OCD Challenge is online, interactive, behavioural program designed by the US charitable organisation, Peace of Mind, to help people suffering from OCD. The program was built by psychologists who are leaders in the field of behaviour therapy, and thanks to our Elizabeth McIngvale and our friends at her Peace of Mind Foundation the program has been made freely available as an online resource for anyone across the globe affected by this insidious illness.

The OCD Challenge program helps you identify specific OCD challenges, and your path to success by teaching skills and strategies for managing your OCD using the principles of Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), the treatment of choice for OCD.

OCD-UK are delighted to announce that during Spring 2013 we will be hosting a one-day conference specifically for parents of children (school age) with OCD.  

The conference aims to explore and provide practical advice and solutions to the problems Mum’s and Dad’s face dealing with their child’s OCD,  from dealing with the OCD at home, dealing with their child’s school and problems many parents tell us they have in accessing formal diagnosis and treatment through their local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).   Although this conference is aimed primarily at parents of children with OCD, we believe the event will also benefit those that work with children with OCD within a CAMHS and teaching setting.

Do you experience symptoms of OCD and have ten minutes to spare?

Have you lived with someone with OCD-related symptoms for at least six months? Could you spare half an hour to complete a short survey online?

Family and friends can often get caught up in their partner or relative’s symptoms of OCD and research suggests this may not be helpful for them or their loved one.  We need to know more so that mental health professionals can develop better treatments – not just for people living with symptoms of OCD, but also for those who live with them.

For more information about Lucy's research, please click the link below.

Running not your thing? Well you can still fundraise for OCD-UK through a variety of means, one such way is a sponsored Cycle Ride and OCD-UK chief-executive Ashley Fulwood as put his money where is mouth is, literally, by signing up for the famous London to Paris cycling challenge, 300 miles, almost 500km in just 4 day during September!

"If attempting to use my bandy little legs to run for my charity was not enough, I have set myself a brand new target, and this year I am attempting to cycle from our cosmopolitan capital (well, Crystal Palace) to Paris, and the Eiffel Tower. Along the way as we cycle through the suburbs of the romantic capital I will get to soak up some of the Parisian way of life, who knows it may even help sophisticate me!   However, this little jaunt on my old two wheeled speed machine is no sedate cycle, this is 300 miles, almost 500km in just four days. 

"I won't say OCD as totally ruined my life, but I will say that OCD as done its bloody best to try and ruin my life!  "

By Catherine Mills, vice-chair OCD-UK.

The Department for Work and Pensions is responsible for welfare and pension policy, which is the biggest public service delivery department in the UK and serves over 20 million customers

In January 2012 the Department for Work and Pensions issued a consultation document which outlined in more detail, the assessment criteria for the new Personal Independence Payment which will replace Disability Living Allowance from 2013. The full document can be viewed at on the Department for Work and Pensions website here.

The following comments were fedback to the DWP by OCD-UK.

By Ashley Fulwood (Chief executive)

Whenever I see OCD used in conjunction to describe non-OCD behaviour, or in a joking context I do tend to get a bit annoyed, I would like to use a stronger emotion but I am sure Kylie (OCD-UK chair) would not be too pleased if I swore on the main website.

The latest reason for my disappointment (again I am being polite here) is the Daily Mail and the feature writer Diana Appleyard for describing her desire for some poncy cushions as 'Help, I've got OCD (that's Obsessive Cushion Desire)' in yesterday's Daily Mail. If you can bring yourself to look here is the link.

Naturally we are told by some to get a sense of humour about it, but when you have OCD it really is not something that it is easy to laugh off and that is why I shoot from the hips with my verbal contempt for such poor journalism.

Another weekend, and another marathon weekend for Team OCD-UK, so a huge thank you to Carlie, Jim, John. Kris, Melody and Nicola that ran and completed the Virgin London Marathon on Sunday for our charity. Those fantastic fundraiser's completed the arduous 26.2 mile course and really have made us all at OCD-UK proud of their efforts and achievement, so thank you all.

One of those running was OCD-UK member Nicola pictured in the set (click the 'read more' link) waving goodbye to the OCD-UK team on Tower Bridge on Sunday. You can help OCD-UK and Nicola by sponsoring her for OCD-UK via her Just Giving page here.