OCD Week 2016 - October 9th-15th

From www.iocdf.org
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Did you know that 1 in 100 adults likely have OCD? And up to 1 in 200 children? That’s a half a million children in the US alone. OCD can be a debilitating disorder, but there is treatment that can help. Unfortunately, it can take up to 14–17 years from the first onset of symptoms for people to get access to effective treatment, due to obstacles such as stigma and a lack of awareness about mental health, and OCD in particular.

OCD Awareness Week is an international effort to raise awareness and understanding about obsessive compulsive disorder and related disorders, with the goal of helping more people to get timely access to appropriate and effective treatment. Launched in 2009 by the IOCDF, OCD Awareness Week is now celebrated by a number of organizations across the US and around the world, with events such as OCD screening days, lectures, conferences, fundraisers, online Q&As, and more.

OCD Awareness Week takes place during the second full week of October each year, and this year it’s October 9–15, 2016.

#OCDweek YouTube Challenge
Each year, the IOCDF hosts a creative contest as part of OCD Awareness Week, inviting members of the OCD Community to help spread awareness and understanding through storytelling or art. In 2014, the IOCDF began hosting a video contest with the same theme. It has been a great success, and so they are doing it again for 2016! Check out last year’s finalists here for inspiration.
Click here to learn more.

Join the IOCDF's #OCDchat Series
This daily chat series is back for #OCDweek featuring different topics and guest experts every day. The chats will take place Monday–Friday at 1pm ET. A  full chat schedule, list of guest experts, and more information on how to participate in the #OCDchat series will be available soon.

Promote OCD Awareness Week October 9-15th, 2016, on Social MediaFacebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other social media networks are a great way to spread awareness about OCD and related disorders. By telling your story to your friends and family, you can help dispel myths about mental health disorders, eliminate stigma, and most importantly, raise awareness about OCD symptoms and available treatments. During OCD Awareness Week, there are a number of ways you can get involved online:

• Join #OCDchats, taking place every weekday at 1 pm ET, from October 10-14th. IOCDF will be hosting a series of guest experts during OCD Awareness Week who can answer your questions about OCD and related disorders. Schedule coming soon!

• Use the #OCDweek hashtag on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to help get OCD Awareness Week trending!

• Show you support for Awareness Week by tweeting or sharing a photo of yourself with the 2016 OCDweek sign (coming soon). Just download the PDF and print at home, then snap a picture using your phone or digital camera and upload to social media to show your support. Make sure that any tweets and Instagram posts include the hashtag #OCDweek. Let’s see if we can get #OCDweek trending!

• Change your Facebook or Twitter profile picture to show your support for OCD Awareness by using our exclusive #OCDweek “Twibbon.” 

• Donate your Facebook status October 9-15th, 2016. Feel free to copy and paste the following if you’re not sure what to say:

For OCD Awareness Week, I donate my status in support of anyone who has ever battled this disorder. May they find treatment, comfort, and hope. Together we can end the stigma around mental illness. Please copy and paste this as your status to promote the International OCD Foundation’s OCD Awareness Week efforts. Learn more at www.iocdf.org. #OCDweek

• Become a fan of the International OCD Foundation on Facebook.

• Follow the International OCD Foundation on Twitter.

• Find the International OCD Foundation on Instagram.