Next OCD Support Group is on August 9th 2010! Next Family and Friends Support Group is on August 17th 2010! Next Trich Support Group is on August 10th 2010 and the next BDD is on August 31st 2010! St Patrick's Support Helpline, Phone: 01 249 3333. Click here!
Useful Articles
OCD-UK Articles
The OCD-UK website has some great articles on OCD, including:
- Call me Irresponsible - Article about hyperresponsibility
- Guilt beyond a reasonable doubt - Responsibility type of OCD
- How Do I Know I'm Not Really Gay - Fear of being gay
- Let he who is without sin - An article about OCD and religion
- Saving the World
- Stronger than dirt - An article about contamination OCD
- The Boy Who Didn't Know Who He Was - About Homosexuality
- When epidemics Collide: OCD and Aids - Fear of HIV/Aids
kidshealth.org...
kidshealth.org has some information for kids, teenagers and parents
Don't stay silent...
When Mark wakes up, he opens the curtains. He feels a burst of anxiety so he closes them and opens them four more times until he has completed this action 'just right' as otherwise he might crash his car today. He checks to make sure that his toiletries in the bathroom are still lined up perfectly in a symmetrical order, because if they weren't, there'd be a chance that his wife would die...more
Acceptance and OCD.
"Change is a fact of life. We all are in some state of change at any given time, whether we realize it or not. In many treatments for OCD, there is also a constant emphasis upon change. With all this changing or thoughts about changing going on, it would be very easy to overlook something equally important and without which change would not and could not happen. This is something called acceptance." by Fred Penzel, Ph.D. Read more about this article here),
Lecture Notes on Mindfulness.
On the 22nd of April 2009, Debbie Van Tonder, BA ed, admin, RN, RCN, RPN, RM provided a public lecture introducing Mindfulness and its application to OCD, Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and Trichotillomania (TTM/Trich) at St Patrick's Hospital on behalf of OCD Ireland. The lecture notes can be downloaded here (Word Doc),
How to evaluate Health Information on the Internet
Visit FDA evaluation guidelines - here
Polish OCD website...
A friend from Poland has been in touch with OCD Ireland to tell us about an OCD site he administers. The site can be found at http://www.zok.net.pl
How the Brain Rewires Itself...
Could thinking about thoughts in a new way affect not only such pathological brain states as OCD and depression but also normal activity? To find out, neuroscientist Richard Davidson of the University of Wisconsin at Madison turned to Buddhist monks, the Olympic athletes of mental training...more
Gene Triggers OCD-Like Syndrome in Mice...
Using genetic engineering, researchers have created an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) — like set of behaviors in mice and reversed them with antidepressants and genetic targeting of a key brain circuit. The study, by National Institutes of Health (NIH) — funded researchers, suggests new strategies for treating the disorder...more
When worry hijacks the brain...
An article recently appeared in American Time Magazine (so not the version we have over here in Ireland!) covering obsessive-compulsive disorder and treatments that are used to combat OCD....more
OCD on Radio 1...
Leslie Shoemaker recently discussed OCD on RTE radio 1's 'Mind Matters' programme. Professor Paul Salkovskis also took part. The full show can be listened to on the Radio 1 'Mind Matters' website. A podcast feed of the show is also available here.Families often struggle to accept OCD...
The families of people with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) often struggle to accept the diagnosis, which can lead to a worsening of symptoms in the person affected, a leading counselling psychologist has warned...more
A guide for parents of children with ocd
A brochure for young people that gives information about ocd
A guide for patients and families
Information for family and friends (OCD UK)
Information about carers/friends/family
OCD and families...
Research has shown that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) effects 2-3% of the population. The World Health Organisation (WHO) lists OCD as one of the top 10 debilitating disorders in terms of the decreased quality of life and loss of income. Still, the one group who often remains hidden are the family members and friends of the OCD sufferer because OCD not only affects the sufferer but also the lives of the whole family.
The family often has a difficult time accepting the fact that the child, parent or sibling with OCD cannot stop the distressing, repetitive and occasionally unusual behaviour. Sometimes family members may even struggle with accepting the diagnosis of OCD and live in hope that the disorder will resolve itself. On occasion family members may show their anger, frustration and resentment about the OCD and unfortunately this can result in an increase in the sufferer’s OCD behaviour. In other cases, in order to keep the peace within the family unit, members of the family may assist the OCD sufferer with the rituals or give constant reassurance. This “assisting“ is commonly referred to as collusion, but unfortunately in the long run it only feeds the disorder and in fact may worsen the sufferer’s condition. Sadly in some cases, the sufferer may resist the appropriate diagnosis and treatment, creating a difficult situation for the carer/concerned family member or friend with respect to what appropriate course of action they should take, one that is both sensitive and respectful of their loved one.
Education about OCD and its treatment for the family is of crucial importance because it enables families to make more informed choices about how to help the family member who is sufferer as well as themselves. With assistance, families can learn specific ways to encourage the person with OCD to stay with his/her behaviour therapy program and/or medication. Also, self-help books are often an excellent source of information, and some families even choose to seek the help of a family therapist who is trained in the field of OCD in order to learn methods for providing supportive help.
It is through our next public next talk that OCD Ireland hopes to address some of the difficulties regarding self-care of the OCD sufferer as well as his/her family. Also, it is through this information talk that family members will learn more about OCD and its treatment, thus enabling them to gain an understanding of the concerning behaviour of their loved one.
Irishhealth.com recently published an article written by Deborah Condon on how families often struggle to accept OCD. The article can be viewed online here.
BDD in the media...
Our very own Leslie Shoemaker guested on the Gerry Ryan Show on Tuesday February 6th at 10am to talk about BDD. The full interview is still available to listen to online here.
BDD and Trichotillomania on RTE...
RTE are currently looking for someone who would be willing to talk about their BDD or Trichotillomania for the 6pm news (a 2 minute segment). The interview would be handled with the upmost sensitivity and, if needed, RTE are willing to disguise the person’s identity. If anybody is interested in this please contact us at the email address at the bottom of the links section on the left.
Sharing experiences...
OCD Ireland are frequently asked by TV and Radio presenters and journalists for people who might be interested in speaking to the media (print, radio and tv) about their experiences with OCD, BDD or Trichotillomania. Any such contact with the media would be handled with the upmost sensitivity and would be on an individuals own terms. If anybody is interested in this please feel free to contact us at the email address at the bottom of the links section on the left.
Secret Suffering - The OCD Epidemic...
This extract is taken from an article written by Robbie Woliver on 28/09/06 for Long Island Press.
"At first glance, they look like they came out of central casting for a sitcom: There is the 20-something tattooed punk, the grandma, the statuesque young blonde, the 75-year-old veteran, the bearded baby boomer and the well-tanned mother of three. But this turns out to be no joke...read more
Gene clue to hair pulling disorder...
A disorder which causes people to pull their own hair out may, in some cases, be caused by mutations in a particular gene, scientists have discovered. People with trichotillomania, also known as trich, pull out hair from their scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows or other parts of their body. This often results in them having noticeable bald patches or no eyelashes. It is often referred to as an impulse control disorder. According to OCD Ireland, the national organisation for people with trich, obsessive compulsive disorder and body dysmorphic disorder, current research indicates that 1-2% of the population has this disorder, although some believe this figure to be higher....read more
Parents of Children With OCD...
The following information is taken from the UOCD website
"It isn't always easy to know what to do when you first realize your child has a problem and you suspect it might be OCD. Finding professional help will be 1 of the first steps you should take as a parent. Just know that with approximately 1 out of 200 OCD kids in the USA, your child and you as a parent aren't alone in this. However high prevalence alone doesn't take away the stress for your child and high prevalance doesn't make OCD any less of a secretive disorder."
Read all the information here
Leaflet produced by the APA on OCD
The following information is taken from a leaflet produced by the APA on OCD.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder in which time-consuming obsessions and compulsions significantly interfere with a person’s routine, making it difficult work or to have a normal social life. OCD often begins in childhood, adolescence or early adulthood. Afflicting over four million Americans, OCD is equally common in men and women and knows no geographic, ethnic, or economic boundaries......more
OCD in top 10 most debilitating illnesses
OCD is listed amongst the top 10 most debilitating illnesses by the World Health Organisation
NICE is the independent organisation responsible for providing national guidance for the UK on the promotion of good health and the prevention and treatment of ill health. They review current research about the treatment of different disorders and make recommendations about treatment options for these disorders. Recently NICE published their recommendations for the treatment of OCD
The Velvet Mind
OCD Ireland can now be found on the new mental health site 'The Velvet Mind'. This organisation provides a variety of services for people in the UK and Ireland.
OCD on the Irish Health website
The OCD feature written by Deborah Condon can be found here on the Irish Health website.
OCD and fearing who you really are...
Information courtesy of Ferrier, S. & Brewin, C.R. (2005). Feared identity and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 43,1363-1374
It's not the content of the persistent, unwanted thoughts experienced by sufferers of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) that is particularly abnormal, it is their interpretation of these thoughts. Now Sue Ferrier and Chris Brewin have shed new light on what's different about the way people with OCD interpret their thoughts. First they found OCD sufferers, more than anxious and healthy controls, tended to feel more responsibility for their thoughts, agreeing with statements like "If I don't resist these thoughts it means I am being irresponsible". Secondly, OCD sufferers were more likely to draw negative inferences about themselves based on their intrusive thoughts, agreeing with statements like "Some of my intrusive thoughts make me think that deep down I am a bad person". Finally, the researchers asked the participants to describe the person they fear being; here the assumption was that this actually reveals something about how that person sees them self. OCD sufferers tended to describe a dangerous person who was bad, immoral or insane. In contrast, anxious controls tended to describe a fearful or hopeless person, and healthy controls described more general character flaws. "The data suggest that people with OCD are not just unwilling to give up their rituals because they would be responsible if bad outcomes occurred [if they didn't perform those rituals], but because they additionally see themselves as a likely source of those bad outcomes, due to their dangerous characters", the authors said. "Cognitive therapy may have in some cases to address deep-rooted beliefs about the self, rather than simply targeting people's beliefs about their intrusions", the authors advised. The results were obtained by asking 24 OCD sufferers, 21 anxious controls and 16 healthy controls to complete several questionnaires.
