Are you one of the many people who find themselves spending too much time checking, washing, obsessing, doubting, cleaning, or having to make sure things are just right?

If this is something you recognise then additional help may be at hand as a new form of group treatment is coming to Banbury in the early part of 2012. This may be the time to change these habits.

Those people who spend too much time obsessing about certain thoughts or feeling compelled to do certain types of behaviour are described by the medical profession as suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD, which can affect individuals in many different ways and at many different levels from mild and moderate through to severe difficulties.

In the past, help for OCD has been provided in GP surgeries using a type of individual therapy known as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). This has been proven in clinical trials to be the best form of treatment for OCD. What is new to Banbury is the provision of this therapy in a group format. One of the benefits of using group therapy is that group members frequently find that being alongside other people who experience the same type of difficulty is supportive and helps encourage them to change. It also enables greater numbers of people to receive treatment once they come forward.

Trevor Goode (CBT Therapist at TalkingSpace and one of the two therapists leading the Banbury OCD Group) said: “This is an exciting opportunity for bringing help to a greater number of those people experiencing OCD in North Oxfordshire. TalkingSpace has provided this group in Oxford and it achieved a very positive outcome. I am optimistic that we can achieve the same result in the Banbury area.”

The first group meeting is scheduled to take place on 14 March at the Mill Arts Centre in Banbury between 4.30 and 7pm. The sessions will last 10 weeks and are free of charge.

Anyone interested in joining the group can either discuss this with their GP who can help with a referral form, or they can refer themselves by contacting Talking Space on 01865 325777 or via email talkingspace@nhs.net.