There you are, finding your feet in early OCD recovery or bobbing along pretty nicely for some considerable time, when all of a sudden, this thought: “But what if you relapse and go back to square one?”. Hang on, is this an OCD thought or a real possibility? And the answer is, it's both! OCD is after all, episodic, stress-induced and very, very creative! Somewhat comfortingly, the chance of relapse is reduced with effective coping skills, used consistently. Seriously, skills are where it’s at! One study identified a much higher relapse rate in medication-only treatment (90% once medication is ..read more

Single diagnoses of OCD are becoming rarer. Instead, we are seeing a high rate of complex diagnoses where clients present with OCD and co-occurring conditions. In some studies the rate is as high as 69% [1] suggesting that 69% of people with OCD have another mental health condition during their lifespan of OCD. One of the most common of these is Autism, otherwise known as ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), particularly in the male OCD population (in the general population, males are 4 times more likely to have Autism [2]). When it comes to OCD and Autism, complexity really is the order of the da ..read more

It is no secret that medication for OCD is at best, imprecise, and at worst, arbitrary. This is due to the fact that there is, as yet, no medication designed specifically for OCD. I am not suggesting that current medication support for OCD is unhelpful but I am suggesting that it isn’t an accurate science. In my 18 years of assessing clients for psychotherapy, despite medication-specific research, no one medication has resulted in general positive results or feedback from those that matter – our clients with OCD. As psychotherapists we are unable to advise regarding medication but we do know ..read more

The jury is still deliberating whether health-related OCD obsessions are a sub-set of OCD or whether they are a separate condition altogether, i.e., Hypochondriasis. Suffice to say that health-related concerns present very frequently in our OCD client base, either as a primary or secondary concern. That is to say, for some, it is their major worry, whereas for others, it lurks in the background. What we have noticed, as therapists, is that health related fears tend to crop up even in those clients who have been managing their OCD well for extended periods. In these cases, there’s almost a sen ..read more

The jury is still deliberating whether health-related OCD obsessions are a sub-set of OCD or whether they are a separate condition altogether, i.e., Hypochondriasis. Suffice to say that health-related concerns present very frequently in our OCD client base, either as a primary or secondary concern. That is to say, for some, it is their major worry, whereas for others, it lurks in the background. What we have noticed, as therapists, is that health related fears tend to crop up even in those clients who have been managing their OCD well for extended periods. In these cases, there’s almost a sen ..read more

We've been lucky enough to be part of a growing community on social media who are highlighting the importance of safety and professional ethics culminating in a recent BBC article*. The importance of adhering to a professional code starts with adequate qualifications, training and credentials. This is a much wider issue but, following feedback from clients regarding a practice in Somerset, UK, we urge everyone to check the credentials of any practitioner or practice offering OCD treatment. OCD is a serious, chronic mental health condition which requires specialist and qualified cognitive beha ..read more

Supporting someone with mental health issues isn’t easy. Let’s start there. Secondly, If you are supporting someone with OCD, you will already know that your role involves a unique set of challenges. Challenges that are specific to OCD and seem counter intuitive to anyone’s idea of the supportive, caring role. For any partner who has been followed around the house until they give in to the escalating demands for reassurance, you will know what I mean. For any parent who has been banned from stepping foot into numerous rooms in their own house, this will resonate. For any friend who has receiv ..read more

Mornings can be bad if you have OCD. Have you woken to a feeling of dread and acute anxiety whilst being battered by intrusive thoughts? You aren’t the only one and you might be surprised to hear that there may be a biological reason for this! When we conducted an informal survey of our client population, there was an approximate 50/50 split between finding the mornings or the evenings more difficult. Suffice to say, it is likely that up to 50% of people with OCD have experienced morning dread. Whatever stage of your recovery, it might be helpful to know that your morning struggle isn’t a sin ..read more

It is sadly the case that the UK mental health sector is paradoxical. On the one hand, we’ve blazed a trail in evidence-based health & social care since 1999. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE)* is an international role model for the development of evidence-based clinical guidelines so that mental & physical health care is at the very least, empirically sound. Hurray! Clinical Excellence 1, Unprofessional Standards 0. On the other hand, these guidelines haven’t actually translated into higher standards or more uniformity of care within the unregulated, inconsistent ..read more

As therapists with OCD we really do understand why our clients believe that their OCD fear is the most terrible thing that can happen. We believed it too – once. But the truth is, by the time many clients present for therapy, their lives are often worse than their OCD fear. By ‘worse’ I mean, they are often more distressed and disabled by OCD then they would be if their OCD fear actually happened. The 'cure' that OCD is offering them is the problem. An example would be relationship OCD (ROCD) where the worst fear might be, not being in love with their current partner, or their partner not bei ..read more