Hi! My name is Robyn, and I am currently a third year Psychology and Counselling student at the University of Sunderland. This year I need to complete my Research Project, where I have chosen to research the barriers to treatment for individuals with OCD.
To be able to do this and gather relevant data, the aimed participants are those participants who have an OCD diagnosis, or who believe they suffer from OCD.
What are the objectives of the study and why?
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health disorder which is mainly characterized by obsessions and/or compulsions. These obsessions and compulsions are often clustered into various groups, depending on the content and behaviours the person experiences. These obsessions and compulsions can have a big impact on an individual’s day to day and life. Different types of pharmacological and psychological treatment, such as Cognitivebehavioural therapy, are available for those with OCD.
However, studies report a big delay from the first appearance of symptoms to seeking treatment (the average is of 10 years!). Various possible causes of this delay have been found; these are considered barriers to treatment. Examples of these barriers are “not knowing where to seek help”, feelings of shame and stigma, and problems with booking appointments and getting to appointments.
The present study aims to explore these barriers to treatment. Furthermore, the study will also investigate the relationship between certain types of obsessions/compulsions and barriers to treatment, alongside taking into consideration how demographic details (such as ethnicity, religion, and economic status) also impact the barriers.
The questionnaires contain content related to obsessions, compulsions, symptoms and barriers to treatment which some individuals may find distressing; if you believe you could find participation in this study to be distressing, please do not take part.
If you have any further questions or need any more information, please contact Robyn Jones via the following email:
Bh55hv@student.sunderland.ac.uk
Thank you!
Here is a link to the study:
https://sunduni.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3TMkDb2GG1w508e