{"id":2598,"date":"2018-05-08T12:20:10","date_gmt":"2018-05-08T11:20:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ocduk.net\/?page_id=2598"},"modified":"2018-07-04T12:39:13","modified_gmt":"2018-07-04T11:39:13","slug":"treatment-barriers","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ocduk.org\/overcoming-ocd\/treatment-barriers\/","title":{"rendered":"Treatment Barriers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>There are two main problems that our service-users frequently report as being barriers to treatment for their OCD,\u00a0 problems accessing therapy<\/strong> and problems with the quality of therapy<\/strong> they receive.\u00a0It\u2019s important you understand these, so you can be empowered to prepare and minimise any impact that they might have on you.<\/p>\n

Access<\/h5>\n

Perhaps the main barrier for those of us with OCD is\u00a0access to treatment<\/strong>, with waiting times for therapy across the UK varying from three or four months to reports of a year or longer\u2026 Thankfully, the once common occurrence of people waiting 2+ years for treatment is long gone and is now a rare exception.<\/p>\n

Whilst waiting for NHS treatment there are a couple of things you can do. Firstly, prepare yourself for treatment and therapy with the help of our brief guide\u00a0get the most out of therapy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Secondly, look into your right to choose NHS treatment provider.\u00a0 If you know of a neighbouring NHS therapy service which has a much shorter waiting list and you can access treatment in that area, then you are within your rights to implement your NHS\u00a0right to choose<\/a> and ask your GP to refer you to that service.<\/p>\n

We will review how to access treatment on the next few pages.<\/p>\n

Quality<\/h5>\n

The other main barrier is problems with\u00a0quality of therapy<\/strong>. This is not a criticism of therapy (CBT), but is usually indicative of either a therapist not fully understanding all aspects of OCD, not being sufficiently knowledgeable to treat moderate to severe cases of OCD or in some rare cases they are simply a poor therapist.<\/p>\n

One of the unfortunate parts of our job is that we frequently have to encourage patients to give therapy another try.\u00a0 Many people who contact us have had CBT previously, but when we talk to them about their experiences it becomes apparent that they have accessed very poor quality therapy. Those that are \u00a0unaware of the variations in therapy quality are often left assuming CBT does not work for them and that they will have to put up with OCD.\u00a0 The reality is, CBT can still help, but sometimes you need to find a better therapist.<\/p>\n

An analogy worth remembering is that it\u2019s a bit like learning to drive. Some people fail their test the first and even the second time, but a new course of lessons (therapy) with a different instructor (therapist) allows them to eventually pass their test. Why? Because the instructor (therapist) has a different and better way of working. They may be teaching the same methods as previous instructors, but their method of working and interaction is totally different and effective.<\/p>\n

For many people being unable to access quality treatment is an obstacle to recovery.\u00a0 Through our work and talking to people, anecdotally it appears there are four types of CBT\u2026\u00a0 using our own rating scale.\u00a0 Of course these are not official terms, but are good descriptors of what many of you will experience:<\/p>\n