What do you think of when you hear the term “OCD”?

In pop culture, people with obsessive-compulsive disorder are often portrayed as meticulous to an extreme degree. They’re highly organized, perfectionistic, or germophobic — like Jack Nicholson’s character in the film “As Good As It Gets”, who tosses out bars of soap after using them once.

Depictions like that aren’t inaccurate, but they’re not the whole story.

Research shows that 1 in 40 American adults have OCD or will develop it at some point in their lives, according to the International OCD Foundation. Although the term “OCD” is often used casually, the disorder must be diagnosed by a medical professional.

NPR wanted to take a closer look at how people with OCD cope with it every day. Click here to read the article.

Christina J. Taylor, Ph.D., OCD Connecticut Clinical Board Advisor, and OCD Connecticut board members are presenting a virtual workshop – “Evidence-Based Treatment for OCD – Strategies for Improving Access to Care” – at the Connecticut Psychological Association’s 38th Annual Convention on Thursday, November 7th, 2024, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm. For more information, you can visit the convention’s website at https://connpsych.org/convention.

November 23–24, 2024 (Saturday–Sunday)

The 2024 Online OCD Conference sponsored by StopOCD is back for its fifth straight year!

#OnlineOCDCon features two full days of live, interactive programming for those with lived experience, family members, and therapists who work with OCD.

And it’s all accessible right from your home. No matter where you are, you’re welcome to join us for two days of presentations, support groups, after-hours activities, and more.

Meet and spend time with others who are impacted by OCD and related disorders — and OCD clinicians and researchers!

Please note, the Online OCD Conference only features programming for individuals 18 years or older. For virtual resources for youth impacted by OCD, check out the Online OCD Camp taking place Feb 1-2, 2025. Learn more about OCD Camp.

The Online OCD Conference is organized by the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), a donor-supported nonprofit supporting all those impacted by OCD and related disorders.

The mission of the IOCDF is to ensure that no one affected by OCD and related disorders suffers alone. Our community provides help, healing, and hope. Our vision is that everyone impacted by OCD and related disorders has immediate access to effective treatment and support.

The IOCDF provides up-to-date education and resources, strengthens community engagement, delivers quality professional training, and advances groundbreaking research.

After the event ends, everything will be accessible for 60 days, so you can make this conference count. We hope to see you there!

As part of our Lecture Series, we are honored to announce that we are sponsoring a virtual Zoom event featuring a conversation with Martin N. Seif, Ph.D., on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm.

A master clinician with over 35 years of experience, Dr. Seif has pioneered innovative and highly effective treatment approaches for anxiety disorders, including Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Specific Phobias, Social Anxiety Disorder, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

A founder and founding board member of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, Dr. Seif also served on its Clinical Advisory Board.

Dr. Seif is an author and lecturer: he is co-author, with Sally Winston of “What Every Therapist Needs to Know About Anxiety Disorders; Key concepts, insights, interventions.” (Rutledge, 2014), “Overcoming Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts: A CBT-Based Guide to Getting Over Frightening, Obsessive, or Disturbing Thoughts“, (New Harbinger, 2017), and “Needing to Know for Sure: A CBT-Based Guide to Overcoming Compulsive Checking and Reassurance Seeking“ (New Harbinger, 2019), and his newest book “Overcoming Anticipatory Anxiety: A CBT Guide for Moving Past Chronic Indecisiveness, Avoidance, and Catastrophic Thinking.” He has lectured at the American Psychological Association, The International Obsessive Compulsive Foundation, and The Anxiety and Depression Association.

From 1999 to 2019, Dr. Seif served as the Associate Director of the Anxiety and Phobia Treatment Center at White Plains Hospital Center. He is also a voluntary faculty member at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, where he has trained psychiatric residents and psychology fellows.

For more information about Dr. Seif, you can visit his website at drmartinseif.com.

The event will focus on the topic of intrusive thoughts. Dr. Seif will start with a brief presentation, followed by a question and answer session.

To register for this event, visit https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUtf-2tqTMjH9f24taKcu1KjY8ilW2pfcBi. The Zoom registration will ask you to submit a question for Dr. Seif.

OCD Awareness Week (#OCDweek) is a worldwide event that serves to dispel myths about obsessive compulsive disorder, break the stigma around mental illness, and provide education about the disorder and how to support those affected.

For the over 200 million people worldwide living with OCD, public misconception can prevent them from accessing the timely, effective treatment they need to move from suffering to thriving.

This #OCDweek, whether you share facts, tell your own story, or otherwise support OCD Awareness Week, you are making a powerful difference.

An NPR/ProPublica investigation found that therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists who join insurance networks often leave, largely because of challenges from insurers to get reimbursed for treatment. Click here to watch the video.

They studied, honed their skills and opened practices, joining health insurance networks that put them within reach of people who couldn’t afford to pay for sessions out of pocket. So did hundreds of other psychologists, psychiatrists and therapists who shared their experiences. But one after another, they confronted a system set up to squeeze them out. Although federal law requires insurers to provide the same access to mental and physical health care, these companies have been caught, time and again, shortchanging customers with mental illness — restricting coverage and delaying or denying treatment. Click here to read the article.

We are excited to announce that we are holding a “Meet and Greet” event on Thursday, September 26, 2024. This event aims to raise awareness and educate the community about OCD. This will be a wonderful opportunity for the affiliate to meet with people who wish to learn more about OCD. This event is ideal for individuals and families living with OCD, as well as family members and supporters of those suffering from OCD.

The event will be held at:

Acton Public Library
Grady Thomas Room
60 Old Boston Post Road
Old Saybrook, CT 06475

Time: 6:00pm to 7:30pm

This event is free. Refreshments will be provided.

Please RSVP to [email protected] if you’re interested in attending.

Download the event flyer.

Link to the survey: https://mun.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0IfpyDnwpATBnJs

Click here to download the study’s flyer.