OCD Ward - ITV1

[Guest Annabel]

Hi Tricia,

I think you did amazingly in letting everyone in on your OCD and like Ashley I feel a lot of respect for you! (and really want to wish you lots of hope and happiness for the future and hopefully a treatment/cure that helps you get better!).

I'm sorry they didn't include information about your intrusive thoughts as it feels like they've missed what 80% of OCD is all about! However it made an interesting and serious programme and I'm glad I watched it with the other patients/residents here I think we're going to watch 'Bedlam' on Thursday too.

I feel that there really needs to be a programme that looks at intrusive thoughts in more detail and at the changing nature of OCD. It is seen too often as a 'behavioural' issue- if you just change the behaviour, then it will be fine! What about pure-O? what about the way that it adapts to make whatever situation you're in the most difficult to manage? I can maybe deal with my contamination issues but then what?

Just my thoughts

[Guest yinyang]

And obviously well done Tricia my previous post wasn't aimed at you in any shape or form

[Guest legend]

regardless of flavours I think anyone who allows themselves to be filmed deserves a massive huge thanks for being so open and courageous

A brilliant portrayal of ocd , in my opinion.

the only thing I might add, is sometimes people with ocd do have other problems that run alongside it, an if this was the case in the programme in regards to treatment

then maybe that would of been added , like depression or a traumatic event as an eg. as that can hinder the cbt if that's not dealt with as well accordinally ??

[Northern Star]

Hi Tricia,I just want to tell you that I have nothing but respect for you tonight. You were so honest and open, and allowing the camera to show the meeting with your Mum must have been very hard.It took huge courage to allow yourself to be filmed in such a honest and candid way, I respect you for that.Ashley.

Echoed from me, too. You are so personable, you really helped to show the 'human side' of OCD

[Guest lovingmum]

Have also just watched the programme and felt it, as is often the case, concentrated on the contamination and hand washing that causes people suffering from OCD to be stereotyped as people who are very tidy and wash their hands a lot. My son has suffered from OCD for many years and this is not his experience of the illness. My heart went out to all the suffers but also to Edward's parents and Tricia's mother - it is so hard to see someone you love suffer this horrible illness which is so hard to treat because it takes so many forms. Edward's hug for his parents at the end was very moving. I hope the other lad went on to find some help elsewhere. OCD is horrible and its effects are far reaching. Well done to all the people prepared to let the cameras into their lives to try and let people know more about the suffering and not just the cleaning.

Alison

[Guest LauraMac]

Hi Tricia,I just want to tell you that I have nothing but respect for you tonight. You were so honest and open, and allowing the camera to show the meeting with your Mum must have been very hard.It took huge courage to allow yourself to be filmed in such a honest and candid way, I respect you for that.Ashley.

I completely agree with Ashley's comment. You done fantastically. X

[whitebeam]

I thought it was very good.

Hayley, I guessed it was you (well - it did say Hayley - but I thought it was our Hayley) and Tricia - I didn't realise you were a forum user.

Well done to you both - and good luck - I'm sure you will both get there.

One thing i always think fails to come over is the degree of anxiety - it's hard to show, I guess, unless someone is really upset - but I usually feel in articles and TV coverage that the absolute wretched anxiety does not really come over.

Having said that - a really good programme - and bless all those who took part.

[Guest hopebecauseucan]

Hmm well I was watching last night and was thinking again it was all about people with contamination/cleaning. This just makes me feel really frustrated cause that's all people think ocd is! Not that its easier or better for people with this kind of ocd but i would say 99% of people I talk to about ocd they all say the same thing... Oh i thought ocd was just cleaning a lot?! I also didn't like the way the woman kept saying 'your so ill' . I think that was quite patronizing. She also made a comment saying when patients come in we have to treat them like babies. I dont know about some of you but the very last thing i would want is to be treated like a baby, I get a lot of us are vunerable but were not made of China! I think most people with ocd are extremely strong people. Since being diagnosed with ocd iv had very little help and it seems not many people, even the professionals know what they're talking about! How can people learn to beat this when no one knows what its really about? A lot more than just 'cleaning a lot'.

Rant over! Who eles watched? What did you think?! Xxxx

[AlexH96]

Couldnt agree more i turned off 20 mins in soo annoying for pure-o sufferers like me

[Guest fullersc]

i watched it and think have mixed opinion. It was good as it highlighted how this illness can affect people and also how effective treatment can show reamrkable results in the guy who hadnt hugged his parents for years and at the end he was able to do so but from a personal perspective i would have liked to see someone who sufferd from intrusive thoughts and how they dealt with it from a treatmnet perspective .

[Guest bluebottomedfly]

I agree, it was disappointing. I didn't like how the lady doctor said that people with OCD know that their thoughts are rubbish and not real. Maybe with contamination OCD that might be true but not for pure o.

[Guest Jennifer8]

I don't know but if you read one of Tricia's earlier posts she mentions being interviewed for a TV programme about OCD and she was not given the opportunity to talk about her intrusive thoughts (check the thread, as I am not sure of the exact wording, so maybe wrong)

I guess this was Tricia from this forum? If so, well done for being so incredibly brave and allowing people to see your OCD. I was very moved and my eyes filled up at seeing you and your mum get together. (If that was you)

[Guest legend]

and they covered hayleys checking and reassurance seeking very well

Pure o really is a loose term because you do in theory have outward compulsions, like reassurance seeking as an eg, avoidance of fears.

Why not put oneself forwards if you feel that types of ocd aren't covered sufficiently

[Ashley]

Couldnt agree more i turned off 20 mins in soo annoying for pure-o sufferers like me

It is a shame that you felt unable to watch a programme about your fellow forum users with OCD that portrayed the utter horror and despair that impacts on us all with OCD, regardless of type. I agree that at least a voiceover about other aspects of OCD could have been included, but we must stop all this selfish in-fighting that XYZ was not covered, and focus on the fact this was an ok programme about OCD that helped show the devastation of OCD, exactly what we need in order to change perceptions.

Compare OCD Ward with tonight's Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners and the two programmes are like chalk and cheese.

[Eddy]

For me, the image of Tricia and her mum was so utterly powerful.it was a million dollar clip into the devestation that ocd can wreak into peoples lives.

Tricia if you are reading this God bless you and your mum. You can get better. start saying it even if you dont at first believe it , the rest will come. i can see that the person that was courageous enough to share with millions on national tv , also has the power and determination in her to get better ! please give my love to your mum .

as far as the documentary and my thoughts goes well done to everyone .

i thought the programme was ok. a little imbalanced in as much that i would have liked to have seen more of hayley and tricia and a bit less of the scenes of Edward , and the cleaning stuff. you cant really sum up peoples lives and experiences of ocd crammed into a 1 hour slot - minus advert times. so i think it would have been better if the documentary could have been done in at least a two parter. so we can get to know the people more. their thoughts on the ocd and treatment. the time allowed didnt do the people justice , especially the ladies featured.

i know that intrusive thoughts were wanted to be included and its a shame that it was edited out. i feel that the potential was there for a stunning documentary , but due to time constraints it all had to be condensed and lost a lot in the edit.

i for one would have liked to see the whole thing a lot more 'punchy' if that makes sense. we did not need to see loads of repetative clips of trees and people lying on the floor, several different therapists and clips wasted on people drawing faces on wee bottles- the time is too precious for that . as i said above , the million dollar clips are like those of tricia and her mum , the drama of ennis leaving therapy etc , not to make a drama out of it, but the raw emotion that underpins this blasted ocd, and the problems with treatment when its too hard for people

just 1 therapist saying what ocd is - with brain imageing for the scientists amongst us would have done .

for me the documentary needed to pack more of a punch , it was too woolly ....too much time spent with edward , not enough on the others

hey it was a good documentary though, i dont think it did sufferers any harm and has raised some awareness

well done to all involved , and to those who made the documentary

perhaps if we wrote to itv asking for a second part , either with new people or an update on how those already in it are doing? maybe we should all write to itv to request this ? afterall a second series of the ocd cleaners has been commissioned !!!

lets get another part to this documentary commissioned. i want to hear how these people are doing now .

Edited October 29, 2013 by Eddy

[gingerbreadgirl]

Ashley, I totally see where you're coming from when you say that it is a great thing that a serious programme about OCD is being shown, and it is always good when the gravity of OCD is portrayed in a responsible way on TV.

However, at the same time I share the frustration of others who feel that it is a hugely prevalent misconception that OCD is all about cleanliness; indeed I am sure that this misconception is why nobody (including a trained therapist) ever considered me to have OCD - I am really messy and untidy and quite happy to eat food off the floor, etc! (icky, I know ) Outside of OCD circles, nobody EVER uses OCD to refer to anything other than cleanliness/order, and occasionally checking. it is completely unknown to 99% of people that OCD can involve anything else.

I think this is why people are frustrated - obviously the individuals involved in the programme were extremely brave, and their suffering can in no way be understated, or the service they are doing to the OCD community by sharing their story. But there seriously needs to be some widespread education of how OCD cna affect people - not least for those who have undiagnosed OCD and don't understand why they're suffering so much.

[Guest legend]

The charity has worked hard over the years to put across different types of ocd

Diana did one for the daily mail > http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1317151/Some-OCD-sufferers-washing-hands--I-feared-I-d-murder-daughters.html

I did a talk about peado fears 3 years ago which was put out to the wide world

Theres many more that I could produce , so please don't feel that ocduk doesn't cover it all, because I believe they have done so over the years

[gingerbreadgirl]

Oh no i didn't mean OCD UK - sorry - I meant the media and TV in general.

OCD UK does amazing work.

[Guest legend]

Oh no i didn't mean OCD UK - sorry - I meant the media and TV in general.

OCD UK does amazing work.

Yep of course, and there has/have been some good media work about all aspects of ocd as well ginger.

[Guest keaboing]

Firstly, hats off to the sufferers who featured in the programme.

As a sufferer, I thought the programme focussed too much on contamination and behaviour which only helps to fuel the stereotype of how OCD is perceived. The programme was probably edited from many hours of footage to cram into a 1 hour slot so I felt that some context had been lost from some of the sections. I found some of the incidental music that was played when showing some of the sufferer's rituals to be slightly mocking (a la The Apprentice) which could potentially make light of the anxiety a sufferer feels. Personally, I would liked to have seen more about the cognitive aspects of the sufferers but I guess this is more difficult to convey than the overt behaviours on TV. However, I was pleased that the programme showed how utterly devastating and frustrating OCD can be for sufferers and carers alike. It was also heartening to see that sufferers can overcome their illness and very moving when Edward hugged his parents.

As a carer, my wife thought it was good to have such a programme aired and that if it was discussed amongst friends and colleagues then we could comment from our first hand experiences.

[Ashley]

I share the frustration of others who feel that it is a hugely prevalent misconception that OCD is all about cleanliness;

Oh I do too, trust me, I sat down with the producers face-to-face and urged them to include other aspects of OCD, so I do share people's disappointment at the lack of mention. But the programme last night did achieve something many don't, which is show the utter devastation that OCD causes on those that suffer, so from that perspective it was a good programme. It did not tell the story of OCD, but it told the story of four individuals with OCD, and therefore it did a good job telling their stories.

[daisy]

Hi Everyone,

I thought that the programme was very good,although i too wish it could of been longer,or maybe a follow up,apart from that i don't really think i can fault it.

I do know though that Trisha only agreed to take part in this as she was told it would be about her intrusive thoughts and she is very disappointed that nothing was said about them given that it did cause her an awful lot of stress over about 4 months as she had to film herself talking about them nearly every day,and i am sure that everyone can understand how stressful that would of been.

But i think she has done not only herself proud,but has also shown the devastation that OCD causes.

I would also like to thank the others who were brave enough to take part,and i really do hope that there will be more programmes like this one.

I do find it hard to understand though that someone had to switch off because it wasn't about their form of OCD!

Best wishes

Daisy.

[Guest Tricia]

I don’t have a great deal of time today and, as I’ve not watched the documentary, perhaps shouldn’t even comment. However, I do want to say two things. Firstly, thank you so much for the kind remarks here. Secondly, contamination fears lead me to be apart from my son and granddaughters, to be miserably cold for months at a time, as I exist in my underwear. I even wash all the family’s clothes outside dressed like that. Contamination fears prevent me from sitting down, even in my own home, going on holiday or even walking on my back lawn. I was incredibly embarrassed appearing in my bra on camera (although only straps are on show, hopefully. If this is not the case, please don‘t let me know!) and the only reason I did this was because I was told it was so important for me to express my intrusive thoughts, the hidden side of OCD, and to explain that for me, they are even harder to deal with than the contamination. I’m obviously not saying any symptom is easy and each can destroy lives and even lead to suicide. The public always associates OCD with contamination and/or checking and yet intrusive thoughts are so common, and when our minds are taken up by the most distressing thoughts, we are in prison, even if we appear to be perfectly okay. I would not have agreed to take part, had it not been for being told my intrusive thoughts would be the main focus of my part. I can only apologize to those who feel let down and say I share your frustration.

Edited October 29, 2013 by Tricia

[Guest Tricia]

So sorry, Daisy. Your message only appeared as I clicked 'send' on mine!

[Guest yinyang]

Well said Tricia. I would love to copy and paste that for others to see. The "usual rubbish" statement I made wasn't very well thought out and I should have worded it differently. My frustration wasn't aimed at the people who took part. It was aimed at the maker's. I felt it was a missed opportunity to show other aspects of the illness. Especially with it being such a well known hospital I was expecting more