Social Workers Experiences of Clients with OCD - Version 1

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Mental Health Social Workers Perceptions and Experiences of Working with Clients with a Diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

  • IRAS ID

    277833

  • Contact name

    Eppie Leishman

  • Contact email

    eppie.leishman@york.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    University of York

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    0 years, 6 months, 12 days

  • Research summary

    The study will be exploring Mental Health Social Workers' perceptions and experiences of working with clients with a diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Previous research has found that OCD can be misunderstood within health settings. For example, Glazier et al (2015) found that primary care practitioners misdiagnosed half of OCD cases presented in vignettes. It has also been documented that OCD can be misunderstood within mental health settings. For example, Glazier et al (2013) found that psychologists misdiagnosed OCD at a high rate and incorrectly attributed OCD symptoms to other mental health conditions.

    There is a gap in the research relating to the experiences of mental health social workers working with clients with OCD, therefore this research hopes to contribute to these ongoing discussions by exploring perceptions and experiences of social workers working directly with those who have an OCD diagnosis

    The study will involve recruiting 8-10 Mental Health Social Workers from the local NHS Trust, Essex Partnership University NHS Trust. Participants will be required to be qualified social workers who have had experience of working with at least one client with a diagnosis of OCD. Interviews will take place at either the participants place of work, or at the researcher's place of work and will last between 45 - 90 minutes. During the interview, participants will be asked about their understanding of OCD, for example, an awareness of what obsessions and compulsions are. There will be some questions relating to understanding of the more 'taboo' aspects of OCD, such as violent and sexual obsessions. They will be asked about their past and current experiences of working with clients with the diagnosis, if their clients have experienced any stigma due to their diagnosis and what their opinions are regarding the concept of recovery and OCD.

  • REC name

    N/A

  • REC reference

    N/A