Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is one of the anxiety disorders. They are characterized both by obsessions, which are intrusive thoughts that generate fears and fears, And compulsions, like an irrepressible desire to achieve repetitive gestures or mental acts like counting or reciting a sentence internally.

Obsessions often relate to themes like:

• Fear of contamination (55%)
• Aggressive thoughts (50%)
• The need for symmetry and accuracy (36%)
• Somatic fears (34%)
• Sexual representations (32%)

The most frequent compulsions are:

• Verification (80%)
• Washing rituals (46%)
• Counting rituals (46%)¹.

Adults who suffer from OCD realize that their obsessions are abnormal and disproportionate, but they cannot control them. Faced with these obsessions, and to limit theanguish, they set up a ritual and have compulsive behaviors. These behaviors result in concrete acts but can also be internal (ruminations). The rituals aim to prevent danger and reduce anxiety.

People with OCD cannot do without these repeated behaviors, although they again find them absurd. THE’avoidance, which involves doing everything you can not to end up in certain situations known to trigger obsessions and rituals, is also a hallmark of OCD.

OCD is not just a fad. These are acts repeated in the extreme. The daily life of those affected is disrupted. They usually take more than an hour a day for symptoms.

Prevalence

About 2,5%² of the population suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, only 37% of people with OCD would see a doctor.³. The shame they feel about their symptoms would prevent them from consulting. OCD is a frequent psychiatric pathology which generally concerns the young subject.

Diagnostic

There are many tests or questionnaires. The scale ofobsession-compulsion de Yale-Brown (Y-BOCS) is the most common. It allows to measure the severity and intensity of TOC. She dwells on the duration of the obsessions, on the effort made by the patient to fight against and on the discomfort and anxiety generated by OCD. It gives an overall score between 0 and 40.

An assessment of thedepression andanxiety is often offered as a supplement and a psychiatric assessment global can detect other psychiatric disorders associated with OCD.

Only one mental health specialist can be diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder. It is important that the diagnosis is made. Too often, because this disease is “shameful”, sufferers find it difficult to consult. However, treatments exist and can be effective.

Causes

The origins of obsessive-compulsive disorder are not well understood. They are linked to multiple factors: genetic⁴, neurophysiological, psychological or even immune.

For the genetic part, a study shows that we find 8 times more psychiatric disorders in the close family of a person suffering from OCD than in the general population⁵. Twin studies⁶ show that if one of the twins has OCD, the other has a higher risk of it too.

Certain neurotransmitters in the brain, including serotonin, are singled out. Serotonin is a substance which ensures the passage of the nervous message between neurons (at the level of synapses). In the event of OCD, the amount of serotonin would be insufficient. The substance no longer plays its role, the information circulates less well.

Un hyperfonctionnement of certain brain structures, in particular frontal and orbito-frontal, is also implicated⁷.

Regarding psychological factors, a certain vulnerability of patients linked to personality disorders and / or events causing stress is highlighted. Cognitive researchers, for example, evoke a overestimation of dangers in obsessive people⁸ or a disturbance in the processing of information, disturbance caused by irrational beliefs⁹.

 Associated disorders

People who are affected by obsessive-compulsive disorder very often suffer from trough. It is moreover often this pathology, and not the OCD, which brings them to consult. They may also suffer from major depression, eating disorders (bulimia, anorexia), drug addiction, anxiety, social phobia, panic disorder¹¹.

These people tend to devalue themselves and have a very low self-esteem and self-esteem. Disorders of executive functions (planning, organizing, etc.) can also be observed.

OCD has symptoms in common with trichotillomania (pulling out hair), tics (involuntary motor behavior), manias (habit disorders), generalized anxiety disorder (TAG) and hypochondria. However, these disorders are different. Their treatment too.

With associated disorders, OCD is more difficult to diagnose and treat. Finally, OCD is common in people with neurological disorders such as Gilles de la Tourette syndrome and Huntington’s disease.

Complications

Left untreated, obsessive-compulsive disorder can become more and more important and therefore more and more disabling. They may prevent the person with the disease from living normally. Some people become addicted to alcohol or fall into depression. Finally, the passage to the suicidal act is relatively frequent in these people. This risk must be the subject of special monitoring. OCD must be diagnosed and treated.