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

The One Million Steps for OCD 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 benefit the OCD and related disorders community.

Click here for more information and to register or donate.

ANNOUNCING THE 2022 FAITH & OCD CONFERENCE
Monday, May 9, 2022 • 12–5pm ET

Registration is open for the second annual Faith and OCD Conference, happening virtually Monday, May 9! Join the IOCDF for this collaborative conversation between faith leaders, mental health professionals, and the OCD community.

Navigating OCD in Diverse Faith-Based Communities

What They Will Cover

Attend virtually, from anywhere!

Many people living with OCD initially seek assistance from faith leaders. This conference addresses the needs of a diverse community — spanning all faiths, ethnicities, and backgrounds. They will provide education about effective treatment and ways to support those in the faith community living with OCD.

Who Should Attend

Individuals with faith-based OCD, faith leaders, and mental health providers

Individuals & Families — Hear from faith leaders and mental health professionals about how to build a supportive network for recovery — and receive messages of hope shared by those impacted by OCD.

Faith Leaders — Hear from community members with faith-related OCD and learn how to recognize symptoms. Learn about treatment options and how you can help in the recovery process.

Mental Health Professionals — Hear how OCD and treatment intersect with your clients’ faith practices. Learn how to adapt your practice by integrating faith leaders and families in the development of treatment plans. CE credits provided.

Researchers at Suffolk University and the New England Center for OCD and Anxiety are seeking youth participants (13-17 years old) and their parents to participate in a study that aims to assess how cognitive processes, particularly executive functioning, relate to treatment engagement in youth with OCD.

They are looking to recruit youth participants, 13-17 years old, who have tried at least two sessions of therapy for OCD. The study can be completed entirely online and will take participants approximately 35 minutes to complete. For their time, youth participants will receive a self-help book for teens with OCD and a chance to win one of two $100 Visa gift cards in a raffle at the end of the recruitment period as compensation.

If you are interested or have questions call, text, or email the study team:

Katrina Daigle, MA, MS
Study Co-Investigator
kdaigle@suffolk.edu
617-394-8876

Click here to download a flyer containing more information.

Talk about treatment, successes, challenges, and goals with peers who understand what you are going through!

For ages 14-18
Meets every Monday
4:00 – 5:00 PM

Discussion topics include OCD and School, Friends, College, Independence, Parents, and more.

All participants MUST have a parent/guardian fill out a consent form. If you are interested, please contact us at clinicalcare@behavioralwellnessclinic.com or at 860-830-7838 for more information. Meeting information will then be sent to you.

Click here to download a flyer with all the details.

Note: It is a $45 group. Contact the clinic for more pricing details if interested.

Dartmouth College is conducting an online anonymous survey in order to help them better understand the impact of OCD and various treatments on agency, or the ability for an individual to think, choose, and act freely.

The purpose of this study is to more deeply understand agency. The goal is to characterize the effects of different neuropsychiatric conditions on individuals’ agency so they can help patients make more informed decisions about treatments.

Your responses will help them to create a test that can be used to track how patients’ agency changes (either improves or gets worse) and how it is affected by different treatment options.

Who can participate?
Individuals 18 or older, with no history of dementia, recent diagnosis of a reading disability, at least an 8th grade English reading level, and no intellectual disability.

What will be asked of you?
You will fill out an online survey with approximately 170-200 questions, it will take about 35-45 minutes

To thank you for your time, you will have the option to be entered into a monthly raffle for a $150 Amazon gift card.

If you would like to participate:

1.  Send an email to Ashley Walton at: AgencyLabProject1@dartmouth.edu.
2.  You will receive a reply email that includes the link to the online survey.

*The information collected will be maintained anonymously, and cannot be linked back to you.

Click here to download a flyer with all the information.
The link to the survey is https://dartmouth.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5o6JEnCiAj3xtZk.

Researchers at Kent State University have a new study aiming to better understand factors that influence an individual’s susceptibility to OCD. OCD is a complex disorder with many underlying causes and risk factors, and these factors might be accentuated during the current global pandemic (COVID-19). With your help, they hope to develop a better understanding of these causes and risk factors and how they manifest during stressful times to improve available treatments to better help others in the future. The study consists of a 25-minute online survey that asks about emotional experiences, common types of recurring thoughts/obsessions, and experiences in romantic relationships. This study has been approved by Kent State University’s Institutional Review Board.

If you are interested in participating:
Please visit Kent State’s webpage at https://www.clinicalaffectivesciencelab.com/participate to find the link to the study survey under Emotion and Cognition in OCD. You can also click here to download a flyer containing information about the study.