As humans, we all have routines in our lives despite whether they are a help or a hindrance. Most of us have thoughts that come into our heads which we think are strange and unpleasant. For some people though, these thoughts completely take over and cause great distress and affect all areas of daily living. OCD is diagnosed where people have thoughts impulses or images that cause them distress (the obsession) and then have to carry out complicated or particular actions and behaviour (the compulsions) to prevent harm or make themselves feel better.

If you have OCD, you are likely to believe that there is something significant- and possibly sinister- about your completely natural but unwanted intrusive thoughts. You may fear that the thoughts mean you are going mad, or that you are bad or dangerous.

What can we do to help?

Our recommendation for OCD would be a CBT approach to support you to reduce your symptoms to a manageable level according to your individual therapy goals.

We could offer support to you and your family for a better understanding of OCD.

This is in accordance to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. NICE reviews all the available evidence about treatments for physical and mental health conditions, and produces guidance about which treatments should be offered.

This is available at www.nice.org.uk/CG31