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SUPPORTING YOUNG PEOPLE
WITH OCD IN SCHOOL
Dr Gazal Jones (Clinical Psychologist)
Kike Thomas-Smith (Assistant Psychologist)
National Specialist CAMHS for OCD, BDD
and Related Disorders
OCD is not me
Video
What is OCD?
Obsessions are unpleasant
thoughts or pictures that
pop into our minds when
we don’t want them to
and cause us distress

Temporary
Relief

Compulsions are
behaviours that help
reduce distress from
obsessions
What obsessions and/or compulsions have
you heard of?

Obsessions Compulsions

• Germs/contamination • Washing/Cleaning
• Symmetry • Checking
• Aggressive • Tapping/touching
• Transformation • Erasing
• Sexual writing/rewriting
• Fear of losing things • Counting
 OCD Statistics
- Affects 1-2% of the population
- Equally common across genders and ethnicities
- Age of onset is usually around 11 years
- What causes it?
• No definitive cause
• Combination of genes, chemicals in the brain, and environment
 What is the treatment for OCD?
• Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
with Exposure Response Prevention
(ERP)
• First line, involves family
• Helps up to 80 per cent

• Medication (SSRI’s)
• Sertraline, Fluoxetine
• If CBT not helpful on its own
NICE guidelines (2005)
 Barriers to seeking help
• ‘Ethnic minorities’ with OCD are
Discrimination
severely underrepresented
across mental health services
within the
(Fernandez de la Cruz et al.,
system
2015)

• Children and young people Stigma and Different

from ‘ethnic minority’ discrimination cultural beliefs
backgrounds respond equally in family and Specific about mental
well to treatment for OCD when community barriers for health issues
compared to those from White ‘ethnic
backgrounds (Fernandez de la minority’
Cruz et al., 2015) groups
• Kolvenbach and colleagues
(2017) asked 10 parents from
White backgrounds and 10 Lack of trust in
parents from ‘ethnic minorities’ Shame/Denial mental health
who access our clinic. system
 Poor attention
+ concentration Tiredness
Reduction in grades
Difficulties eating

Frequent/prolonged
toilet visits

Repetitive
How might you
behaviours
recognise OCD
Inability to
in school? touch things

Messy
work/Excessively
neat work Excessive questioning
and reassurance seeking
 How can schools help?

Outside of the
Classroom Specific Next Steps
Classroom

• Short breaks • Bullying • Effective

communication
• Reduce work • Strengths
outside of OCD • Classroom
• Some subjects session on OCD
might cause • Not punishing
anxiety for behaviour • Contact with
they cannot clinician
control.
How can schools help: Engaging Parents

Not labelling as
Sharing useful
OCD before
resources
diagnosis

Giving useful Giving a hopeful

contacts message for
(CAMHS, GP) the future
Any Questions?
Feedback Forms
Please complete questions 5-16 on the feedback form – be honest!
Resources
• www.ocdaction.org.uk/school
- Forums for young people, teachers and parents
- Case studies
- ‘Meet Up’ days for parents and young people.
- opportunity to meet with others in a similar position,
provide mutual support

• intrusivethoughts.org
- resources for teachers and students
Illustrated book
describing what OCD is
and how treatment works

Aimed for young people

7 years above, family
and professionals
Ethnicity Project Resources
• Symptom checklist
• Treatment Pathway
• Leaflets
• Teaching/training
YP Friendly Treatment Pathway
What else do we offer?

Teaching for
Assemblies
parents

Teaching for
students
Resource Packs
(classroom
sessions)
What else could it be?
Autism
Generalised Spectrum
Anxiety Disorder
Disorder
Eating
Disorder

Psychosis

Phobias (e.g.
Social)

Tic Disorder Trichotillomania