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.

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

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.

Read now

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.

Download

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.

Read now

Getting OCD help for children

Talk to our Family Mental HealthLine

If you’re insured with Bupa and you’re worried about a young person you’re close to, just pick up the phone and talk to us. Have you noticed a worrying change in their mood or behaviour? Trust your instincts.

Family Mental HealthLine

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

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.

Mental health support as part of Bupa health insurance

^†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.

Bupa health insurance is provided by Bupa Insurance Limited. Registered in England and Wales No. 3956433. Bupa Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Arranged and administered by Bupa Insurance Services Limited, which is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales No. 3829851. Registered office: 1 Angel Court, London EC2R 7HZ.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) help and support