Ashley

And you do help no end! I have certainly been guilty of letting frustration show, although I hope more recently I am getting better at that. Ultimately it comes from a place of us all caring and wanting to help others, not wanting anyone to keep suffering. I guess more recently I try and remember what it can be like for me when I am struggling or when I was at my very worst periods with OCD, which helps me remember for any of us to say 'stop seeking reassurance' really isn't helpful, we have to remember that 'feeling' and then try and find a different way to help the person who may be seeking help. That's my thinking at least.

First of all let me say how happy I am that you have found something to help your reduce or remove your OCD symptoms, and I hope that continues to be the case for a long time to come. With your suggested solution, we know that what works for person A may not for person B, so wherever possible like to follow as much as we can, good evidence base for the likelihood of a treatment helping. Do you or the doctors you have worked with have any links at all to research to this treatment approach? I will be honest, what you have posted is new to me, so some reading will be needed. With best wishes, Ashley

(Content written by colleague) Thank you to all of you who attended the Mental Contamination webinar with Professor Roz Shafran last week! It was a great turn out and we had some amazing questions form all of you. The recordings for that are now in the members area of the main www.ocduk.org website. The next webinar we will be hosting is an open Q&A with Professor Adam S. Radomsky. This webinar will give attendees the opportunity to ask an OCD specialist any questions you might have about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. This webinar will take place on Wednesday 23rd July at 6.30pm, and is now open for registration! To register, or to find out more about Professor Adam S. Radomsky visit here: https://www.ocduk.org/webinars/ Please submit any questions you would like to see answered during the webinar by emailing us at conference@ocduk.org Sadly we expect a lot of questions, so we can not guarantee being able to answer all the questions but we will do our best. Please keep questions as brief (no more than 2/3 lines ideally) and as generic as possible.

I have scheduled in the rest of the dates for 2025 - https://www.ocduk.org/support-groups/online/

Look forward to seeing you later Simon, and hopefully you can join us next month David.

For those of a certain age (50+) or those fast approaching this age (late 40s), feel free to join us tomorrow for our monthly over 50s support group. I will be hosting this from 6-7pm. Our conversation starter/discussion of the day - If you have had a particularly bad day because of OCD, what is your one self-compassion / feel good activity that brings you a sense of comfort or relief from the stress and anxiety? https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMlfumhqD8uG9c06BrAVi3naMAvIBgbmN28 See you tomorrow if you are able to join

I hope all those who were able to watch it today were able to get something from the session. Huge thanks to Megan (our support lead) for hosting today on her six month work anniversary for us! And of course thank you to Roz for once again giving us her time today. If you asked a question which was not answered, let me know the question and I will see if Roz as answered yet.

Just a reminder that this webinar is taking place tomorrow and is free to watch live. You can reserve your place for tomorrow by following the register link here: https://www.ocduk.org/webinars/

It's plaster and dont test! Seriously though, we know with OCD that be in a test for this, or someone who is worried they have a medical problem, OCD may convince us we must test to keep ourselves and others safe, but OCD will never accept the results of the test and force more tests and on it goes. So, with that in mind and no other evidence of concern, I would not test. But I do also understand I don't have the same OCD worries as you do so it's easy for me to say. Ashley

Hi Roami, that;s great you have already found your optimal time to take the meds that works for you. From what people have told me over the years, I think most take them at night before bed and some people find first thing in the morning. I guess it really is different for each of us. Don't worry, I don't think is unusual at all and I am so glad you are finding them helpful With best wishes, Ashley

Sorry if you have already mentioned this, I am still playing read catch-up, but have you tried experimentation with taking your medication earlier in the evening or daytime? I do appreciate that is tricky because it may also make things worse for you, but also might also help with improved sleep at night, sadly because we are all different it would be trial and error I guess.

Hi Roami I hope it's ok for me to reply, I just realised nobody had replied to your post yet so thought I would try and respond and I am sure others will comment in due course too. Whilst I don't necessarily lose sleep myself, I certainly ruminate and sometimes for a long time (years) over conversations, even random office conversations for example going back years I often flip back to and start to rethink how I could have handled. But I do know others with OCD have exactly what you describe to the point the rumination of OCD stops them sleeping and creates anxiety and panic in equal measure. I can also see how the shape shifting of the OCD can feel different to previous OCD manifestations too and how it's perhaps feels like you are starting again to battle it. Of course, you're not, but I know how it feels that way. Are you getting any help and support for this at the moment or self managing for now? With best wishes, Ashley.

I was just finishing some work and on the forum and saw this, so I have just sent you an email.

I think with that in mind, give it a go, especially if you feel trauma is holding you back. Nothing to lose and other treatments for OCD will still be available if the EMDR doesn't help If you are in Kent, the obvious specialist service for treatment will be the Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma (CADAT) which is at Denmark Hill (change at Sevenoaks if not direct train). Unless NHS England remove 'right to choose' its still possible at the moment you could get a referral there externally from your local NHS if you are not currently under any NHS treatment for OCD and that is by using the 'Right to Choose' referral process, which your GP must action for you. I am afraid the referral doesn't work if you are already receiving treatment for OCD.

Hello Tom, Sorry things are so challenging for you. I know how hard it is to get effective OCD treatment sometimes across the NHS, but I know sometimes people with co-existing conditions find it harder still. I don't know if the problems you have faced are because of poor quality therapeutic interventions or if because of overlaps between the OCD and Autism. So please forgive me if any of this is irrelevant for you, but I just thought I would mention in case it helps. In the NICE Guidelines (Autism spectrum disorder in adults) there is a provision for when other conditions overlap, which could be worth reminding them of if you do re-refer for NHS therapy for OCD. There's more recommendations in the bullet points, but I thought these first two are of most relevant when treating OCD I thought, so I wanted to mention in case if you do seek more CBT at some point these adaptations might be useful. Certainly some of the specialist NHS clinics for OCD/anxiety would be open to making adaptations (if needed) im sure. Happy to discuss pathway options for those if helpful for you. In terms of treatment for OCD, I do not wish to be negative, but hopefully the evidence I have read over the years is simply not there to support its use for OCD as a main treatment approach. I know a few people that have had it for OCD and it didn't help them, but as always thats not to say it cant help you. There is of course some benefits for using with trauma and OCD where sometimes people have said working with EMDR for the trauma had some benefits on the OCD too. Anyway, sorry if this is all stuff you know, but just wanted to mention in case of help for you. Ashley

The team have been busy and this is the immediate webinar schedule for you to pencil into your diaries. Presentation names may slightly change, and bookings will only open closer to the time. Friday 6th June 12:30 - 13:30 Prof. Roz Shafran: Mental Contamination: 'It’s the feeling inside my head’: Understanding and managing mental contamination in OCD Host: Laura Bookings Open Wednesday 23rd July 18:30 - 19:30 Prof Adam Radomsky: The opportunity for people to ask OCD related questions in an open Q&A style webinar Hosts: Megan & Mia Wednesday 20th August 18:30 - 19:30 Prof Christine Purdon: Helping people better engage with and benefit from exposure Host: Zoe Tuesday 23rd September 18:30 – 19:30 Dr Alison Roberts: OCD & Neurodivergance Host: Laura

Not everything is OCD, knowing how insurance companies can sometimes look for reasons not to pay out, a little common sense needs to apply. An insurance company could argue it was effectively diagnosed because it was a problem that needed treating which I think it was here, with the difference in premium so minuscule for declaring OCD, probably right to declare it.

Good morning all, this week we started a new monthly webinar series. We are making them free access for anyone to watch and participate in the live webinar. The recordings will be exclusively available to OCD-UK members only. I will post dates for future webinars in the main OCD forum and I will then post recordings links on this thread once available. It’s the feeling inside my head’: Understanding and managing mental contamination in OCD Presented by Professor Roz Shafran - Friday 6th June 2025: 12:30 - 13:30 You can register for this webinar and future webinars by visiting the webinars page on our website here - https://www.ocduk.org/webinars/ Later in the summer we will have webinars with Prof Adam Radomsky and Prof Christine Purdon.

Morning All, We're seeing something of an increase at the moment in when people present to their local Talking Therapy (IAPT) service for treatment for OCD they are being pushed down the Silvercloud route first before face-to-face therapy with a CBT therapist. I am really keen to hear people experiences of this referral process, if your local service gave you a choice in waiting for face-to-face or trying Silvercloud first, or if you were forced to 'must take' Silvercloud first. If you do reply please do let me know the area/name of your local service and if this was recently (i.e. 2024/2025) or in the past. Thanks, Ashley.

We're in the UK Handy so may be different, for us travel insurance needs to cover more than flights. But one would assume the same/similar medical questions are on there too. Hi Emma, I may be wrong but it would be very unlikely that the Silvercloud discussions would be with a psychiatrist, usually a PWP (psychological well-being practitioner) or maybe a clinical psychologist. But, even it was a psychiatrist thats just a coincidence, in that you were referred for therapy (with Silvercloud) rather than being referred to a psychiatrist. I can't tell you how to answer, but I can tell you what I would answer in that scenario, to question 2 'Are you currently recommended to see a psychiatrist for this condition' I would choose NO. Because I was not specifically recommended to see a psychiatrist. Hope that helps

Just seen this so you may have resolved now, but if not, I did a little bit of research on this couple of years ago and I recently took travel insurance for a week long cycling trip to Spain and I did declare OCD. There are usually three screening questions and declaring OCD and having therapy should not impact your premium at all, or not by more than a few pence (literally pence for a week long trip), even if you declare having therapy or taking medication. In terms of undiagnosed OCD, that's less clear. But if you have previously had treatment for it, I would work on the assumption its diagnosed and declaring it (based off what you said) I don't think should cost you anything or much anyway. What did make a significant financial difference was answering yes to one of the screening questions about being seeing a psychiatrist. No idea why that makes a difference, but it does seem to. The screening questions when selecting 'obsessive compulsive disorder' are below and I answered Yes/No/No in my case: 1. Are you currently taking medication or receiving any therapy to treat Obsessive compulsive disorder? Yes/No 2. Are you currently recommended to see a psychiatrist for this condition? Yes/No 3. Has this condition caused you to cancel or cut short any travel plans? Yes - within the last 12 months Yes - between 1-5 years ago Yes - more than 5 years ago No

The charity runs facilitated support groups twice a week, Tuesday evenings and Thursday mornings. There are also occasional themed groups like the over 50s group I am hosting shortly. Access to these is via registering for the individual group you wish to attend via Zoom. You will need to be logged into Zoom to register. https://www.ocduk.org/support-groups/online/ They do book up quickly, but sometimes people cancel so checking on the day you may find places open up again.

Does not mean it's not OCD, which is why you are here in the first place I guess

No, not at all. It's a process in the book Brain Lock to relabel thoughts as OCD, and certainly initially when people are new to dealing with OCD this can be a useful exercise to help a person realise the thoughts are not about them or meaning they are a bad person, but are because of OCD. But simply relabeling thoughts is just a small part of a larger therapeutic process. There is a very small danger that for some people, contant relabeling is also just avoiding dealing with the unwanted intrusive thoughts. At some point therapy teaches us to accept that intrusive thoughts are not unique to people with OCD, but how we catastrophise and attach meaning to them is the problem. At that point we have to learn to accept them for what they are, unwanted intrusive thoughts, that may or may not have validity. We have to become comfortable being uncomfortable. Therapy then takes us into a long stepped approach of behavioral exercises and exposure therapy. So in short, no, not only is it not as easy as just relabeling thoughts, there is a chance doing so at some stage could be counter productive if relabaling is for avoidance reasons.