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Top Medical and Research Experts Meet with Patients and Families at International OCD Foundation Conference,
Nation’s Sole Event Dedicated to OCD
Aug. 7-9
MINNEAPOLIS – Children with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder will confront their contamination fears head on. The country’s top experts in OCD will hear about the latest in research findings. And families of OCD sufferers will form support groups and learn the tools necessary to support someone battling the incurable disorder.
In all, more than 1,200 researchers, psychiatrists, mental health professionals, patients with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and their families will come together for three days at the 16th annual International OCD Foundation Conference, the only national event dedicated to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
In the United States, as many as 4 million people have OCD, a disorder for which there is no cure. The conference will be held Aug. 7-9 in Minneapolis.
Key research projects will be presented including the results of the first-ever genome study to determine the genetic cause of OCD, a foundation-led effort backed by funding from the National Institute of Mental Health.
“The OCD community includes doctors, researchers and patients all connected by the common goal of successfully living with and finding the cause for this incurable disorder,” said Jeff Szymanski, IOCDF executive director. “Along with support and treatment for patients and families, the conference will feature the most up to date research and professional development to improve OCD care across the nation.”
Interesting components of the conference include:
Children and adults with OCD participate in the “Virtual Camping” program led by OCD expert Jonathon Grayson. This experiential workshop has helped hundreds of people learn to address their OCD fears as a group. For example, a child with contamination fears would work on throwing a ball in a trash can and retrieving it.
Children and teens join in professionally-led art and activity therapy sessions, in which they paint a large mural expressing their emotions of fear, anger, loneliness, and gratitude in relation to OCD. In addition, some of the children and teens’ artwork will become part of an OCF calendar.
A collection of 40 of the most current and innovative research studies of OCD will be on display as posters, including the results of a seven-year study into the genetic cause of OCD, the first ever genome analysis for OCD.
Several programs target parents and siblings of people with OCD, offering access to support groups, treatment providers, and methods for living with a person with OCD.
Dr. Michael Jenike, chairman of the IOCDF Scientific Advisory Board, and author Terry Murphy will deliver the keynote address based on their book, “Life in Rewind,” which tells the story of a Cape Cod man’s struggle with OCD so severe, he did not leave his basement or shower for years. It was the unparalleled commitment and compassion expressed by Dr. Jenike that enabled the young man to learn to break the OCD cycle and gain his life back.
Dr. Jenike will also receive the Patricia Perkins Lifetime Achievement Award, the second recipient in the foundation’s 23-year history. “Dr. Jenike’s leadership and commitment to the entire OCD community has directly improved the lives of thousands of people affected by OCD and their families,” Szymanski said.
The conference is open to IOCDF members and nonmembers. Volunteers are also needed. Visit www.ocfoundation.org to register and for more information.
About the International OCD Foundation:
The International OCD Foundation is the foremost resource about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and related illnesses. It is an international organization that exists to raise awareness among policy makers and the general public about OCD, educate the mental health community about the latest treatments and research, connect people suffering from OCD with treatment providers, and advance research for more effective treatments. Based in Boston, the IOCDF has affiliates in Minneapolis, San Francisco, Pennsylvania, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Boston, and Puerto Rico. The IOCDF was founded in 1986 by a dozen OCD patients at Yale. Twenty-two years later, the organization has an annual $1 million annual operating budget, has granted $2.5 million for treatment research, and is a resource for millions of people. For more information about the IOCDF, visit www.ocfoundation.org.
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