions, washing, checking or counting, or agonised ruminations (compulsions).
Common obsessions include fears around contamination, causing harm to one's self or others, inappropriate sexual thoughts, hypochondria and 'unlucky' numbers.
Most sufferers are actually aware that their fears and behaviour
are irrational but feel unable to control them.
Full detailed description of OCD | Related Disorders | Treatments
Back
to Top ^ | Homepage
| E-mail this page to a friend
OCD-UK is a non-profit making charity and not associated with any other
organisation.
Medical information is provided for education/information purposes only, you should obtain further advice from your doctor. Any links to external websites have been carefully selected, however we are not responsible for the content of these third party websites.
Copyright © 2004-2008 OCD-UK. All rights reserved.
WC3 XHTML 1.0 Validated | WC3
CSS Validated | Sitemap
| Accessibility
Our
website is printer friendly and only a low-graphic version of the page
will be printed, stripped of images and navigation elements of the page.