How to get out of the hell of OCD? Dr. Nicolas Neveux , psychiatrist in Paris, practicing cognitive and behavioral therapies and interpersonal therapy, enlighten us on the subject.
marieclaire.fr: What is a TOC?
Dr. Nicolas Neveux: It is the existence in a person obsessive thoughts, repetitive, distressing, against which the person struggles, and marking a concern disproportionate to the circumstances. The person recognizes these thoughts as his own and not imposed by the outside, and often the critics as aberrant, without being able to override it. Compulsions are rituals stemming from these obsessive thoughts: the person feels obliged to perform these rituals to cope with them and to avoid anxiety (for example the need to continually wash his interior).
From when can we consider that a ritual becomes an OCD?
From the moment the ritual is disproportionate to the circumstances (if you wash your hands 30 minutes is a pathological ritual ... except for a surgeon before an operation) and that it causes suffering for the patient, most often associated with the impression of not being able to do otherwise.
What is it usually due to?
OCD is an anxiety disorder. It is a way of managing an anxious influx that the patient can not digest in other ways. Favorable terrain is multiple: difficulty managing uncertainty, obsessive personality and there may be triggers (trauma). However, there is no unambiguous cause, and in many cases the person has always been anxious before the onset of OCD.
Are there different types of OCD?
The themes of the TOCs (cleanliness, order, contamination ...) are multiple. Some OCDs manifest themselves exclusively as obsessive thoughts, while others have many rituals in addition to these thoughts.
Can we heal? If yes, how ?
TOCs are diseases that we know how to treat today. The approach is systematically psychotherapeutic, cognitive and behavioral therapies (CBT) having proved scientifically in this indication. There are also medications that work directly on the brain.
Does the entourage play a role in healing?
The family must never attempt to settle a family member's OCD by himself, but, if necessary, position himself with the help of the psychiatrist. Indeed, to help a loved one with OCDs, one must first understand the mechanism of TOC but also what is at stake for the patient, and it is impossible without outside intervention.
- Are there different types of OCD?
I hope I understand your question correctly:
The themes of the TOCs (cleanliness, order, contamination ...) are multiple. Some OCDs manifest themselves exclusively as obsessive thoughts, while others have many rituals in addition to these thoughts.
- Can we heal? If yes, how ?
TOCs are diseases that we know how to treat today. The approach is systematically psychotherapeutic, cognitive and behavioral therapies (CBT) that are scientifically proven in this indication, but also medicated (in particular the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs))
- Does the entourage play a role in healing?
Yes, but the main role of the entourage is not to maintain secondary benefits to the OCD. The family must never attempt to settle a family member's OCD by himself, but, if necessary, position himself with the help of the psychiatrist. Indeed, to help a loved one with OCDs, one must first understand the mechanism of TOC but also what is at stake for the patient, and it is impossible without outside intervention.
