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Specialist assessment

OCD Assessment & Treatment

Assessment and treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Intrusive thoughts and compulsions are common, treatable, and frequently go unrecognised for years — an assessment is the step that names what is happening.

Book your assessment

Online or in person

The assessment itself is the same either way: the same clinician, the same criteria, the same written summary.

Adults

Online OCD Assessment & Treatment

Online

Assessment and treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Intrusive thoughts and compulsions are common, treatable, and frequently go unrecognised for years — an assessment is the step that names what is happening.

  • A full clinical assessment with a Consultant Psychiatrist
  • Structured assessment of obsessions and compulsions
  • Consideration of related conditions such as tic disorders
  • An individualised treatment plan
  • A written summary for you and, with consent, your GP

£450

60 min

Book now

Adults

In-Person OCD Assessment & Treatment

In person

Assessment and treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Intrusive thoughts and compulsions are common, treatable, and frequently go unrecognised for years — an assessment is the step that names what is happening.

  • A full clinical assessment with a Consultant Psychiatrist
  • Structured assessment of obsessions and compulsions
  • Consideration of related conditions such as tic disorders
  • An individualised treatment plan
  • A written summary for you and, with consent, your GP

£550

60 min

Book now
Understanding OCD

What is obsessive-compulsive disorder?

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common mental health condition with two parts. Obsessions are unwanted thoughts, images or urges that keep coming back and cause intense anxiety, disgust or unease. Compulsions are the repeated things you do, or go over in your head, to relieve that feeling for a while.

The relief does not last, so the cycle repeats and tightens. Almost everyone has unwanted thoughts from time to time. In OCD they become so frequent and distressing that they take over, and the rituals can fill hours of a day. OCD is not a quirk or a liking for tidiness, and the compulsions are never enjoyable.

OCD usually begins in the teenage years or early twenties. Many people wait years before asking for help, often because the thoughts feel too uncomfortable to say out loud. It can be treated.

A hand resting on the lock of a front door in a hallway.
Recognising OCD

Common obsessions

Obsessions vary. Common themes include:

  • Fear of causing harm, by accident or on purpose
  • Fear of dirt, germs or contamination
  • A need for order or symmetry
  • Unwanted violent, sexual or blasphemous thoughts
  • Persistent doubt, such as whether the door is locked
  • Going over things again and again

Common compulsions

Compulsions can be actions, or things done in your head:

  • Washing or cleaning
  • Checking doors, locks or appliances
  • Counting
  • Ordering and arranging
  • Repeating words or phrases in your head
  • Cancelling out thoughts
  • Seeking reassurance
  • Avoiding triggers
Causes

What causes OCD?

No single cause of OCD has been found. It is more common in people who have a relative with OCD, which suggests genes play a part, and differences in how some areas of the brain work have been found in people with the condition. Stress often plays a role, and OCD can start or worsen at times of greater responsibility, such as puberty, having a baby or starting a new job, or after abuse, bullying or bereavement. People with a perfectionist or highly responsible personality may be more likely to develop it.

Related conditions

OCD and related conditions

Some conditions share features with OCD or often occur alongside it. They include body dysmorphic disorder, a preoccupation with a perceived flaw in appearance; trichotillomania, or hair-pulling; and health anxiety. Tourette's syndrome and other tic disorders often occur together with OCD, and OCD commonly occurs alongside depression and anxiety.

These overlaps are one reason a specialist assessment matters. Recognising everything that is going on, not only the most obvious part, is what shapes the right plan.

Next step

When should you seek an assessment?

You may benefit from a specialist assessment if:

  • Unwanted thoughts keep returning and cause you real distress.
  • You feel you have to carry out rituals or checks before you can feel settled.
  • Obsessions or compulsions take up a lot of your time each day.
  • OCD is getting in the way of work, relationships or daily life.
  • You avoid places, people or objects because of the thoughts they trigger.
  • You have lived with OCD for a long time and want to tackle it.
The assessment

What the assessment covers

Your Consultant Psychiatrist carries out a comprehensive clinical assessment, which includes:

  • Your obsessions and compulsions, how often they happen and how much time they take
  • The effect on your work, relationships and daily life
  • Consideration of related conditions such as tic disorders
  • Screening for depression and anxiety, which often occur alongside OCD
  • What you have tried before, and what has helped
  • A careful assessment of risk and safety
  • An individualised treatment plan
  • A written summary for you and, with consent, your GP
How it works

What to expect

From booking to a plan you have agreed to.

  1. Book your assessment

    Choose online or in person and pick a time that suits you.

  2. Before you come

    Questionnaires

    We send short questionnaires in advance, including a standard OCD questionnaire, so the appointment is spent on you rather than on paperwork.

  3. 60 minutes

    Your assessment

    A structured conversation with a Consultant Psychiatrist about your obsessions and compulsions, your history and what you want from treatment.

  4. Your plan and summary

    A diagnosis where one applies, a treatment plan agreed with you, and a written summary for you and, with your consent, your GP.

  5. Follow-up and review

    Treatment is reviewed as it goes, and the plan is changed where it is not helping.

Treatment

How OCD is treated

Treatment is matched to how much OCD is affecting your life. Which is right for you, and where it is provided, is agreed with you at the end of your assessment.

CBT with exposure and response prevention

The main psychological treatment for OCD. With support, you gradually face the thoughts and situations that trigger anxiety without carrying out the compulsion, weakening the link between the two.

Involving the people around you

OCD often draws partners and family into rituals and reassurance. With your agreement, the people close to you can learn how to support your treatment rather than the OCD.

Medical treatment and review

Where it is clinically appropriate, for example if therapy has not helped enough or OCD is more severe, medical treatment is discussed with you, started carefully and reviewed at agreed intervals.

Not an emergency service

This assessment is a private clinical service and is not an emergency service. If you are in immediate danger or cannot keep yourself safe, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. For urgent help that is not an emergency, contact your GP or call 111 and choose the mental health option. Samaritans can be reached at any time on 116 123.

Book an assessment

Take the first step with OCD

An assessment with a Consultant Psychiatrist names what is happening and agrees a treatment plan with you.

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