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 to ensure that every person affected by OCD receives the quality of treatment and care that they 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.
November 18, 2008
Health professionals OCD Workshop - 20th Jan 2009
Professor Salkovskis and colleagues are running a workshop in conjunction with OCD-UK on 20th January 2009 - From the Most Simple to the Most Complex: One Day Workshop “CBT for Obsessional Problems Formulation and Shared Understanding as the Heart of CBT”.
Formulation in OCD is an essential skill in providing high quality CBT. In this practical workshop, run by Professor Paul Salkovskis, the importance of the development of formulation as a shared understanding will be emphasised.
This workshop is open to all levels of healthcare professionals, and we encourage all of our members to pass details of this workshop on to your own mental health healthcare professionals.
Visit the Institute of Psychiatry website for more information and to download booking forms, or contact OCD-UK to be sent copies of the flyers and booking forms.
Workshop Flyer | Download Booking Form | Information Sheet
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, you can read Sarah's poem here and 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 7, 2008
Charity Greetings - Virtual OCD-UK E-Cards
Charity Greetings e-cards are a charitable, eco-friendly and thoughtful alternative to traditional greeting cards; virtual cards that allow ethically-minded consumers to donate to OCD-UK whilst sending a special message to a loved one. Simply visit www.charitygreetings.com/ocduk/ to browse and send your friend or loved one a special greeting for their birthday, christmas or other special occasion.
Each charity greeting will cost you £1.99, with £1 being donated to OCD-UK..... much cheaper than buying a traditional greeting card and of course it isn’t only environmentally friendlier but also another great way to support OCD-UK.
And for Christmas, you can buy 30 virtual e-cards for just £3.99 (with £2.00 donated to OCD-UK). To visit our special Christmas charity greeting website simply visit www.charitygreetings.com/ocdukchristmas/
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 30, 2008
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 7-10 days.
To receive your copy completely free of charge then become an OCD-UK member today.
Alternatively, you can purchase a copy of the magazine for just £3.99.
Join OCD-UK | Buy a copy of the magazine
September 2nd, 2008
London Marathon 2009 - Run for OCD-UK
The Flora London Marathon is not only one of the top five international marathons - it is also a large, celebratory sporting festival and a huge 711,163 people have crossed the finish line since the first London Marathon back in 1981. For the first time in our history, OCD-UK will be part of that in 2009.
Perhaps you’re looking for the personal challenge of a lifetime, or maybe you’ve had a family member or friend affected by OCD? - Either way, OCD-UK will support you in your challenge - Run for OCD-UK.
Ballot entries from the general public have now closed for 2009 but you can still apply for a place through OCD-UK. We have secured 4 guaranteed places for the 2009 London Marathon.
Read our Marathon information page for more details. The first step is to Download the application form (Word), or give us a call on 0845 120 3778 for further information.
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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 22, 2008
Research Opportunities
We have added more research opportunities to our website today. OCD-UK will only approve ethically approved projects that are safe and likely to help towards understanding or advancing treatment of OCD.
The research will only be beneficial with the support of participants. So, if you are able to help, please do so. Full information for the two added today are on our website here.
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.
July 7, 2008
OCD-UK British 10k Running Team - Thank You
OCD-UK would like to thank all those that ran the British 10k for OCD-UK yesterday.
The OCD-UK runners joined 25,000 others through the streets of London running, jogging or walking the 10k course.
Between them they have already raised over £2000, with more promised. If you would like to sponsor any of the runners, please visit this link to our forums where you will find links to each runner's sponsorship pages.
If you would like to take part in this fun event next year, please get in touch.
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 22nd, 2008
2009 London Marathon
OCD-UK have secured a single place in the 2009 London Marathon. We are inviting those interested in taking part for OCD-UK to contact us for an application form. From this, we will select a runner by October 2008.
We recommend that if you are willing to run on our behalf, to still apply through the normal ballot. If you do secure a place this way, we will of course provide our support and advice in helping you achieve your fundraising target for OCD-UK.
The public ballot for the final 35,000 places is due to close shortly. So, we recommend you register today. Click here to visit the London Marathon website.
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
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