News

The UC San Diego School of Medicine OCD Research Program is investigating different treatment approaches for individuals with OCD and they are interested in your opinion regarding treatment preferences and effectiveness! This online survey will only take 25 minutes to complete and will be helpful for future treatment development.

You are eligible if you are age 18-75, have OCD, and are fluent in the English language.

Link to the study: alliant.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aay03Hys2dN94Rn. Find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ucsdocd.researchprogram. Click here to download a flyer containing more details regarding the study.

Anxiety in the Classroom is an online resource center for school personnel, students, and their families. This website provides general information, resources, and materials about anxiety and OCD as they relate to the school setting, as well as more specific tools for teachers, administrators, and other school personnel who may work with students with anxiety and/or OCD. Parents and students will also find tools and information to help them advocate for school accommodations, as well as to educate their teachers and classmates about OCD and anxiety. Click here to go to the website.

Thomas Smalley calls his YouTube page “Struggle Into Strength.” Anyone who has watched his two documentaries can begin to understand the enormity of his struggle with OCD and his strength to overcome it. A college junior and psychology major, Smalley works hard these days to give us a clue. A strong young man who is on a mission to help people understand OCD, his goals are to spread the word to those suffering from mental illness that they are not alone and to help eliminate the stigma. Click here to read the article.

The Anxiety Institute is hosting free screenings for a documentary that sparks conversation about mental health. The film “Angst: Raising Awareness Around Anxiety,” comprises stories about teens who are living with anxiety disorder, OCD and trauma. After the film, experts will offer tips on coping and the different treatment options that are available.

Free screenings will be held October 3 at Prospector Theater, 25 Prospect St., Ridgefield, CT, 7:00 to 8:30 pm and October 17 at Bow Tie Ultimate Royale 6, 542 Westport Ave., Norwalk, CT, 7:00 to 8:30 pm. RSVP to angstmovie.com/anxiety-institute-events.

SUNY Downstate Medical Center’s Department of Psychiatry in Brooklyn, NY is conducting a research study sponsored by the NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health). Research has shown that genes can make some people more likely than others to develop OCD and related disorders. The goal of this study is to identify these genes.

ELIGIBILITY:

• 7 years of age old or older.
• Have symptoms or a diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Related Disorders (Hoarding Disorder, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Hair Pulling Disorder/Trichotillomania, and Skin Picking Disorder/Excoriation Disorder).

STUDY PROCEDURES:

• Complete a screening questionnaire on personal and family health history.
• Be interviewed by a clinician about your symptoms.
• Give a small blood sample (about 3 tablespoons).
• Be compensated for your time and effort.

If you are interested in learning more about this study, please contact SUNY Downstate Medical Center at:
Email: InstituteforGenomicHealth@downstate.edu
Phone: 718-270-8254
All inquiries are confidential

Click here to download a flyer containing all information.

Typically patients with OCD see a therapist once a week for an hour over several months, but this intensive therapy program for OCD consists of two-hour group meetings three times a week, plus up to four additional hours of individual therapy per week. Some patients complete the treatment in just two weeks. The program is part of a new wave of concentrated, intensive therapy programs for psychiatric disorders. Click here to read the article.

A new study reports that children who possess tendencies toward perfectionism and excessive self-control are twice as likely as other children to develop OCD by the time they reach their teens. MRI scans taken as part of the research revealed that the perfectionists often had smaller volumes of a brain structure previously linked to OCD. Click here to read the article.

The 1 Million Steps 4 OCD Walk is back this spring, with even more ways for walkers to take a step and become part of the #OCDwalk movement. The 1 Million Steps 4 OCD Walk represents a chance for the community to bring greater awareness to OCD and related disorders, while also helping to raise funds for programs run by the IOCDF and its Local Affiliates. These programs aim to support all those affected by OCD and to further educate the greater community about what it means to live with OCD and/or a related disorder.

This year, more than 25 OCD Walks will take place across the US over the first two weekends in June! Whether you’re able to join us at the flagship 1 Million Steps 4 OCD Walk in Boston, attend an OCD Walk hosted by one of our Local Affiliates in cities across the US, or participate by setting up a team as part of the Community Walk and holding a grassroots event, there’s an opportunity for everyone to get involved!

The Boston walk will take place on Sunday June 3rd, 2018 at the Jamaica Pond.

For more information and to register for the walk, click here.

The 25th Annual OCD Conference will be held in Washington D.C. on July 27-29, 2018. The 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. For more information, visit www.ocd2018.org.

The Yale OCD Research Clinic, based at the Connecticut Mental Health Center (CMHC) in New Haven, is currently running a range of studies, running the gamut from cognitive testing to neuroimaging to pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment studies.

They are currently conducting a new treatment study for adults with refractory OCD. They have been studying the FDA-approved drug riluzole for refractory OCD for over a decade and are now partnering with a local pharmaceutical startup, BioHaven (led by Yale’s own Vlad Coric), to test the efficacy of a riluzole prodrug (trigriluzole) that has better pharmacokinetics and tolerability than riluzole itself.

Patients for this study must have a diagnosis of OCD that is their primary psychiatric problem and must be stably medicated on an SSRI or clomipramine. Certain other antidepressants are permitted, as is stable (but not new) therapy and low-dose benzodiazepine use. The study consists of a placebo-controlled, blinded 12-week treatment phase, followed by an optional 48-week open-label continuation phase.

There are several features of this study that may make it more attractive to patients than a typical industry-sponsored drug study. First, trigriluzole is converted into riluzole in the body, and we know a great deal about riluzole’s tolerability. We also believe, based on our published research, that riluzole helps some individuals with refractory OCD. So the new drug, trigriluzole, is much less of an unknown than many novel drugs in pharmaceutical studies. Second, because of the open-label follow-up phase, everyone who enters the study has an opportunity to try the new drug. Third, since the drug’s mechanism is the same as that of riluzole, patients who get some clinical benefit during the trial can continue treatment (with rilzuole) without interruption, even if there is a delay in getting the new drug approved by the FDA.

Interested patients who would like to participate in this exciting trial can contact Christopher Pittenger, MD, PhD, director of the Yale OCD Research Clinic, by email at christopher.pittenger@yale.edu.