With the right support, we can and do recover. The Dual Diagnosis Hub can help everyone to find the best dual diagnosis support and resources available.
We use these phrases to describe people who think about something a lot or do something repeatedly, even when others can’t see any reason for it. It isn’t usually a problem and, in some lines of work, can even be helpful.
However, some people have distressing thoughts that come into their mind again and again, or experience urges to do the same thing again and again. This can come to dominate your life, stop you from enjoying things and even stop you from doing things you need to do.
So, if:
or
you could have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
This leaflet is for anyone who has problems with obsessions or compulsions. We hope it will also be helpful for family and friends – and anyone else who wants to find out about OCD.
It describes what it’s like to have OCD, some of the help that is available, and how well it works, how you can help yourself and how to help someone else who is depressed. It also mentions some of the things we don’t know about OCD. At the end of the leaflet, there is a list of other places to find more information, and references to the research on which this leaflet is based.
OCD has three main parts.
Let’s look at these in more detail.
“I fear I will harm my baby daughter. I know I don’t want to, but bad thoughts keep coming into my head. I can picture myself losing control and stabbing her with a knife. The only way I can get rid of these ideas is to say a prayer, and then have a good thought such as “I know I love her very much”. I usually feel a bit better after that, until the next time those awful pictures come into my head. I have hidden away all sharp objects and knives in my house. I think to myself “you must be a horrible mother to think like this. I must be going mad”. – Dawn
“My whole day is spent checking that nothing will go wrong. It takes me an hour to get out of the house in the morning, because I am never sure that I’ve turned off all the electrical appliances like the cooker, and locked all the windows. Then I check to see that the gas fire is off five times, but if it doesn’t feel right I have to do the whole thing again. In the end, I ask my partner to check it all for me again anyway. At work I am always behind as I go through everything several times in case I have made a mistake. If I don’t check I feel so worried I can’t bear it. It’s ridiculous I know, but I think if something awful did happen, I’d be to blame”. – John
“I’m afraid of catching something from other people. I spend hours bleaching all the surfaces in my house to stop the germs, and wash my hands many times each day. I try not to go out of the house if possible. When my husband and children come back home, I ask them in great detail where they have been, in case they have visited somewhere dangerous, like a hospital. I also make them take off all their clothes and wash themselves thoroughly. Part of me realises these fears are stupid. My family are sick of it, but it has gone on for so long now I can’t stop”. – Liz
About 1 in every 50 people suffer from OCD at some point in their lives2, men and women equally3. That adds up to over 1 million people in the U.K.
Famous sufferers may include the biologist Charles Darwin, the pioneering nurse Florence Nightingale, the actress Cameron Diaz, and the soccer player David Beckham.
This resource provides information, not advice.
The content in this resource is provided for general information only. It is not intended to, and does not, amount to advice which you should rely on. It is not in any way an alternative to specific advice.
You must therefore obtain the relevant professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action based on the information in this resource.
If you have questions about any medical matter, you should consult your doctor or other professional healthcare provider without delay.
If you think you are experiencing any medical condition, you should seek immediate medical attention from a doctor or other professional healthcare provider.
Although we make reasonable efforts to compile accurate information in our resources and to update the information in our resources, we make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether express or implied, that the content in this resource is accurate, complete or up to date.
Are you plagued by obsessive thoughts, rituals or routines? Would you like to regain control over your behaviour and cast your fears aside?
Whether you are compelled to wash your hands more and more thoroughly or feel the need to keep checking that you’ve turned off appliances, obsessive worries can be a drain on daily life. However, you don’t need to suffer any more. This practical guide, written by three leading cognitive behavioural therapy experts, enables you to make sense of your symptoms, and gives a simple plan to help you conquer OCD.
Includes: detailed information on the many different manifestations of OCD; the differences between normal and obsessive worries; clear information on treating your individual problem; real-life case studies and examples; and advice and support for friends and family of OCD sufferers.
Whether your condition is mild or severe, this definitive resource will help you reclaim your life and keep OCD away for good.
Become part of a rapidly growing community for people with co-occurring mental health & addiction issues.
The community’s purpose is to help people to develop effective recovery support networks to aid recovery from both mental health & addiction issues.
Not only does the community provide ways of communicating with others who have a dual diagnosis, but is also planning on running peer-led support groups.