Sufferers have persistent, recurring and sometimes upsetting thoughts about feared situations (obsessions), which the person attempts to fight with mental or physical rituals. This could be in the form of excessive repetition, (washing, checking or counting), and/or agonizing ruminations. (compulsions). It is the second most common disorder illness in the UK. The first being depression. OCD affects an estimated 2-3% of the UK population. That's around 1.5million suffering from the condition to a degree that badly affects their normal day to day functioning.

Most of us have come into contact with the phenomenon of obsessional or intrusive thinking at sometime in our lives. 'Touching wood' to 'ward off' some real or imagined danger is an example. Children often develop obsessions and rituals. One common childhood obsession is not to walk on the cracks in the pavement with a compulsion to re-trace their footsteps making sure all the cracks were avoided. This is sometimes accompanied by other repetitive behaviour. Most people see this as relatively normal behaviour and children tend to grow out of this in the short term and it should be stressed that this does not mean a child has OCD or any other disorder. It is only when this behaviour becomes unacceptable and controls a significant part of your life that it may be diagnosed as a disorder and require further investigation. The difference, therefore, between an acceptable level of behaviour and the disorder proper is when these actions reach a significant level affecting a persons everyday functioning. This may then represent a principal component in the clinical diagnosis of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder often goes unrecognized and undiagnosed because the symptoms mimic other disorders such as social phobia, agoraphobia, panic disorder and other secondary conditions from the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) range and often this leads to depression.

The families and friends of OCD sufferers also should not be forgotten. They often suffer just as much but in different ways. Their lives are often disrupted by the sufferers obsessions and compulsions and often find themselves playing along with the behaviour in order to avoid upsetting the person further. Families and friends may need support too and this often comes in the form of knowledge, making you better equipped to deal with OCD's many faces and the problems it may be causing your loved one and the rest of your family.

Support Groups are available and we are in the process of starting a group locally for sufferers of OCD. The goal of the support group is to create an environment that is warm and non-judgmental where members can talk about OCD without being embarrassed and find support and encouragement from each other. Further information can be obtained by calling Roy at the practice on 01323 762844.

The Eastbourne Hypnotherapy Practice can help you to fight the problem with various options available to suit your particular type of OCD. This can range from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to other options using hypnotherapy or psychotherapy. This can be extremely effective and a free initial consultation is available to discuss the options available to you.