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OCD Awareness Week, taking place October 11-17, 2015, is an excellent opportunity for members of the OCD and related disorders community to join together and raise awareness about the disorder — whether you are attending one of many IOCDF affiliates, institutional members, and global partners events around the world (click here to see calendar) or are looking for ways to participate virtually, from wherever you are! Here are five easy ways you can join this year’s OCD Awareness Week celebrations online — perfect if you’re unable to attend an event in person or simply want to show your support in as many ways as possible!

  1. Go blue for #OCDweek!

Show your support for OCD Awareness with this exclusive #OCDweek “Twibbon” you can add to your twitter and Facebook profile pictures during OCD Awareness Week! Simply go here, select whether you’d like to use the filter on either your Twitter or Facebook picture (Or both! The sky’s the limit!), and follow the instructions. Let’s if we can cover Facebook in blue this week! We also have 2015 OCD Awareness Week signs, which you can print out at home, snap a picture with, and share, if you prefer. You can find this year’s signs here.

  1. Connect with others using the #OCDweek hashtag

Whether you’re interesting in sharing your personal story of living with OCD, posting a photo or video on Instagram, or simply voicing your support to all of those in the OCD community, don’t forget to use the official OCD Awareness Week hashtag — #OCDweek — when posting and sharing on social media throughout the week so others can easily find it! Be sure to tag @IOCDF in any #OCDweek posts in Twitter or Instagram as well.

  1. Engage with experts online through our #OCDchat Series

We’ve got a great chat series lined up this year, with dozens of experts and advocates ready to answer your questions and talk with you LIVE! Each day of #OCDweek at 1pm ET, we’ll be hosting an online chat, taking place on our website here. There is no need to login or register, and you do not have to have a Twitter account to participate. All you need to do is visit the page once the chat is live, and you’re set to discuss that day’s topic with our panel! Check out the full chat lineup including each day’s topic and guest chat leaders here so you can start planning your week!

Can’t attend the chat at the scheduled time? You can submit questions ahead of time on Twitter to @IOCDF by using the hashtag #OCDchat. We’ll post the chat transcripts online so you can access the chat anytime after the chat ends.

  1. Watch with the IOCDF spokespeople LIVE on Periscope!

New this year! Our IOCDF spokespeople will be streaming live throughout the week offering you a behind-the-scenes look at the daily lives of our spokespeople. Join Jeff Bell in the news broadcast booth, Ethan Smith on the set of his latest show, Liz McIngvale, PhD, on campus, and Ro Vitale live on stage with a special music performance! Stay tuned to the IOCDF Twitter account for links to these broadcasts throughout the week!

  1. Help pick a finalist in the 2015 OCD Week Video Contest

Out of many great submissions to this year’s OCD Awareness Week Video Contest, we’ve now narrowed things down to just 7 finalists! Watch their videos here and vote for your favorites by liking (giving a “thumbs up”) the videos on YouTube. The video winner of the contest will join us at the 23rd Annual OCD Conference in Chicago this summer!

How are you planning to join us for #OCDweek? We want to hear your plans, ideas, and suggestions in the comments below.

Join us to help raise awareness about OCD, dispel myths and preconceptions, and let everyone know that there are resources — and an entire community of understanding people like you — here to help.

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