Recurrent, irrational and irrepressible behaviors, obsessive-compulsive disorders constitute a rather severe psychological pathology. Very common, this disease mainly affects young individuals at random. Find out how it is possible to effectively overcome OCD, in particular through psychotherapy.
Obsessive compulsive disorder: what is it?
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a chronic mental illness that triggers disturbing, repetitive and uncontrollable ideas. Quite disabling, this pathology randomly affects both men and women.
A fairly common problem
The first thing to know about TOCs is that they are absolutely not uncommon. Indeed, 3% of the world’s population suffers from this neurosis without distinction of ethnic origin or sex. Therefore, the obsessive compulsive disorder are the 4á?? mental illness requiring psychiatric follow-up. Generally, children and young adults are most affected by OCD. Thus, 25% of patients are under 14 years old and 65% are under 25 years old. In contrast, only 15% of recorded cases are over 35 years old. In addition, most patients have a history of psychiatric pathology or chronic tic.
Symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
The evolution of OCD is quite slow and gradual, which makes them difficult to identify. In addition, they often appear in people who take excessive care of themselves. feel free to ask a psychologist to examine quite early a relative who presents obsessive compulsive disorder symptoms. Indeed, management is simpler when the disease is identified early.
In addition, certain obvious signs make it possible to identify that a person suffers from an obsessive compulsive disorder. For fear of bacteriological contamination, the patient may wash his hands repeatedly at the risk of injuring himself. He will also do non-stop housework and repeatedly check that all electrical appliances are turned off. Note that obsessions and compulsions become more intense over time. So he is prudent to consult a psychologist before they interfere with the normal performance of the individual’s daily tasks.
The help of a psychologist to fight against obsessive compulsive disorders
Contrary to what sufferers think, OCD does not heal on its own. In order to overcome it, it is essential to seek the help of a psychologist. Better equipped, the latter will be able to set up the most appropriate treatment for the situation. In this register, note that different methods can be used depending on the case.
Cognitive and behavioral therapy
Psychological intervention is the first technique recommended in the treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder. Apparently simple to apply, it consists in exposing the patient to his obsessions in order to face the resulting reactions. Thus, a person who fears contamination by touching a door handle will have to touch one. Of course, the exercise is done under the supervision of the therapist or a third party. This must help the patient to resist the urge to wash his hands or clean them.
For the results of this process to be visible, several sessions are often necessary. Also, the exercises should be continued at home in order to help the patient in the healing process. If the sessions are correctly respected, the compulsions will be more and more spaced out. However, you must be careful that new rituals do not replace those that have been tamed. Also note that the cognitive and behavioral therapy is more effective when the patient is eager to heal. Otherwise, the risk of relapse is significant and the results take much longer to appear.
Drug treatment
To remedy an obsessive compulsive disorder, it is also possible to resort to taking certain medications. In general, antidepressants are sufficient to overcome the symptoms of this pathology. Acting on the flow of serotonin going to the brain, this molecule helps the patient to better manage his phobias. Moreover, the doses used in this case must be 3 times higher than for simple stress. In addition, the effects can be felt only 6 weeks after the start of treatment. You must therefore be patient and continue to follow the doctor’s prescriptions. It is also possible to combine the behavior therapy exercises during this floating time.
Special cases
When the two previously mentioned techniques prove to be ineffective, the therapist can resort to lesional surgery. This consists of slightly altering a area of the brain affected by OCD. The operation is performed using gamma rays and without opening the skull. Although the process is effective in 60% of patients, it remains risky due to its irreversible nature.