Public event aims to raise awareness of OCD
Release Date 03 October 2011
What is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and how does it affects sufferers' lives? The University of Reading is hosting an event by OCD-UK to highlight this chronic condition during International OCD Awareness Week.
The seminar on Monday 10 October is free to all, whether you would just like to find out more about OCD or are a healthcare professional.
Professor Roz Shafran, Co-Director of the Charlie Waller Institute of Evidence-Based Psychological Treatment at the University, will be one of the guest speakers. The Charlie Waller Institute is at the forefront of research into OCD. It is the first in the UK to train clinicians exclusively in proven psychological treatments recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) - those commonly used in treating people not only with anxiety problems such as OCD, but also other problems such as depression, psychosis and eating disorders.
"We encourage people to be realistic about their thoughts," said Professor Shafran. "We give them alternative ways of reacting to them and help change the behaviours that are keeping the problem going. We have very good outcomes and the good news is that OCD can be successfully treated."
OCD-UK is a charity dedicated to improving the mental health and well-being of almost one million children and adults in the UK whose lives are affected by OCD.
OCD presents itself in many guises, and certainly goes far beyond the common perception that OCD is merely handwashing or checking light switches. In general, OCD sufferers experience obsessions which take the form of persistent and uncontrollable thoughts, images, impulses, worries, fears or doubts. They are often intrusive, unwanted, disturbing, and significantly interfere with the ability to function on a day-to-day basis as they are incredibly difficult to ignore.
International OCD Awareness Week runs from 10-16 October 2011.
For more information or to attend the event, which runs from 10.30am-1pm, please contact Ashley Fulwood of OCD-UK on 0845 120 3778 or email office@ocduk.org , or Eva Zysk (University of Reading) at eva.zysk@reading.ac.uk
For further information about OCD, please visit www.ocduk.org
ENDS