In celebration of International OCD Awareness Week, OCD Connecticut is presenting a colloquium – Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Getting Help and Support for Recovery – on October 13, 2022 at Sacred Heart University (SHU) in Fairfield, Connecticut. Drs. Christina Taylor and Diane Sholomskas, OCD Connecticut Clinical Board Advisors, and members of the Fairfield County OCD Support Group will discuss the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of OCD. The presentation is sponsored by The Human Journey Colloquia 2022 Series and is free and open to the public.

The panel will be held at 7:00 PM in the Loris Forum in the Martire Building at SHU.

OCD Connecticut is taking part in the One Million Steps for OCD Walk sponsored by @iocdf with a grassroots community walk during OCD Awareness Week in October 2022. This walk provides a supportive community, increases awareness, and raises funds for the IOCDF and its Local Affiliates, enabling them to continue their mission. Funds raised will benefit the OCD and related disorders community. Together we’re embracing uncertainty, one step at a time!

Date: October 15 at 9:00 AM (Rain date is October 16)
Location: Jennings Beach in Fairfield, CT

You can support us by either registering to join our Community Walk Team or by making a donation to our team. Visit our Team Page for the One Million Steps Walk for more information.

Elise Petronzio is the founder of the ocdopus, an OCD advocacy & recovery shop. Elise has had OCD since she was at least six years old. She often thought about things she would love to buy for herself or her friends with OCD. As a result, she started taking those ideas and making them into products that people could actually buy and give to each other.

the ocdopus sells hats, shirts, stickers, sweatshirts, accessories, and jewelry. People give these products to their friends, family members, children, therapists, clients, and support groups. These items spread awareness of what OCD is and what the recovery process entails, in addition to showing solidarity in fighting both the disorder itself and the stigma surrounding it.

These products would make great gifts for the holiday season!

Join the IOCDF for the largest national conference dedicated to OCD!

November 4–6, 2022 (Friday–Sunday)

This year’s conference will feature three days of learning, community building, and virtual programming for the entire OCD and related disorders community, including:

• Individuals with lived experience
• Family members & supporters
• Mental health professionals & researchers

Learn more and register at onlineocdconference.org. Download a conference flyer.

Sessions will be broadcast live via Zoom, meaning anyone from anywhere can attend!

What’s more, content will be available for 60 days following the event, giving you time to access ALL of #OCDCon.

Experiences of racial microaggressions can be challenging for people and some research has suggested they relate to obsessive compulsive symptoms. We are seeking to study frequency of experience of racial microaggressions, obsessive compulsive symptoms, and psychological flexibility. Studying psychological flexibility can help us learn how to support people facing these experiences. We appreciate your time and consideration of this brief survey.

Who is eligible: People who are over age 18 and identify with at least one non-white racial identity.

What is involved: Two brief 10-15 min surveys one month apart. You can choose to participate now and then will be contacted in one month for the second survey.

Participants who complete 75% or more of the survey and pass all checks for spam can be entered into a raffle to win one of five $25 gift cards! There will be a raffle for each time point of the survey!

Contact mbrowning@umassd.edu or elizabeth.richardson@umassd.edu for questions and concerns.

Download a flyer regarding the survey. Click here to access the survey.

We are happy to welcome a new board member, Audrey Medd. She will act as our Secretary. Audrey will also be our social media outreach liaison. Audrey is passionate about OCD advocacy and would like everyone out there to know that they are not alone in this struggle. Her hope for OCD CT is to bring awareness, education, and support to help people and families struggling with this debilitating disorder.

The Massachusetts General Hospital is currently recruiting for a new research study that will use a MR-PET scanner to examine the brains of adults with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder or Tourette Syndrome. The study will include two visits at the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging. Participants will be compensated up to $200 for their time.

Participants must be:
– Between the ages of 18 and 40 years old
– Diagnosed with either OCD or TS

For more information, please contact Hooker Research Group staff at

617-643-7811
OR
imagingstudy@mgh.harvard.edu

Download a flyer with more information

Butler Hospital is conducting a research study to help understand the knowledge and attitudes toward neurocircuitry-based services in patients with OCD. You must have a current or past diagnosis of OCD to participate. Participants who do not have a diagnosis of OCD are ineligible to participate and will be forwarded to the end of the survey. Many patients with severe OCD do not respond to traditional treatments including therapy and medication. Reassuringly, neurocircuitry-based procedures including Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), neurosurgery, and Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) have proven effective in treating severe OCD. The survey will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. Butler Hospital anticipates minimal risk for completing the survey. Participants in the study agree to read the materials thoroughly and to answer questions carefully and honestly.

Click here to access the survey.

OCD Connecticut recently relocated from Old Saybrook to the Fairfield/Trumbull area, and a new Executive Board has been elected: Laura Damm and Anne Yacoviello (Co-Presidents), Urb Leimkuhler (Vice-President), and Rocco Clericuzio (Treasurer and Webmaster).

OCD CT was founded as an IOCDF Affiliate by Susan Schuster and, up through 2021, it was led by Jennifer Piper and Michelle McLain (Co-Presidents), Susan Schuster (Vice President), Collin Schuster (Secretary), and Robert Schuster (Treasurer).  Under their leadership, OCD CT mobilized educational programs and support resources for the people of Connecticut, including a grant to the Fairfield County OCD Support Group to offer virtual meetings via Zoom during the Pandemic.

The Clinical and Scientific Advisory Board members, led by Christina Taylor, Ph.D. and Diane Sholomskas, Ph.D., who will continue to serve, include Amy Cawman, LCSW, Heidi Grantz, LCSW, Christopher Pittenger, MD, Ph.D., and Denis G. Sukhodolsky, Ph.D.

As a first order of business under the new leadership, OCD CT is planning a fundraising walk and an educational and awareness event during OCD Awareness Week in October 2022.

July 8-10, 2022 (Friday–Sunday)
(Pre-conference events on Thursday, July 7)

The Annual OCD Conference informs and empowers the OCD community by bringing together health professionals, researchers, individuals with OCD, and their loved ones, with the goal of educating all attendees about the latest treatments, research, and practice in OCD and related disorders.

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!!

Welcome to one of the largest national conferences dedicated to OCD!

This year’s Annual OCD Conference will feature three days of programming dedicated to obsessive-compulsive disorder and related disorders for the entire OCD community, including:

• Individuals with lived experience
• Family members and supporters
• Mental health professionals
• Researchers