Blog

CBT, and other ‘Talking Therapies’ present the following difficulties for some people with OCD. The therapist needs information about the problem. The patient has to explain what triggers the intrusive thoughts and the associated anxiety. Whilst explaining this, intrusive thoughts – and the extreme anxiety associated with these – are triggered. Imagine how you would […]

Samantha Crilly. An Unwanted Intruder. In Hope with OCD. Hammersmith Health Books. May 2018. Sam’s wonderful poetry book is due out on World’s Mental Health Day, October 2020! For the curious, you can pre-order it now from here.

A big thank you to Nathalia who wrote this weeks blog on OCD research participation. The worldwide prevalence of OCD is approximately 2% of the general population, and the average age of onset is 19.5. As debilitating as it already is, OCD is also highly comorbid with several mental health conditions such as ADHD, Bipolar […]

In this week’s blog we have an anonymous OCD story: OCD – where to begin? My body and mind shudders every time I see or hear that combination of letters. My skin crawls. Who knew an acronym could be so painful? Especially when referenced humoursly by close friends and TV celebrities. I have suffered from […]

We are recruiting a Fundraising and Communications Assistant for a six-month part-time position with Orchard, funded in part by the UK government’s Kickstart scheme. You will be assisting our communications lead, Juliet Rowe, and our chair and co-founder, Nick Sireau, with all our social media, e-news, website, online fundraising and communications. You will help prepare […]

It was joyous to hear my daughter say this. To share that rare and treasured moment with her. To see her smile, her eyes bright, face relaxed. To experience her fully present in that moment.  It was heart rending too. Because those moments are so rare for her. Too often she is frowning, a haunted […]

Orchard OCD has been working with an illustrator, animator & photographer called Khushi Inamdar. She has created an informative OCD animation. This short video explains OCD clearly and its misconceptions.

An anonymous person who has suffered with OCD shares their story on how Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) changed their life. HOW DID OCD AFFECT YOU BEFORE YOUR SURGERY? By 2013 my OCD had been profoundly debilitating for 10 years. I had been living continuously in psychiatric hospitals for 6 years. I had been an inpatient at […]

Wow what a year it is has been. It has certainly not been a year like any other, with a lot of mental health hardships on all of us, particularly within the OCD community. Nevertheless, for Orchard OCD we have had a transformational year through our successful crowdfunding campaign, celebrities and OCD experts joining our […]

Orchard is funding a new research study looking at whether a new medical device can help treat OCD. The study is also looking for OCD patients who would like to participate in it. Researchers are recruiting people with OCD local to Hertfordshire or Southampton in the UK to participate in research investigating effects of transcranial direct […]

The psilocybin study funded by Orchard’s crowdfunding campaign should be ready to launch on 1 February 2021 despite the latest COVID lockdown in the UK. Prof David Nutt, who leads the study, has confirmed that preparations for the study are continuing to make progress, with administrative approvals and the final approved clinical trial protocol expected to […]

A volunteer copywriter and OCD patient at Creative Conscience – a network of writers, designers and animators who support social impact projects around the world – is putting together a campaign called ‘This Is OCD’. The campaign aims to educate people about what OCD is really like – by telling the stories of people who’ve experienced it. The goal […]