Guest of "Sans Rendez-vous", Wednesday on Europe 1, the Psychiatrist Luc Mallet, also a researcher at the Brain Institute, gave a precise definition of Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD), different from tics and for which patients are slow sometimes to consult.
We often talk about it, without knowing what exactly their definition covers.
In France, at least "2 to 3%" of the population suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD), a percentage "perhaps even a little underestimated", according to Luc Mallet.
Guest of
Sans Rendez-vous
, Wednesday, the psychiatrist, also a researcher at the Brain Institute (ICM) explained more precisely what signals should alert.
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What is a TOC?
"Obsessions, ideas, annoying intrusive thoughts which can generate anxiety and behaviors which generally aim to neutralize these thoughts", defines Luc Mallet. These OCDs often concern hygiene (the fact of washing the hands compulsively, for example) or checks of all kinds. "For example, we go to see his door because we are obsessed that something bad could happen if we leave his door open."
Several criteria are added to this definition.
"For an OCD to be one, it must be present every day, that it interferes with daily functioning, and it is considered that all its manifestations must take at least an hour a day", explains the psychiatrist.
OCD must also be linked to an unjustified fear: the fact of washing your hands very regularly during a Covid-19 pandemic is therefore not one.
Finally, patients with OCD also suffer, "most of the time", from a "pathological" doubt, "generating anxiety and anguish" - which pushes for example to return to see if the door is closed only two times. minutes after doing it.
What is the difference with a tic?
"A tic is an involuntary movement, which can be a small jerk, a small blink of an eye, a movement of the shoulder or neck, or a more complex movement, in interaction with others, who will aim to touch someone, for example ", specifies Luc Mallet.
"The person then feels the need to perform the tic and has great difficulty controlling it."
The sufferer may therefore feel an "urgent pressure" to act, but "there is no associated, intrusive and annoying thought", as in the case of OCD, according to the psychiatrist.
A difference not always easy to establish, because "there can be tics which resemble OCD, for example the fact of arranging things in symmetry".
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Who and when to consult?
"There is often a delay in diagnosis, due to the fact that people who have OCD, most of the time, mask it" out of shame, notes the researcher, who distinguishes two "groups" of patients: those whose disorders start from childhood, around 11-12 years old, and those who are affected only around 20-25 years old.
Both men and women are equally affected.
"If a child begins to have small rituals, it is something which may be normal, which will pass, possibly with temporary help", underlines Luc Mallet. But if the disorders persist and raise doubts in the parents, the specialist recommends to "consult early", by turning first to the attending physician. After an initial assessment, he or she can start treatment or direct the patient to treatment by a psychologist, psychotherapist or psychiatrist. Because, good news OCD can be treated: "Two thirds of patients respond perfectly to the first-line treatments that currently exist."