OCD assessment & diagnosis
Are you looking for a formal assessment for OCD? Our private diagnostic assessment gives you a clear answer, backed by a written clinical report.
You do not need a diagnosis to start therapy, and many of our clients never have one. But you may want to know for certain, or need written evidence to support a request for adjustments at work or in education.
How do we assess for OCD?
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterised by persistent intrusive thoughts paired with compulsions performed to relieve them. Compulsions may be visible, but are often internal. For a diagnosis, the cycle needs to be taking up significant time or causing real distress or disruption to your life.
As a specialist OCD service, we are familiar with both external and internal presentations of OCD, recognising covert compulsions and Pure-O style OCD. You can read more about the many different types of OCD we work with on our therapy page.
We are also able to differentiate OCD from related issues, such as health anxiety or generalised anxiety disorder, and from neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism.
How does the process work?
After booking an assessment, you will be asked to complete a consent form. You will then meet with your psychologist, and together we will explore your experiences and whether they meet the criteria for diagnosis.
The assessment session usually takes 30-90 minutes. On rare occasions, we may need to do a second assessment session to ensure we get a correct result.
We use structured diagnostic interviews and validated measures. For OCD, we typically use the Y-BOCS-II, the standard measure of obsession and compulsion severity, alongside the DIAMOND structured diagnostic interview. Some of the questionnaires can be completed beforehand, if you wish.
At the end of your assessment, your psychologist will confirm whether you meet the criteria or not. You will then receive a clinical report, usually within one week of your assessment session.
What are the fees?
£300. This includes the assessment sessions, scoring and interpretation, and your written clinical report.
Frequently asked questions
Will I have to describe my intrusive thoughts?
Not in detail. We will talk about the nature of your intrusive thoughts. But you do not need to name specific thoughts if these are of a sensitive nature. We know that OCD often involves intrusive thoughts around sexual, harmful, religious or other difficult themes, and we are used to working with these.
What is the difference between assessment and diagnosis?
An assessment is the process. We gather a detailed history, ask structured questions about your symptoms, and use validated clinical measures to establish whether your experiences meet the diagnostic criteria for a particular condition. A diagnosis is a possible outcome of the assessment process.
What if I do not meet criteria?
You still receive a full report explaining what we found and what we would recommend.
What will I receive?
You will receive a clinical report confirming whether you meet the diagnostic criteria or not. If you meet the criteria, this report will contain your formal diagnosis. The report will make recommendations for what you should do next.
Please note that we do not complete additional paperwork such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP) applications or court reports. You are welcome to submit your clinical report as evidence in these situations.
Will my diagnosis be recognised?
Yes. Your assessment is carried out by a Chartered Psychologist registered with the Health and Care Professions Council, using the same diagnostic criteria and standardised measures used in NHS services. It is a valid clinical diagnosis.
How that diagnosis is then used is up to the organisation you present it to. Employers and education providers generally accept a report from a registered psychologist. Your GP may or may not add a private diagnosis to your medical record, and an NHS service may carry out its own assessment before offering you a place on a treatment pathway. We are happy to talk this through with you beforehand if you are seeking assessment for a specific purpose.
Do I need a referral?
No. You can book directly.