Cases of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) among young people in the UK have tripled in the last decade, as a mother shares her daughter’s decade-long struggle to access specialist treatment, highlighting systemic delays and a lack of resources.
The national center for OCD treatment in children and adolescents is located at the Maudsley Hospital in London. However, Freedom of Information data obtained by the BBC reveals the average wait time for a referral to the service has dramatically increased, rising from 15 weeks in 2020 to 41 weeks in 2024.
A mother from the south of England, who wishes to remain anonymous, described her 17-year-old daughter’s experience with severe OCD, which began when she was 10. “My daughter has gone from being a scholarship-winning student, to being sectioned multiple times,” she said. The mother explained that despite some specialist treatment being offered, her daughter is frequently too unwell to attend appointments or take medication.
“The impact on [all] our children, and us, is devastating. Our lives have been decimated not just by the illness, but by a system that could not, or would not, provide the help she needed, when she needed it,” the mother stated, adding that the UK is failing young people with severe OCD due to a shortage of specialists, beds, and treatment options.
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust acknowledges the lengthy waits and reports progress in reducing them. Ade Odunlade, chief operating officer for the trust, said: “We have worked incredibly hard to reduce delays and have lowered the average wait for assessments to around 20 weeks.”
“We empathise with anyone who has had to wait for their assessment as we know how tough that is,” Odunlade added. The trust has secured additional funding to hire more staff and further decrease waiting times, with an anticipated wait of approximately 12-16 weeks for assessments by early Spring 2026.
