OCD GENETICS STUDY
The Yale School of Medicine is conducting an OCD genetic study. The purpose of this study is to identify the genetic factors that cause OCD. This will greatly contribute to their understanding of OCD and may help develop new therapies in the future. This study requires participation from an individual with OCD and their biological parents, if possible. There is no age restriction to participate. The study can be done in-person or remotely, and participation will be compensated with a $100 Amazon gift card for a family or $30 for each individual. The Yale School of Medicine is not able to offer you a report of your genetic results because their studies are performed as research. Its research lab does not offer any treatment.
What do they need from you to participate?
1. Genetic Samples: They will obtain a blood sample and saliva sample for genetic analysis from the child and both parents. If a family member is unable to come to Yale University in person for a blood draw, they can send someone to your house to have this done at a convenient time for you.
2. Questionnaire: They will ask you to complete standardized questionnaires asking about how you and your child think, feel, and behave as well as questions about your medical and psychiatric history. These questionnaires can be completed from home, and they can assist with any questions or concerns.
3. Interview: Once you have completed the questionnaires and returned them to Yale, they will review them and set up a brief 15-20-minute phone call to review your responses.
The studies require participation from a child and both biological parents. Specifically, the Study Center is searching for families where the child (no age-restriction) is diagnosed with OCD/TS/Trichotillomania while the parents do not have the history. The studies can be done remotely and participation will be compensated with a $100 Amazon gift card for the family.
If you have further questions or are interested in participating in the study, please contact The Yale School of Medicine at findgenes@yale.edu, call them at (203)-677-0842, or use the following link to complete their study interest survey: https://yalesurvey.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_a2z1a5YDogG154i.
COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY (CBT) CLASS FOR HOARDING DISORDER
Click here to complete the referral form to participate in this class.
Click here to download the study’s flyer.
OCD RESEARCH STUDY (The OCD Academy)
Link to the survey: https://mun.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0IfpyDnwpATBnJs
Click here to download the study’s flyer.
PARENTS NEEDED! STUDY ON IMPROVING COGNITIVE EFFECTIVENESS FOR KIDS WITH OCD
Click here to download the study’s information sheet.
OCD RESEARCH STUDY AT UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION (DBS) STUDY FOR PATIENTS WITH OCD
Stanford Medicine is currently recruiting patients with OCD for a Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) clinical trial. DBS has provisional FDA approval for treating OCD under the Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE) and has shown significant benefit for many patients, but 40-50% of patients who have gotten DBS for OCD do not respond to the treatment. The purpose of their trial is to use multiple temporary implantable electrodes to identify the optimal stimulation locations in the brain for each patient that most effectively relieve their OCD symptoms, and then implant a DBS device with permanent electrodes at the best stimulation sites. The hope is to use this research to personalize OCD DBS treatment more effectively to improve patient outcomes.
Because this is an invasive clinical trial, they are enrolling patients with markers of severe OCD with a high degree of treatment resistance. Participants will need to meet the following criteria:
- Between the ages of 22 and 75.
- Have had OCD for more than 5 years.
- OCD is their primary psychiatric diagnosis.
- No substance use disorder in the last 2 years.
- No lifetime history of bipolar disorder or a psychotic disorder.
- Severe OCD symptoms.
- Failure to respond to multiple trials of medications, including two SSRI trials at maximum FDA approved dose, a trial of clomipramine, and at least 1 trial of augmentation with an antipsychotic medication.
- Failure to respond to Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP).
- No history of severe head trauma, implanted devices, or metal in the head.
- Does not plan to become pregnant in the next 3 years.
If you or someone you know would be a good candidate for this study, please reach out to Stanford Medicine at ocddbsstudy@stanford.edu.
KING’S COLLEGE LONDON OCD STUDY
Click here to download the survey’s information sheet.
STUDY FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC TIC DISORDERS (CTD), OCD, AND TIC ASSOCIATED OCD (TOCD)
The Tomczak Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital’s Department of Neurology is currently conducting a study where they are trying to characterize the gut microbiome in patients with Chronic Tic Disorders (CTD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Tic Associated OCD (TOCD) as compared to healthy controls and correlate variations in the gut microbiome with OCD and tic symptom severity. Currently, they are in the recruitment stage and are hoping that they may be able to connect for patient referrals for its study. There are eligibility requirements for the patients that they are recruiting such as:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Individuals who are age 6 to 17 with obsessive-compulsive disorder, chronic tic disorder, or are healthy controls without any neurological conditions.
- Parents or legal guardians willing to provide informed consent.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Individuals who do not speak English
- Patients with bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders, substance use disorders, functional neurologic disorders, Autism spectrum disorder, moderate to severe depression not in remission within the past year, eating disorders, or are pregnant.
- Patients with a prior diagnosis of Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections (PANDAS) or Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS).
- Patients with co-morbid GI conditions including obesity, celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, abdominal migraines, gastrointestinal cancers, gastric emptying disorders, and peptic ulcer disease.
- Patients who have had medication changes in the 4 weeks prior to either stool collection time point.
If you are interested in participating in this study, call 617-919-9302 or email BCHTicsOCD@childrens.harvard.edu. Download a summary of the study’s information.
SURVEY ON EMOTION REGULATION AND HEALTH BEHAVIORS IN CHILDREN WITH OCD AGED 10-17
Dr. Emily Ricketts, an investigator at the UCLA Child OCD Program, is conducting a survey on emotion regulation and health behaviors in children with OCD aged 10-17. The research study involves a 25-minute parent survey and a 20-minute child survey.
Download their IRB-approved study information sheet, as well as the flyer with a QR code. Upon scanning the QR code, interested participants will be prompted to input their name and email. After completing this form, you will receive a separate email with a personalized and secure link to the survey.
Upon successful completion of the survey and quality assurance checks, each participant will receive a $10 Amazon e-gift card.
BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE IS CONDUCTING AN OCD SURVEY
Baylor College of Medicine is launching what it is hoping will be the largest, most nationally representative survey on OCD to date – the National OCD Survey. Its goal is to reach as many adults with OCD as possible in all 50 states so that it can better understand the impact of sociocultural and regional influences on OCD. This is an anonymous online survey (it should take approximately 10 minutes to complete). The link to the survey is https://bcmpsych.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9LdbaR2yrj0oV7g.
STUDIES ON OCD GENETICS, TIC GENETICS, AND TRICHOTILLOMANIA/BFRB GENETICS
The Yale Child Study Center is conducting ongoing research studies and is currently looking for participants for their three genetics studies: OCD Genetics, TIC Genetics, and Trichotillomania/BFRB Genetics.
The purpose of these studies is to identify the genetic factors that cause these disorders using a family-based approach. To date, the Study Center has discovered five genes and it believes there are about 300-400 more (news stories here and here). It hopes that these discoveries will lead to the development of new treatments to help alleviate the suffering, but it will need the participation of many families in order to make this happen.
The studies require participation from a child and both biological parents. Specifically, the Study Center is searching for families where the child (no age-restriction) is diagnosed with OCD/TS/Trichotillomania while the parents do not have the history. The studies can be done remotely and participation will be compensated with a $100 Amazon gift card for the family.
For more information and how to participate in these studies, click on a link listed below to download a PDF document regarding the particular study you are interested in:
- OCD Genetics Study
- TIC Genetics: Tourette International Collaborative Genetics Study
- Trichotillomania and Other BFRBs Sequencing Study
You can also email Ana Bok, Postgraduate Research Associate at Yale School of Medicine, Yale Child Study Center at findgenes@yale.edu for more information.
OCD STUDY: EMOTION REGULATION, DEVELOPMENT, AND HEALTH FACTORS IN CHILDREN WITH OCD
Researchers in the Department of Psychiatry at University of California, Los Angeles are conducting a 45-minute survey examining emotion regulation, health, and development in children with OCD ages 10-17 years. We are recruiting children between the ages of 10 and 17 who have a diagnosis of OCD and their parents/caregivers to participate in the survey.
Participation will last approximately 45 minutes (25 minutes for parent questionnaires and 20 minutes for child questionnaires) and will involve questions about your child and families’ demographic and medical/psychiatric history, followed by questions regarding your child’s obsessive-compulsive symptom severity, associated impairment, family accommodation, internalizing and externalizing symptoms, anxiety sensitivity, sleep-wake profiles (i.e., chronotype), sleep disturbance, and sleep patterns. You will then be prompted to ask your child to complete the remaining portion of the survey in private, unless assistance is needed. Children will answer questions regarding their OCD symptoms, associated impairment, sleep-wake profiles (i.e., chronotype), sleep disturbance, sleep patterns, externalizing and internalizing symptoms, and emotion regulation.
You will have a 1 in 20 chance of receiving a $25 Amazon e-gift card for participating in the survey. Upon survey completion, your child will be redirected to a separate survey link that is not connected to survey answers, where they will be prompted to enter your email address.
You do not need to complete the survey in order to enter the lottery.
Visit the following link to read more information about the survey and participate: https://uclahs.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bEhl97GxW94xQXk
Please contact Valerie Swisher at VSwisher@mednet.ucla.edu for more information
IS THERE A CONNECTION BETWEEN MOVEMENT AND COMPULSIVE DISORDERS AND NEUROINFLAMMATION IN THE BRAIN?
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
NEW OCD STUDY FOR TEENAGERS BETWEEN 13 AND 17 YEARS OLD
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.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR A STUDY ON OCD
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.
DARTMOUTH COLLEGE IS SEEKING VOLUNTEERS FOR A STUDY ON OCD
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.