OCD is a form of anxiety disorder, which can vary from very mild to severe, and can take many different and novel forms. It can affect children, teenagers and adults. Some people are bothered by upsetting thoughts that they can't get rid of no matter how hard they try; other people feel compelled to wash their hands, or to check things, even though logically they know there is no need.

When people are troubled by their obsessional problems they can experience very high levels of anxiety and distress, and can find that the problem takes up a lot of their time and attention. It can interfere with a child's ability to go to school, play with their friends, or interfere with almost every aspect of their life. In adults it can disrupt a person's ability to work, their personal relationships and even lead to people becoming housebound.

Find Out More and Seek Help

OCD Action: Aberdeen Centre, 22-24 Highbury Grove, London N5 2EA, Information Line: 0845 390 6232 (you can leave a message here asking for leaflets to be sent to you), Office: 0870 360 6232, E-mail: info@ocdaction.org.uk, Website: www.ocdaction.org.uk
Offers advice and support for people experiencing obsessive-compulsive disorder and related disorders such as body dysmorphic disorder, compulsive skin picking and trichotillomania. Also provides information for carers and interested professionals. Can provide details of local support groups.

OCD-UK: PO Box 8955, Nottingham NG10 9AU, Tel: 0870 126 9506 (24 hours), E-mail: admin@ocduk.org, Website: www.ocduk.org
Charity run by sufferers of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder for all people who are affected by OCD. Aims to advance awareness, provide support and information, and improve the quality of life of those with OCD. Website has information about treatment, self-help, local support groups and discussion forums.

Websites

Anxiety Care: Cardinal Heenan Centre, 326 High Road, Ilford IG1 1QP, Helpline: 020 8478 3400 (Wed 10am-3pm), Telephone: 020 8262 8891, E-mail: enquiries@anxietycare.org.uk, Website: www.anxietycare.org.uk
Anxiety Care is a registered charity based in East London that specialises in helping people to recover from anxiety disorder and to maintain that recovery.

KidsHealth: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: www.kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/learning_problem/ocd_p2.html
Just for kids site that covers the problems and fears surrounding OCD really well.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in Children and Adolescents: http://psychology.iop.kcl.ac.uk/ocdkids
Children of all ages can be affected by OCD. This website provides more information about OCD in children and adolescents and also contains advice for parents and health professionals.

OCD Information for Kids Under 10: http://psychology.iop.kcl.ac.uk/ocdkids/patients/Under-tens.aspx
Webpage full of helpful info presented alongside fun graphics especially for the under tens.

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust http://www.slam.nhs.uk/default.aspx
Information for anyone wanting to know more about OCD in children and young people.

Things you need to know about OCD: Information for Young People: http://ocdyouth.iop.kcl.ac.uk
A website written by and for young people with OCD, giving information on the disorder and its treatments.

Further Readings – Books for children and parents of children with OCD

Freeing Your Child from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder by Tamar Chansky (Times Books, 2001)
Proven techniques parents can use to help their children break the debilitating cycles of obsessive-compulsive disorder and take control of their own lives. Offers step-by-step ways to guide children out of OCD and help parents cope every step of the way.

Helping your Child with OCD by Lee Fitzgibbons and Cherry Pedrick (New Harbinger, 2003)
This book offers strategies that parents can use to help their child break free from OCD.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Help for children and adolescents by Mitzi Waltz (O'Reilly, 2000)
With prompt, consistent intervention, most young people with OCD can get back control of their lives. Author Mitzi Waltz, an advocate for children's neurological issues, has included the stories of dozens of parents and adolescents.

Touch and Go Joe: An adolescent's experience of OCD by Joe Wells (Jessica Kingsley Publishers, March 2006)
A personal account of OCD and recovery by a teenager with OCD.

Up and Down the Worry Hill by Aureen Wagner (Lighthouse Press, 2004)
This book has been written for children by a Child Psychologist who specializes in anxiety disorders. It uses images and metaphors and makes Obsessive-Compulsive-Disorders really clear and easily understandable for everybody.

What to Do When Your Child has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Strategies and solutions by Aureen Wagner (Lighthouse Press, 2002)
Straight talking help and information that aims to minimize the impact of OCD on a child and his/her family.

Willy and the Wobbly House by Margot Sunderland (Speechmark Publishing, 2001)
A story for children aged 4-12 who are anxious or obsessional. Presents strategies for dealing with anxiety.

Books for Adults and Older Adolescents

Buried in Treasures: Help for compulsive acquiring, saving, and hoarding by David Tolin, Randy Frost and Gail Steketee (Oxford University Press, February 2007)
Written by scientists who over 12 years have developed a scientifically based and effective skill-building programme for treating compulsive hoarding. The book also provides useful information for family members and friends of people who hoard.

Compulsive Hoarding and Acquiring: Workbook by Gail Steketee and Randy Frost (Oxford University Press, January 2007)
Used in conjunction with the treatment described in the therapist guide, this workbook teaches people how to minimize the negative effect clutter has on their lives, as well as the lives of those close to them. Using effective and practical techniques and skills, this program will help people get used to the idea of sorting, organizing, and gradually removing their unwanted possessions.

Making Peace with the Things in Your Life: Why your papers, books, clothes, and other possessions keep overwhelming you and what to do about it by Cindy Glovinsky (St Martin's Griffin, 2002)
Practicing psychotherapist and personal organizer, Glovinsky explain this disorder and offers solutions. Writing in a supportive, non-judgemental way, she uses humorous examples, questionnaires, and exercises to shed light on the real reasons why we feel so overwhelmed by objects and offers individualized suggestions tailored to specific organizing problems.

Overcoming Compulsive Hoarding: Why you save and how you can stop Fugen A. Neziroglu, Jerome Bubrick and Jose Yaryura-Tobias (New Harbinger, 2004)
Three compulsive hoarding experts provide a research-based cognitive behavioral treatment plan to help compulsive hoarders learn to recognize the problem, understand the treatment options, and learn gentle techniques to free themselves of this debilitating disorder.