FREE support is being offered to people across the district who have obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

MyWellbeing College, run by Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, is providing self-help treatment.

Over a 12-week period, participants complete a workbook containing various tasks and activities which when practised regularly help with symptom management.

And every fortnight there is an opportunity to speak to a wellbeing coach for guidance and support relating to the issues covered.

OCD is a common condition where a person has frequent obsessive thoughts and compulsive and repetitive behaviours – such as hand washing, checking or cleaning – which can severely interfere with daily activities and social interactions.

The disorder may develop at any age, but treatment can help keep it under control.

Sharon Edwards, clinical lead with MyWellbeing College, said: “The guided self-help workbooks are a great tool for people experiencing OCD – or struggling with everyday ups and downs linked to low mood and/or anxiety – who don’t necessarily need more-intensive support, or don’t want to attend a group.

“The books are based around a treatment called cognitive behavioural therapy, which looks at the way we think and behave and how that affects our feelings.

“The main aim of self-help – with the support of a wellbeing coach – is for patients to take control of their own learning so they can make positive changes to what they do and how they think, to make them feel better.”

MyWellbeing College is giving its backing to OCD Awareness Week, next week.

The week is a global initiative designed to increase people’s understanding of the condition and dispel misunderstandings.

It is spearheaded in Britain by the charity OCD-UK.

A spokesman said: “People still think OCD means being neat, tidy, clean and organised.

“We need to say to them, ‘think again!’. Obsessive compulsive disorder is a seriously debilitating condition which leads the sufferer to having unwanted, intrusive thoughts, rendering day-to-day life a living nightmare.”

MyWellbeing College is open to anyone aged over 16 who is registered with a GP in Bradford, Wharfedale, Airedale or Craven.

People don’t have to go through their GP to enrol on a course of treatment.

Register online at bmywellbeingcollege.nhs.uk or call the enrolment team on 0300 555 5551 for further details and to discuss options.