Do you have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)?
Are you in a romantic relationship? AND/OR Do you have a child aged 6-17?

If this is the case, you may be eligible to participate in a study exploring familial relationships in adults with OCD. As a result of the study, we hope to better understand the impacts of OCD on family life, and to shed light on specific familial issues relative to OCD.

Participation in the study includes a 15- to 30- minute interview, which may be conducted in person or through Skype. You will also be asked to complete a series of online questionnaires about your thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and your romantic and/or parent-child relationships. The whole procedure should take between 35 and 90 minutes.

To be eligible for this study, you must be 18 or over, have a primary diagnosis of OCD, and either (a) be in a romantic relationship or have been in a relationship in the last six months, (b) have at least one child aged between 6 and 17 years old with whom you have regular contact, or (c) both.

This study is being conducted by Dr. Eric Storch, Ph.D. at the Rothman Center for Pediatric Neuropsychiatry, USF (University of South Florida)
For further information please contact the study coordinator, Dr. Valerie L.B. Ariza at valerielabui@health.usf.edu or (727) 898-7451

The International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) Needs Your Help!

Mental illness doesn’t discriminate — and everyone deserves access to effective treatment for OCD and related disorders. As part of its diversity initiative, The International OCD Foundation needs the participation of the greater OCD community to help spread the word. Here is how:

1) The International OCD Foundation would like to make a video accessible to everyone, so they are seeking participants who speak a language in addition to English to participate. If you speak a non-English language, please make a video of yourself saying the phrase “Effective treatment for everyone” in your chosen language.
2) Once recorded, please upload your video to YouTube or Vimeo, and include how the phrase would be written in your chosen language.
3) Contact The International OCD Foundation by sharing your video on Facebook or Twitter using the #IOCDF4ALL, or by messaging them on Facebook or emailing them at info@IOCDF.org to share the link to your video and let us know that you have participated.

They will edit all of these videos together and if yours is chosen, you will see this video on its website, social media and at the Annual OCD Conference. For more info, go to https://www.facebook.com/IOCDF/.

The Yale School of Medicine is currently looking for participants that suffer from OCD to take part in a study that tries to teach subjects to regulate brain activation to control their reaction to OCD provocative stimuli. For more information, go to http://ocd.yale.edu/research/treatment.aspx.

Mark your calendars and join us on Saturday, June 3, 2017, for the 1 Million Steps 4 OCD Walk. The International OCD Foundation will be hosting its 5th annual flagship Walk in Boston. Together with members of the OCD community — including individuals with OCD, mental health professionals, friends, family members, coworkers, children, and even four-legged friends (dogs must be on a leash, of course) — we will walk to help us raise awareness for OCD and related disorders. Registration is now open!

Let’s see how many million steps we can collectively take for OCD if we all work together! 1 in 100 people in the US are living with OCD. And many of those people don’t have access to effective treatment. Help us change that. Take a step and be part of #1million4OCD.

Please check out the International OCD Foundation’s registration web page (https://www.crowdrise.com/Boston-1MILLIONSTEPS4OCDWALK2017) for more details!

The International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) works hard to raise public awareness about OCD and related disorders and our programs. Visit the links below for some of the many news stories featuring the IOCDF and its affiliates.

• Chicago Tribune (October 21, 2016) — The challenges of dating with OCD
• Metro Boston (October 17, 2016) — Foundation marks 30 years of building awareness of OCD
• Washington Post (October 11, 2016) — What obsessive-compulsive disorder does to a young mind when it grows unchecked
• NECN’s The Take (October 10, 2016) — Raising OCD Awareness
• The Atlantic (September 29, 2016) — Hoarding in the Time of Marie Kondo
• Mashable (September 12, 2016) — The scary, intrusive thoughts you can only confess to a search engine
• AMI Newswire (September 9, 2016) — New partnership may help treat obsessive compulsive disorder
• WGN TV (July 29, 2016) — OCD sufferers fight anxiety with improv comedy
• Psychology Today (July 27, 2016) — The International OCD Conference: A Focus on Compassion

Christina J. Taylor, Ph.D. (left) and Kathy Fagan (right), a member of the Fairfield County OCD Support Group, spoke at the “Living With OCD” event, sponsored by OCD Connecticut, at the Yale Child Study Center on October 15, 2016.

This annual day-long program is an educational and supportive forum for members of the community about OCD, its symptoms, its effects on families, and current evidence-based treatments. Dr. Taylor spoke about her recently published book, OCD: A Workbook for Clinicians, Children and Teens – Actions to Beat, Control & Defeat Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Held during OCD Awareness Week, this event featured Taylor and a panel of people living with OCD.

Dr. Taylor is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Sacred Heart University and has a private practice in Fairfield, CT.

To learn more about OCD Awareness Week, go to the IOCDF website at iocdf.org/programs/ocdweek.

Each month the IOCDF’s Spotlight blog brings you the latest in research news and information on OCD. Spotlight is also available via email so you can receive the latest research news and information directly in your inbox. Sign up to receive future issues by going here and selecting the “Spotlight” option on our email signup form.

The Intensive Program for OCD at Bradley Hospital in East Providence, RI provides treatment to children and adolescents, ages 5 to 18, who experience significant impairment in their daily lives due to OCD and obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders. The program is one of many renowned programs and services that bring families from across the country to Bradley Hospital, the nation’s first psychiatric hospital devoted exclusively to children and adolescents. For more information, you can contact Amy Cousineau, LICSW (Clinical Social Worker) at 401-432-1516 or ACousineau@lifespan.org.

The Anxiety & Phobia Treatment Center at White Plains Hospital in White Plains, NY plans to offer a six-week workshop for people suffering with OCD starting in May. According to the National Institute for Health, approximately 2.2 million adult Americans have some form of OCD. Their approach will be a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy one that includes exposure experiences and ritual prevention. The workshop will consist of weekly group sessions and individual sessions with one of their anxiety specialists. Please click here to go to their website for more information.

Christina J. Taylor, Ph.D, a member of our Clinical and Scientific Advisory Board, announces the release of her new book, “OCD: A Workbook for Clinicians, Children and Teens; Actions to Beat, Control & Defeat Obsessive Compulsive Disorder”. This book is a user-friendly, creative and interactive book to help children and teens take control of OCD. With specific chapters for each type of OCD, children and teens will learn cognitive behavioral strategies to overcome their obsessions and compulsions. The book is available on Amazon.com and Pesi.com.