Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) help and support
Concerned about having OCD? We’re here to help.
You don’t need Bupa health insurance to turn to us for support. We’ve put together lots of information and advice on dealing with OCD.
Living with OCD
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a condition where you will be experiencing obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours. Dealing with OCD can be tough for the person who has it as well as those around them. Normal life can become exhausting.
Part of OCD involves unwanted, often overwhelming thoughts or urges (obsessions) that play over and over again. The other part involves repeated behaviours (compulsions) following those thoughts, like excessive hand-washing or saying certain things in your head.
Our video describes some common OCD symptoms and offers self-help tips for anyone living with OCD.
00:00 [Music] 00:01what is OCD OCD is an anxiety disorder
00:06 that consists of obsessions and
00:08 compulsions someone with OCD may
00:11 experience unwanted repetitive thoughts
00:14 often accompanied by high levels of
00:16 anxiety a sense of responsibility and
00:19 guilt common obsessions that affect
00:21 people with OCD include a fear of
00:24 deliberately harming yourself or others
00:27 a fear of harming yourself or others by
00:30 mistake a fear of contamination by
00:33 disease or infection a need for symmetry
00:37 or orderliness compulsions begin as a
00:41 way of trying to reduce or prevent
00:43 anxiety caused by the obsessive thoughts
00:47 these compulsions can include cleaning
00:51 and hand washing checking counting
00:56 ordering and arranging hoarding asking
01:01 for reassurance repeating words in their
01:05 head thinking neutralising thoughts to
01:08 counter obsessive thoughts avoiding
01:12 places and situations that could trigger
01:14 obsessive thoughts here are some coping
01:18 strategies you could use to support
01:20 people with OCD communication is key at
01:23 this difficult time it may be helpful to
01:26 have regular family meetings to discuss
01:29 how you support one another
01:30 people may need time to themselves try
01:34 and create an area where family members
01:36 can have quiet
01:37 if space doesn't allow discuss how each
01:40 person wants to be supported in having
01:43 quiet time if you notice these symptoms
01:45 yourself create individual support plans
01:49 ask yourself how can I help myself when
01:53 I'm feeling worried or distressed what
01:56 positive distractions can help me how
02:00 can I let my family know that I'm
02:02 struggling what will help me feel
02:05 supported communicating and sharing your
02:08 thoughts with someone you trust will
02:10 help it may be that they have
02:13 encountered a similar problem and can
02:15 talk you through how they manage this
02:17 whatever is on your mind we can help
Tips for dealing with OCD
Living with OCD can be upsetting when it interferes with normal life. However, there are some effective treatments for OCD that can help reduce the impact it has on your life, standard treatments like cognitive behavioural therapy and antidepressants can really help.

Find out about OCD
If you’re living with OCD, it’s helpful to try and understand your condition. It’s also good to seek support as early as you can.

Practise mindfulness
This three-minute podcast teaches you a mindfulness breathing exercise. It’s a technique you can turn to whenever you’re struggling with OCD.
Hear it on your desktop via your usual browser or download a podcast app to listen on your mobile.

How to challenge negative thoughts
Sometimes, we can get trapped into patterns of negative thinking. Challenging those patterns isn’t easy, because they’ve become a habit. But our article suggests two important questions to ask yourself and thinking about them may help you.
Getting OCD help for children

Talk to our Family Mental HealthLine
Looking for OCD help for a child?
Children can experience persistent thoughts and obsessional thinking/traits. They can feel overwhelmed and even more confused and upset by their behaviours than adults do. This video has lots of tips to help children living with OCD.
00:00 [Music]
00:01 what is OCD. OCD is an anxiety disorder
00:06 that consists of obsessions and
00:08 compulsions someone with OCD may
00:11 experience unwanted repetitive thoughts
00:14 often accompanied by high levels of
00:16 anxiety a sense of responsibility and
00:19 guilt common obsessions that affect
00:22 people with OCD include fear of
00:25 deliberately harming yourself or others
00:28 fear of harming yourself or others by
00:31 mistake fear of contamination by disease
00:34 or infection a need for symmetry or
00:38 orderliness compulsions begin as a way
00:42 of trying to reduce or prevent anxiety
00:44 caused by the obsessive thoughts these
00:48 compulsions can include cleaning and
00:51 hand washing checking counting ordering
00:57 and arranger hoarding asking for
01:01 reassurance repeating words in their
01:05 head thinking neutralizing thoughts to
01:09 counter obsessive thoughts avoiding
01:12 places and situations that could trigger
01:15 obsessive thoughts if you notice that
01:17 your child is suffering with OCD
01:20 here are some coping strategies that
01:22 might help having a traffic light system
01:25 enables your child to share a colour
01:27 picture that represents an emotion
01:30 without necessarily having to speak
01:33 about how they feel
01:34 the worried yaa enables the child to
01:37 visually see that once the worry has
01:39 been addressed it doesn't need to be a
01:42 worry any longer
01:43 a brave jar allowing your child to focus
01:47 on a positive thing they have achieved
01:48 that day
01:50 this will help promote increased
01:52 confidence and self-esteem keeping a
01:55 diary of what they were doing when they
01:57 began feeling anxious it helps to
01:59 identify what triggers these feelings
02:01 also teaching them how to manage these
02:04 situations in the future using ice
02:07 having your child hold a couple of ice
02:10 cubes in their hands helps the mind
02:12 focus on the sensation of coldness
02:14 rather than any distressing thoughts or
02:17 feelings grounding techniques are a
02:20 coping strategy which help you feel
02:23 reconnected with reality the following
02:26 can help young people to feel back in
02:28 control of their emotions tell yourself
02:31 you're safe and that these feelings will
02:34 pass acknowledge five things you can see
02:38 acknowledge four things you can touch
02:41 acknowledge three things you can hear
02:44 acknowledge two things you can smell if
02:47 you don't have the right things around
02:50 you to complete the steps just mentioned
02:52 then ask yourself questions such as
02:54 where in the world is cold
02:58 whatever is on your mind we can help
Find Bupa-recognised mental health professionals near you
Our Finder tool lets you browse the directory of Bupa-recognised consultants, psychologists, therapists, counsellors and other professionals.
You don’t need to be a Bupa health insurance customer to see them, just make your own appointment and pay independently.

If you’re in a crisis or just need some help, don’t hesitate. Here are some really helpful organisations that you can turn to for support.
Samaritans
When life is difficult, Samaritans are here – day or night, 365 days a year. Whoever you are and whatever you’re facing, they won’t judge you or tell you what to do. They’re here to listen so you don’t have to face it alone.
Call free day or night on
116 123 (UK and ROI)

Mind
Mind is a charity dedicated to mental health. They exist to make sure no one has to face a mental health problem alone. They’ll listen to you and offer support and advice.
0300 123 3393
Lines open 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except for bank holidays

Young Minds
YoungMinds is the UK’s leading charity for children’s and young people's mental health. You can text Crisis Messenger for free 24/7 and get support from trained volunteers who are supervised by experienced clinicians. Texts are free from most major mobile networks.
For urgent help, text YM to 85258

Mental Health Foundation
This charity helps people understand, protect and sustain their mental health. The ‘Your mental health’ section has lots of useful content, including podcasts about mindfulness and overcoming anxiety.
Rethink Mental Illness
Rethink offers crisis and recovery services, advocacy, online resources, support groups and much more. Each year, they help tens of thousands of people manage their mental wellbeing.
0300 5000 927
Lines open 9:30am to 4pm Monday to Friday
Mental health support as part of Bupa health insurance
I’m already a Bupa health insurance customer
If you have mental health cover as part of your Bupa health insurance, we can refer you to a consultant or therapist, and you may not even have to see your GP first†. Or we can put you through to one of our mental health nurses.
0808 256 1766^
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I’m not a Bupa customer, but I’d like to find out more about health insurance
If you’re looking for mental health support as part of a broader health insurance policy, we can look after you, your family, or your employees.
†Direct Access telephone services are available as long as the symptoms are covered under the policy. If your cover excludes conditions you had before your policy started, we’ll ask you to provide evidence from your GP that your symptoms are not pre-existing for a period of up to two years from policy start date (or up to five years in the case of mental health). We can then refer you to a consultant or therapist through the Direct Access service. Always call us first to check your eligibility.
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