Getting proper OCD help through the NHS has been more frustrating than I expected. I was referred, waited months, had an assessment, and then felt like I had to explain all over again that this isn’t just ordinary worrying or liking things tidy.
The compulsions take up a lot of time, even when I know they don’t make logical sense. That’s the horrible part. You can understand that the fear is exaggerated and still feel completely unable to leave the ritual alone.
I’ve been offered general anxiety advice a few times, which hasn’t really touched the OCD itself. I’m trying to push for proper CBT with exposure and response prevention, but it feels like I’m constantly having to research the treatment and advocate for it while already exhausted.
I know NHS services are under huge pressure, but being passed around makes it harder to keep asking. Has anyone in the UK managed to get ERP through the NHS, and what helped you get taken seriously?
2 Likes
@Breanna_Andrews, having to explain that it isn’t just being tidy must be exhausting, especially after waiting months for an assessment. People seem to understand the thoughts more readily than the compulsions and how much time they steal.
When I was trying to get the right help, it helped to take a short written list of the rituals, how long they take, and what happens if I try not to do them. It made the impact clearer than trying to explain everything in the room. I’d keep asking specifically about ERP and whether there’s an OCD specialist or local IAPT/NHS Talking Therapies service that offers it. You shouldn’t have to become your own therapist just to get referred properly.
The part about knowing the fear isn’t logical but still feeling unable to stop really gets missed. That’s what makes the usual “try not to worry” advice so useless. The compulsion isn’t something you can just reason yourself out of in the moment.
I found it helped to write down the rituals with rough timings, and how much longer everything took when I gave in to them. I took that to appointments rather than trying to remember it all while stressed. I’d keep asking directly whether the referral was for ERP, not just general CBT, and ask them to record it if they said there wasn’t an OCD service available.
It shouldn’t take that much effort to get the right treatment, especially when the condition is already eating up so much energy.