According to OCD UK, there are an estimated three quarters of a million people suffering from severe, debilitating and life-impacting Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in the UK alone. With referral waiting times for NHS mental health services, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), often being months long, health apps that can help sufferers manage their OCD whilst waiting for treatment are more necessary than ever. In support of OCD Week of Action, a campaign by OCD Action which runs from Monday 18th February to Sunday 24th February 2019, ORCHA would like to raise awareness of how digital health apps can help people affected by OCD.
ORCHA has reviewed over three hundred mental health apps, including those specifically catering to OCD, which can be searched for using our health app finder tool. These apps are assessed according to the ORCHA Review process, which analyses an app’s compliance with current standards, regulations and good practice, with apps that achieve a higher ORCHA score being the more compliant with these standards. In providing a consistent framework by which to assess health apps, the ORCHA Review process not only increases knowledge and awareness of the apps available, but also facilitates trust in digital health for both patients and healthcare professionals.
For sufferers of OCD, symptoms commonly include frequent intrusive and obsessive thoughts, in combination with repetitive compulsions. Although performing compulsions can bring some relief to the anxiety caused by the distressing, obsessive thoughts, such relief is temporary, with the obsessions frequently resurfacing in a debilitating manner. OCD can manifest itself in any number of guises, from excessive washing and cleaning, to rearranging objects until their position feels ‘just right’, worrying that a fire will start because of not having ‘properly’ checked that appliances are switched off, repeating words or movements, hoarding, fears that something terrible may happen to a loved one, or even thoughts of being the cause of harm (despite this being the last thing the person with OCD would ever want to do), and much, much more. There are specific types of OCD depending on the kind of obsessions and compulsions that occur, but sufferers can experience any combination of OCD symptoms, meaning that it is impossible to categorise all individual cases under restrictive headings.
Unwanted, obsessive thoughts, leading to compulsive actions, can take hours out of a sufferer’s day. Someone with a more extreme case of OCD may feel that it is impossible to switch off their intrusive thoughts, rendering them exhausted and sometimes despairing. Often, the sufferer is aware of the irrational nature of their obsessions and compulsions, but this awareness does not make their anxiety lessen. Instead, a person with OCD may feel shame and embarrassment at being unable to control their OCD, which can result in them trying to hide any outwardly visible compulsions. They might even avoid certain situations or specific activities in anticipation of their OCD becoming aggravated. This vicious cycle of fear and avoidance means that, according to OCD UK, there is often a delay of ten to fifteen years between someone first experiencing symptoms of OCD, and actually seeking help.
Imagine, then, that someone whose life has been impacted by OCD since childhood, has managed to overcome their personal shame and apprehension surrounding their OCD enough to finally go to their GP for help and diagnosis, only to discover that there is a six month plus waiting list for CBT. Perhaps not wishing to go down the route of medication, how, then, could this person find a way of coping with their OCD throughout the long wait for treatment?
Enter: health apps. The NOCD app is one of the multiple OCD apps that have been reviewed by ORCHA. Having achieved an ORCHA score of 61%, NOCD offers guidance and self-therapy options for people suffering with OCD. ORCHA’s review process allows people to make informed decisions about their own health by scoring health apps according to data privacy, clinical assurance and user experience, making it easy for users and health professionals to determine the effectiveness and trustworthiness of specific apps. Without people even needing to download the app, ORCHA’s Review increases the accessibility and clarity of information about different aspects of NOCD.
In the absence of ORCHA’s review, an OCD sufferer may refrain from downloading any health apps due to uncertainty about their effectiveness. In this sense, ORCHA enables those people waiting for CBT to access help in the interim, and moving into the future as they continue to manage their OCD. NOCD provides information on a variety of OCD-related topics; has an in-app community in which people can share their advice and experiences; and offers the opportunity to create a personal treatment plan, with exercises based around Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Whilst this app is not recommended as a replacement treatment to seeing a therapist and accessing CBT through the NHS, it can be effective in helping OCD sufferers track their obsessions, compulsions and thought patterns. Not only can this be useful for people trying to understand their OCD better in preparation for eventual therapy, it can also help people generate their own methods of coping with OCD, at a pace which suits the individual. Further, NOCD’s in-app community creates a support network at the user’s fingertips. Finding and connecting with other people who understand OCD can contribute to recovery by helping the sufferer to see that they are not alone in their struggle.
OCD can control people’s lives. Through using digital health apps, those affected can start taking back some of that control. ORCHA’s Solution helps to empower patients in this way by increasing awareness, access and trust of health apps. Whether you suffer from OCD yourself, know someone who does, or are a healthcare professional looking to improve the wellbeing of your patients, ORCHA’s searchable health app library provides a trusted way of discovering the best OCD apps amongst hundreds of other health apps. Health apps can’t promise a cure-all solution for OCD or other health problems, but they can definitely be a great help.
Jane Patrickson, a practice nurse in Bradford explains how and why ORCHA works so effectively in this clinical context.
A new mobile app comparison service is being unveiled by NHS Bradford district and Craven CCGs which will support people with their mental health and wellbeing.
A new mobile app comparison service is being unveiled by NHS Bradford district and Craven CCGs which will support people with their mental health and wellbeing.
Mental health issues will affect around 155,000 people in the Bradford district and Craven during their lifetime; with approximately 6,200 people needing specialist mental health support.
The CCGs have identified the opportunity for mobile health apps to support their digitally savvy population.
The latest initiative supports mental wellbeing; building it into care delivery, supporting early intervention and helping people to self-care and manage their conditions. This creates a new way to support self-care but doesn’t replace the more traditional ways of accessing mental health services.
To help people find safe apps that will be effective for their health condition, the CCGs have worked with ORCHA to build the free health app comparison site: bradfordandcraven.orcha.co.uk.
ORCHA tests and reviews thousands of apps so patients and professionals can make an informed decision about which ones to download.
The ORCHA app comparison site is not limited to mental health. People can search for other health and care apps to help;
· Stop smoking
· Manage diabetes
· Encourage walking
· Track alcohol and drug use
GPs and other healthcare professionals across the region are being given ORCHA Pro accounts, to enable them to recommend the best apps to support patients by sending them a text message.
Dr Taz Aldawoud, Bradford GP and Clinical Board member at NHS Bradford Districts CCG said:
“Orcha provides me with the confidence to recommend apps to my patients, specific to their needs, knowing it has been through a rigorous assurance process for data/cyber security, clinical effectiveness and taken account of user experience.”
“Being able to recommend an app that can help manage a condition, offer guidance about their lifestyle or provide a tool to improve their self-care is a new and invaluable way of providing that support.”
Jane Patrickson, Practice Nurse, at Westcliffe Medical Practice adds:
“Often, people just need simple, practical help and this app comparison site is easy to use for both patients and health professionals. Phones are a big part of people’s lives and, being able to get advice and practical support as part of their daily routine, can only help to improve their mental and physical wellbeing.”
To visit the comparison site, visit: bradfordandcraven.orcha.co.uk
Read the article here.
Watch the ORCHA Case for Study Bradford General Practice
Watch the ORCHA Case for Study Bradford Practice Nursing
Digital Healthy Schools is a project to educate young people on how to safely and effectively use mobile devices to improve and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Listen and watch as students from Witton Park Academy tell you what they found out during the programme.