About Orchard OCD

We built a community of interdisciplinary professionals and work with them closely to progress together in developing new and better treatments for patients suffering from OCD.

Our Vision

is a world where all patients suffering from OCD receive effective treatment for their condition.

Our Mission

is to build that world by advancing collaborative translational research and driving the quest for new and better treatments for OCD.

Our Goals

We have a three-pillar approach,
1. Research (fund and run clinical trials)
2. Hubs (OCD research database and repository)
3. Dissemination (awareness campaigns and conferences)

Our Team

The Work We Do

Psilocybin: According to a research project in 2006, psilocybin has been reported to significantly reduce OCD symptoms in OCD patients. Despite positive results, no further research has been carried out due to lack of funding.
Orchard collaborated with Professor David Nutt, Imperial College London, and Professor Naomi Fineberg, Queen Elizabeth II Hospital, to run a pilot clinical trial using psilocybin to treat OCD. We raised £60,000 from a crowdfunding campaign in 2020 which was match funded by a foundation. The study has now started and will last 18 months, recruiting and following up 15 patients.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (TDCS): We received funding for our second research project in September 2020. Research at the University of Hertfordshire involves working on a promising new treatment that involves passing a small, almost imperceptible electric current into brain areas connected to OCD.

Scientific Advisory Board

Our Supporters

Our Volunteers

Orchard is a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) non–
commercial Partner. This means the studies that we fund may be eligible to access the NIHR
Study Support Service which is provided by the NIHR Clinical Research Network.