Patients obsessed with cleanliness, order, symmetry or even invaded by irrational fears that they try to fight with tidying up or washing rituals that can occupy several hours a day … OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorders) ) affect 2% of the population. They represent the fourth most frequent pathology after phobic disorders, those related to alcohol and depressive disorders.
The usual treatment combines behavioral therapy and antidepressants. But a third of diseases remain resistant to treatment. To be able to offer a reliable therapeutic alternative, a national study was carried out in ten university hospitals. The selected patients had an electrode implanted in a small area of the brain involved in Parkinson’s disease. After three months of active stimulation, 6 out of 10 patients have achieved satisfactory overall functioning: some have thus regained the start of their social, emotional and professional life.
Researchers still need to improve the finesse of the stimulation parameters. But this clinical trial coordinated by Dr Mallet’s team at Pitié-Salpêtrière is very encouraging for patients with OCD.
