Research into OCD

Research for OCD is long overdue and in this section we will share research projects and allow students to post details of their research projects.

For those people affected by OCD please continue to check this page for details of the latest research projects where your important comments will often be required.

Researchers: Please note that we only accept requests for NHS ethically approved research, and all listing requests must include your NHS ethical committee reference number and contact details for the ethical board that approved the study.

 

Attitudes To Parenthood

We are carrying out a study exploring beliefs about having children in the context of an anxiety problem.  We are looking for women who suffer from OCD or panic problems to take part, and we would very much like to hear from people who have children as well as those who do not. The study is being run by The Institute of Psychiatry and the Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma, under Professor Paul Salkovskis, and is also part of student research at University College London.

As a token of thanks, we will offer you a £10 voucher, and you will be invited to an optional follow-up session where findings will be discussed after the research is complete.

Email Hannah Moncad or telephone 0203 228 3390.

For more information about the study, and how to get involved please open the information sheet in Word or PDF format.

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Ethical Approval Reference: This study has been approved by a group of independent people (Research Ethics Committee) to protect your rights, dignity, well-being and safety.  (Ethical Ref: Reviewed by the Joint SLAM and the IoP NHS Research Ethics Committee - reference: 08/H0807/102.)

 

 

D-Cycloserine-augmented CBT for young people with OCD

The government recommends cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) as the first-choice treatment for children and adolescents with OCD. CBT helps young people learn how to gradually face their fears and stop doing compulsions. Although many young people improve with CBT, some do not respond or do not make a full recovery. Research with adults has recently shown that taking a medicine called Cycloserine at the same time as having a CBT session, might help CBT work better and more quickly. Doctors think that this medicine might help people to learn new things more quickly. 

This is a very exciting research finding, and we are now testing whether adding this medicine to CBT is more beneficial than CBT alone for young people (up to 18 years) with OCD.

For more information about the study, and how to get involved please open the information sheet in Word format.

Contact Dr Cynthia Turner, Dr David Mataix-Cols or Dr Isobel Heyman if you have questions about this study. (Children's OCD Clinic, Maudsley Hospital). Telephone 020 3228 5222

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Ethical Approval Reference: This study has been approved by a group of independent people (Research Ethics Committee) to protect your rights, dignity, well-being and safety.  (Ethical Ref: 08/H0808/203 Protocol Number: RAA2008-014 Version 1.0)

 

Telephone CBT for young people with OCD

We already know that cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is one of the best treatments for OCD. People who receive CBT usually come into the clinic every week for appointments, which can sometimes be a bit inconvenient for them, particularly if they live far away. The purpose of this study is to find out if CBT works just as well when sessions are carried out over the telephone, compared to when people come into the clinic for sessions.

If you decide to take part in the study, you will receive a CBT therapy session every week for about 14 weeks. Some participants will have these sessions over the telephone and some participants will have them in the clinic. The decision as to whether you have sessions over the telephone or in the clinic will be made at random by a member of the research team. However, the content of the treatment is exactly the same either way. When you have finished weekly CBT sessions, you will be offered follow-up appointments after 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months.

For more information about the study, and how to get involved please open the information sheet in PDF format.

Contact Dr Cynthia Turner if you have questions about this study. (Children's OCD Clinic, Maudsley Hospital). Telephone 020 3228 5222

Ethical Approval Reference: This study has been approved by a group of independent people (Ethics Committee) to protect your rights, dignity, well-being and safety.  (Ref: 08/H0807/12).

 

Participants wanted for a survey on specialist services for OCD/BDD

We are conducting a study looking at the difficulties people with OCD or BDD have experienced in accessing specialist help for their problems.  If you have experienced difficulty obtaining referral to a national or regional specialist service when cognitive behaviour therapy or medication provided locally hasn’t worked we would like to hear from you.  We would like to ask you to complete either an online or email survey, or a paper questionnaire sent by post, about the difficulties you have had, or are presently having.  We are interested in hearing from people with OCD or BDD of all ages, including children and young people. 

If you have not had any difficulties accessing treatment or are happy with the treatment you are receiving and feel it is working for you, this study is not for you.  Also, please only complete the survey if you live in the UK and are eligible for NHS treatment.

Email Dr Stout or telephone 0203 228 2101.

For more information about the study, and how to get involved please open the information sheet in PDF format.

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Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder after having a child - Research.

This study will be ongoing until 2012.

A treatment trial for mums who suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) with young children (less than 6 months) is taking place, offering a talking therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). It is run by the Institute of Psychiatry and the Centre for Anxiety Disorders, Maudsley Hospital, London under Professor Paul Salkovskis.  Treatments can be conducted at home for convenience.

For a confidential and informal discussion or for more details, please review the research proposals below or get in touch with Dr. Victoria Oldfield using the number or email below.

Email Dr Oldfied or telephone 020 3228 2431.

For more information about the study, and how to get involved please open the information sheet in either PDF or Word format.

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Ethical Approval Reference: This study has been approved by a group of independent people (Ethics Committee) to protect your rights, dignity, well-being and safety.  This particular study has been approved by the Lewisham Research Ethics Committee (Ref: 08/H0810/18).

 

Could you help Professor Salkovskis with his research?

To continue the success of their current research programmes aimed at improving the understanding and treatment of individuals with anxiety problems, Professor Salkovskis is looking for participants for his study.

Study Title: An investigation of reassurance seeking.
This is a research study investigating reassurance seeking, which is a common reaction when people feel anxious. We are recruiting participants who are
- aged 18-65,
- currently diagnosed of OCD (by DSM-IV or ICD-10), and
- concerned about dirt, germs, or contamination (even if it is your minor concern)

Please note that we are interested in people who do not seek much (or any!) reassurance but also those who do.

If you are eligible to take part, you come to Institute of Psychiatry in London. The experiment takes 30-40 minutes. You will receive a £20 gift voucher. In addition, your travel expense will be reimbursed if you come from outside London.

What should I do if I want to take part?
If you are interested in taking part and would like further information, please let us know (1) your full name and (2) postal address:
By email: either to l.anderson@iop.kcl.ac.uk

By post:
Ms Lesley Anderson
Institute of Psychiatry, PO77
De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill
London SE5 8AF

By telephone: 020 7848 5038
By fax: 020 7848 5037

If you are able to participate in this study, it will help us to develop better treatment for people with anxiety problems. Thank you for your interest.

Ethical Approval Reference: This project has been reviewed by the Joint South London and Maudsley and the Institute of Psychiatry NHS Research Ethics Committee (REC reference: 07/Q0706/39). Your participation is entirely voluntary and you are free to withdraw at any time, without giving a reason for doing so. If you are receiving NHS treatment this will NOT in any way be affected if you do or do not wish to take part or you withdraw from the study. We will not disclose your participation to anyone (e.g., family members, GP) unless you would like us to. The information you provide throughout the course of the research will be stored anonymously and will be kept strictly confidential. This information will only be accessed by Professor Salkovskis and his research team.

 

The Development of Three New Self-Report Measures for Anxiety Problems

Researchers believe that people who experience anxiety problems have certain thoughts, feelings and behaviours in common.  The purpose of this research is to study these thoughts, feelings and behaviours in people with and without anxiety problems.  We think that this research is important because it might suggest new ways that we can help people who experience anxiety problems

WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF I DECIDE TO TAKE PART?
We are hoping you will fill in an online survey. It will take approximately 30 – 45 minutes to complete. 

For more information about the study, and how to get involved please open the information sheet in either PDF or Word format.

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Ethical Approval Reference: This study has been approved by a group of independent people (Research Ethics Committee) to protect your rights, dignity, well-being and safety.  This particular study has been given a favourable opinion by Royal Holloway, University of London Research Ethics Committee and the Riverside Research Ethics Committee (Ref: 08/H0706/82; Tel: +44 20 8846 7282).

 

Does your Spouse / Partner have OCD?

My name is Rachel Orr. I am a trainee clinical psychologist from Lancaster University, completing this project as part of my doctorate qualification. I would be really interested in hearing from anyone (over the age of 18) who is living with a spouse / partner (also aged 18 or over) who has OCD or obsessions and / or compulsions. To take part, you will have been living together in the same household for at least one year.

I am interested in interviewing people about how they respond to their spouses’ or partners’ obsessions / behaviours. I would be really interested in hearing from people about their experiences of this. 

For more information about the study, and how to get involved please open the information sheet in either PDF or Word format.

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Ethical Approval Reference: (Ethical contact: Keren Cohen, Institute for Health Research, Lancaster University, LA1 4YT. - Telephone: 01524 592127 )

 

Online Survey Investigating the Fear of Contamination

This study forms part of a series of research which aims to understand more about the nature of anxiety disorders, in particular the thoughts and feelings surrounding the fear of contamination.  As part of this research, we would like to ask you to complete a short online questionnaire about the types of problems you are currently experiencing.  We are interested in hearing from both people with and without contamination concerns.

This research forms part of a PhD at the University of Reading and is supervised by Professor Roz Shafran. 

For more information about the study, and how to get involved please open the information sheet in either PDF or Word format.

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Ethical Approval Reference: 07/Q1602/71. (Ethical contact: Berkshire NHS Local Research Ethics Committee - Telephone: 0118 918 0550 )

 

Memory, Thinking Skills and Obsessive-Compulsive Experiences

We would like to invite you to take part in a research study that aims to investigate the relationships between Obsessive-Compulsive experiences and various types of memory and thinking skills. This will hopefully lead to better understanding of these experiences and could therefore help improve treatment options.

For more information about the study, and how to get involved please open the information sheet in either PDF or Word format.

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Ethical Approval Reference: 07/H1306/158 and the University of Leeds Institute of Psychological Sciences ethics committees. (Ethical contact: Leeds (East) Research Ethics Committee - 0113 206 5637 )

 

Has your child got OCD?

Are you interested in taking part in a research project investigating the caregiving experiences of parents of children and young people with a diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder?

I am undertaking this research as part of my Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Canterbury Christ Church University.  I am interested in the experiences parents have of caring for a child with OCD. I am looking for parents/ carers of children under 18 years who are willing to write about their experiences and complete a few questionnaires.

If you are interested in this study and would like to find out more please contact Annabel Futh on 01892 50 7673.  This is a 24-hour answerphone.    Please leave my name, your name and your contact details and I will contact you within a few days.  Alternatively you can email me at af96@cant.ac.uk.

Ethical Approval Reference: 07/H0807/42 (Ethical contact: The Joint South London and Maudsley and The Institute of Psychiatry NHS Research Ethics Committee - 020 3299 5033 )

DTI study in early-onset Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

General Information
The University of Oxford’s Department of Psychiatry is recruiting participants between the ages of 12-18 who have been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder for a study exploring the nerve connections in the brain which may be associated with the disorder. If you are interested in taking part, please read the following information letter and contact Dr A James at the Warneford Hospital in Oxford on 01865 226285. In order to take part written consent must be obtained from the participant and their parent/guardian.

What is the purpose of the study?
I am approaching you, as a teenager who has suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder to see whether you would be willing to help in a research project, which hopes to answer questions about the growth and development of the brain in adolescence and how this relates to obsessive-compulsive disorder. We are study the nerve connections or white matter tracts in the brain using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or brain scan. This is safe and is non invasive, however, if there is a possibility of you being pregnant then we would advise against the scan.

If you decide to take part the research will consist of three parts:
1. MRI brain scan The study will involve a MRI brain scan, which gives very detailed pictures of the brain, and its structure. The aim of the research is to see how the growth of nerve fibre tracts develop in young people, some of whom have had experiences similar to yours, and who are still developing compared to adults. These nerve fibre tracts carry information from one part of the brain to another. This procedure will take about 30 minutes in all and you would be asked to lie on a table in the scanner, which is like a large tube. The machine, however, can be noisy so earplugs are given to you, you will also be able to listen to music through special headphones. (You can bring your own CD or radio to listen to). You are also given a buzzer to press in case you want the scan to stop at any time. The procedure is safe and there are no side effects in taking part. The scan will only be used for research purposes and will be kept confidential. The scan is not diagnostic, however, in the unlikely chance that an abnormality is detected this will be discussed with you and passed on to your psychiatrist or GP with your permission.

2. Psychological Assessment
A psychologist will also undertake tests of intelligence and memory, which should last one and half hours. This part of the study can be done at your convenience. These tests involve sitting in front of a computer screen and identifying shapes, some general knowledge and problem solving tests.

3. Psychiatric Interview
We would as you first to have a short interview with a research psychiatrist who will ask you some questions which will last about one hour.

What are the side effects of taking part?
MRI scanning is safe with very few risks or side effects. You may, however, experience some discomfort, due to scanner noise which can be reduced by listening to a CD of your choice (please bring one along and take it back!) or watch a video or listen to the radio. If you wish we can supply earplugs. You may want to have your parent/ guardian with you in the scanner room or a member of the research team.

MRI scanning is a very safe procedure with very little risk. The MRI scans are not used for diagnosis, however, if an abnormality is detected, then a neuroradiologist will be asked to inspect the scan. The results of this will be discussed with you and you will be given appropriate medical advice. There is no intended clinical benefit from taking part in the trial, however, the information we get from this study may help us to understand and hopefully in the longer-term treat future patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder better.

The study has been funded by the Oxford Health Services Research Committee (OHSRC Ref 847)

The Mid and South Bucks Research Ethics Committee reviewed the study. For further information or any queries you can contact:
Dr A James
Highfield Adolescent unit,
Warneford Hospital,
Oxford, OX3 7JX
Tel: 01865 226285
Fax: 01865 226381

 

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