Public Policy Advocacy

Public policy affects us all in the OCD and related disorders community, from individuals to families to professionals. The IOCDF seeks to serve as the voice of our community on Capitol Hill, uniting with other mental health voices on the federal policy issues that impact us the most.

The strategic goals of the IOCDF advocacy initiatives are that people with OCD and related disorders have improved access to effective treatment and adequate support in their communities, and that treating clinicians in every profession have improved capacity to provide effective treatment.

What this means to the IOCDF:

  • Treatment for OCD and related disorders is affordable
  • Treatment for OCD and related disorders is widely available
  • Treatment for OCD and related disorders is effective
  • People with OCD and related disorders are supported in their communities

How we aim to achieve these goals:

  • Working together with other mental health organizations - we’re stronger when we work together
  • Raising awareness of policy issues within our own community
  • Lobbying and grassroots activism
  • Engaging stakeholders, both those who have an impact and those who are impacted
  • Training and capacity-building

Group Memberships

The IOCDF is a member of the following coalitions:

Recent Public Policy News

IOCDF applauds rulemaking strengthening the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act

September 6, 2023
The White House

In a groundbreaking move, the Biden Administration has taken a significant step forward in prioritizing mental health and substance use parity. Recently, they released proposed rulemaking to strengthen and enforce… Read more »

What Do ‘We Demand’ As An OCD Community?

August 19, 2022

Written By IOCDF Advocate Justine DeJaegher. Learn more about our advocate program and resources.  What do we as an OCD community demand? I’ve been thinking about this as we approach the… Read more »

Get Involved!

Make your voice heard on key mental health legislation!

The International OCD Foundation invites YOU to contact your elected representatives in support of critical mental health legislation in Congress. 
As Congress comes back from their summer recess, we're asking you to help us advocate for bills that address several of the core problems that the OCD and related disorders community faces when attempting to access care — including bills that:
  • Remove barriers to treatment,
  • Increase the number of mental health clinicians, and
  • Ensure that claims for mental health services are not unfairly denied by insurance companies.

Visit the Action Center

Our Action Center makes this easy to do! Simply select an issue area on our agenda that is important to you, fill out your information, and, if you would like, customize your email with a personal story to demonstrate why your representatives and senators should take action.

Take our Advocacy Survey

We want to hear from you about your advocacy priorities - click here to take our advocacy survey!

Support for Key Legislation

Expand each topic area below by clicking on the (+) sign to see the IOCDF's support of various issues and pieces of legislation.

Sign up to receive email alerts!

Make sure to sign up to receive e-mail alerts about advocacy-related news, updates, and activities. Simply fill out the form to the right and then head to our Action Center (green button above) to get started!