People with OCD can be reluctant to seek help because of feelings such as shame, embarrassment and disgust around their obsessions and compulsions. OCD is a health condition like any other, so there's nothing to feel ashamed or embarrassed about. Having OCD does not mean you're a bad person and it's not your fault you have it.
It is important to remember that OCD is ego dystonic. This means that your thoughts and compulsions won't be in line with your beliefs and knowledge. The first three drop-downs refer to clinic specific support, and the others refer to general OCD support.
The OCD Clinic is for adults experiencing difficulties with OCD that live within Brighton and Hove, and East Sussex. We offer high quality evidence-based help based on the latest research and NHS guidelines.
You might find our resources page helpful.
Please also look at our information for people who are experiencing OCD and need support.
Help with OCD for those not living in Brighton and Hove, and East Sussex
Unfortunately, at the moment the OCD Clinic isn’t open to those living outside of these areas. If you, or someone you know is under the age of 18 and requires OCD support, we encourage you to contact your GP who can refer you to an alternative service.
Help with OCD for those under the age of 18
Unfortunately, at the moment the OCD Clinic isn’t open to those under the age of 18. If you, or someone you know is under the age of 18 and requires OCD support, we encourage you to contact your GP. Alternatively, you may be able to contact a wellbeing or counselling service at your school if appropriate and available.
- OCD UK have released an OCD guide, including different types of OCD, what treatment is available, experiences of OCD from other young people, and a guide to abbreviations that you might see when you are looking at OCD resources. It is available here.
- Young Minds have made a guide for OCD, for young people.It includes information such as what OCD is, things that can help and how to access treatment.https://www.youngminds.org.uk/young-person/mental-health-conditions/ocd/
The OCD Clinic is part of Sussex Partnership's adult primary care mental health services in Health in Mind (East Sussex), Brighton and Hove Wellbeing Service and Brighton and Hove Assessment & Treatment Service.
If you are experiencing OCD difficulties and would like help please speak to your GP about a referral to the OCD Clinic.
You are also very welcome to refer yourself directly to the OCD Clinic, please see below on how to do this based on location.
East Sussex (Health in Mind)
If you live in East Sussex you can refer yourself directly via Health in Mind, a free NHS Service for those experiencing emotional or psychological difficulties. Self-referrals can be made through telephone: call 03000 030 130 and ask to be referred to the OCD clinic.
Alternatively, you can complete an online self-referral form on the Health in Mind website: click here to access the self-referral form. On the form it will ask you to state “What are your current difficulties as you see them?” In this box please state that you would like to be referred to the OCD clinic
Brighton & Hove (Brighton & Hove Wellbeing Service)
If you live in Brighton and Hove you can also refer yourself directly via the Brighton & Hove Wellbeing Service. Simply complete an online self-referral form and state that you would like to be referred to the OCD clinic: click here for the self-referral form.
Brighton and Hove Assessment and Treatment Service (ATS)
Whilst there isn’t a self-referral option for those trying to access the OCD Clinic through the Brighton and Hove ATS, those who are open to the service and who are interested in accessing support should speak to a clinician working in this service who is directly involved in their care. A clinician will then be able to make a referral to the OCD Clinic on your behalf.
You can see testimonials and feedback from people who have had treatment in our clinic here.
Assessment
When you are referred to the clinic we will offer you an assessment meeting with an expert clinician. At this meeting we will discuss your difficulties with OCD and we will agree on the best treatment plan together. You will also be offered the opportunity to sign up to the Research Network, which offers you a chance to find out about the research happening in the clinic. You can find out more about the questionnaires we use, here.
Treatment
For more information on what to expect, as well as some tips on how to get the most out of your therapy, please see our short guides on exposure and response prevention and group therapy.
Group therapy
The recommended treatment in the OCD clinic is group therapy. This is because having group therapy reduces drop-out rates, and many people find it can be helpful to learn from each other's experiences with ERP. There is also a level of stigma reduction and solidarity between the group, which importantly can encourage home task completion.
It is important to note that group therapy will not be the best choice for everyone. If this is the case for you, you will be supported to explore alternative options, such as 1:1 treatment in your initial assessment.
For information on how group therapy works, we have written a short guide.
CBT and exposure response prevention
The treatments for OCD currently recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) are Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) and medication.
CBT is a type of therapy which aims to look at what you think (cognition) and what you do (behaviour). For example, a person with OCD may believe that their furniture at home is contaminated with germs which will infect them and make them ill (cognition). As a response to this, they may avoid touching any surfaces at home, wash their hands very often, and clean their house many times a day (behaviour). In CBT you will examine, reflect on, and challenge these patterns of cognition and behaviour in order to explore alternative ways of thinking and behaving.
At the OCD Clinic, the particular type of CBT we use to tackle OCD is known as Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). For information on how ERP works, we have written a short guide. First, you will typically have sessions explaining the OCD cycle, and how ERP works. You will then move to completing ERP tasks both in sessions and at home. You will first make a list of challenging tasks with your therapist. Together you will choose approximately 2-3 of these ERP tasks to do at least once a day. You will discuss learning from these tasks with your therapist. It is important to note that you will need to drop all compulsive and avoidance behaviours, including mental compulsions, your therapist can support you with this. It is also important to remember that you have unpleasant feelings, such as anxiety, disgust and shame: this is a good thing as it means that the treatment is working.
If you feel unable to keep yourself safe, please visit the red ‘Need help urgently’ button at the top right of the Trust home page, or call 999 and ask for an ambulance.
If you are experiencing symptoms of OCD and would like help, please speak to your GP in the first instance. If you live in Brighton & Hove or East Sussex, you can also refer yourself directly - see here. You may not realise you have OCD until you talk to a mental health professional, and/or you may not realize you are experiencing obsessions or compulsions because you have been doing them for so long.
If you feel you are experiencing OCD and would like support, please speak to your GP and explain your experience and how it affects you. If you are worried about talking to your GP, you might find the following resources useful:
- OCD UK GP Icebreaker. This involves a checklist of items for you to fill out in preparation for your appointment, which may be useful for starting conversations about what your OCD looks like, how it affects you and how you need to be supported.
- OCD Action information on how to prepare for a GP appointment: Preparing for a GP Appointment - OCD Action
You can also access help through the following:
For urgent support: https://
Sussex Mental Healthline – 0800 0309 500
24/7 mental health telephone support and information service.The Sussex Mental Healthline offers listening support, advice, information and signposting to anyone experiencing difficulties, or who may be in crisis and in urgent need of help, with their mental health. The service is free and is available to anyone concerned about their own mental health or that of a relative or friend.
“The helpline is mostly run by volunteers, who have a strong understanding of OCD and what impact it can have on your life. They undergo an in-depth training and are able to talk you through any of their information. Most of their volunteers are people with personal experience of OCD who now feel strong enough to provide help and support to others. The team also includes family members and loved ones of people with OCD.
You can call them on: 0300 636 5478Calls are charged at the same rate as a normal landline.
You can email them on support@ocdaction.org.uk
“Please note our support services are only available (Mon-Fri) and for UK residents. Please check our contact page for details of the helpline availability. We only offer advice/support, and are unable to offer therapeutic or crisis support”
You can call them on 01332 588112 9am - 12pm
You can email them: support@ocduk.org
Samaritans:
For someone to talk to, the Samaritans are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can call them on 116 123 (Freephone) or email jo@samaritans.org
Perinatal OCD (PNOCD) is estimated to impact 6.2% to 7.8% of individuals during pregnancy, and 14% to 16.9% postnatally (Fairbrother & Al, 2021; Miller et al., 2022). It consists of obsessions and compulsions most commonly around contamination and deliberate or accidental harm coming to the baby/foetus (Abramowitz et al., 2003). Medication and ERP-CBT have found to be effective for PNOCD (Challacombe et al, 2011). Despite this, PNOCD is often under-recognised and under-diagnosed (Sharma and Mazmanian, 2021). Support and information can be found by contacting your health visitor, midwife, or perinatal mental health team Or can be found at https://maternalocd.org/ or https://ocdaction.org.uk/
If you are worried about talking to your GP, you might find the following resources useful:
- OCD UK GP Icebreaker. This involves a checklist of items for you to fill out in preparation for your appointment, which may be useful for starting conversations about what your OCD looks like, how it affects you and how you need to be supported.
- OCD Action information on how to prepare for a GP appointment: Preparing for a GP Appointment - OCD Action
Unfortunately, at the moment the OCD Clinic isn’t open to those under the age of 18. If you, or someone you know is under the age of 18 and requires OCD support, we encourage you to contact your GP. Alternatively, you may be able to contact a wellbeing or counselling service at your school if appropriate and available.
If you are worried about talking to your GP, you might find the following resources useful:
- OCD UK GP Icebreaker. This involves a checklist of items for you to fill out in preparation for your appointment, which may be useful for starting conversations about what your OCD looks like, how it affects you and how you need to be supported.
- OCD Action information on how to prepare for a GP appointment: Preparing for a GP Appointment - OCD Action
OCD UK have released an OCD guide, including different types of OCD, what treatment is available, experiences of OCD from other young people, and a guide to abbreviations that you might see when you are looking at OCD resources. It is available here.
Young Minds have made a guide for OCD, for young people.It includes information such as what OCD is, things that can help and how to access treatment.https://www.youngminds.org.uk/young-person/mental-health-conditions/ocd/