About OCD
OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) involves intrusive thoughts that cause distress and repetitive behaviours or mental rituals to reduce it. Cognitive-behavioural therapy with exposure and response prevention is the first-line psychological treatment.
Therapist is the everyday word for a professional who offers talking therapy: depending on the country it can be a psychologist, a psychotherapist, a licensed counsellor, a marriage and family therapist or a clinical social worker. Profiles show each therapist’s actual title, training and registration.
Getting mental health care in French Guiana
Public health system · Assurance Maladie (French national health insurance) and public psychiatry sectors
French Guiana is part of France and uses the French system. Public psychiatric care is provided through sector-based centres médico-psychologiques (CMP) attached to public hospitals. Under the Mon soutien psy scheme, up to 12 sessions per calendar year with a partner psychologist are priced at 50 euros, 60 percent reimbursed by Assurance Maladie, with or without a doctor's referral. More information
How to check that a professional is licensed
- Agence régionale de santé (ARS) de Guyane, under French national rules. The titles psychologist and psychotherapist are protected in France and practitioners must be registered with the regional health agency. You can check a professional in the national Annuaire Santé directory.
- Conseil national de l'Ordre des médecins (French medical council). Psychiatrists are doctors and must be registered with the Ordre des médecins; the council publishes a public directory.
Insurance and coverage
Assurance Maladie reimburses 60 percent of Mon soutien psy sessions (30 euros of the 50 euro fee); a complementary insurance (mutuelle) usually covers the rest. Other private psychologist sessions are not reimbursed by Assurance Maladie.
Urgent help in French Guiana
If your life or someone else's is in danger, call the emergency number now. These services can help at any time:
Information reviewed in November 2026 · Sources: ameli.fr
Signs to look out for
Many people have occasional intrusive thoughts or like things a certain way. OCD may be involved when unwanted thoughts, images or urges cause intense distress, and you feel driven to perform rituals, such as checking, washing, counting, seeking reassurance or mentally neutralising, to reduce the anxiety. These rituals take a lot of time, feel hard to resist and interfere with daily life.
What helps: treatments and professionals
Cognitive-behavioural therapy with exposure and response prevention (ERP) is the psychological treatment with the strongest evidence for OCD. It involves gradually facing feared thoughts or situations without performing rituals, at a pace agreed with the therapist. Clinical psychologists and psychologists trained in ERP usually lead treatment. A psychiatrist can assess whether medication may help, particularly when symptoms are severe.
When to seek urgent help
Having an intrusive thought about harm does not mean you want to act on it; this is common in OCD. However, if you feel hopeless, have thoughts of ending your life, or rituals prevent you from eating, drinking or caring for yourself, contact your local emergency services or go to the nearest emergency department. Sudden onset of OCD symptoms in a child should be checked by a doctor.
What you can do in the meantime
Learn from reliable sources how OCD works: trying to push thoughts away or seeking reassurance usually makes them stronger. Try to delay a ritual by a few minutes, or shorten it slightly, and notice that anxiety tends to fall on its own. Ask family members to support you without joining in rituals. Look after sleep and stress, which can intensify symptoms.
What does a therapist do?
A therapist helps you talk through what is worrying you and find practical ways to feel and cope better. In sessions they listen, ask questions, help you notice patterns in your thoughts, emotions and relationships, and agree goals with you. Depending on their training they may use cognitive-behavioural, humanistic, systemic, psychodynamic or other evidence-based approaches, with individuals, couples, families or groups.
When to see a therapist
It makes sense to look for a therapist when stress, anxiety, low mood, grief, relationship problems, a difficult change or the effects of past experiences start to weigh on your daily life, or when you simply want space to understand yourself better. If symptoms are severe, you may need medication or there are signs of a medical cause, involve your doctor or a psychiatrist as well.
How to choose
When choosing, check the licence and training, the approach they use and whether they have experience with what you need. Consider practical aspects too: language, price, location or online sessions and availability. The relationship with the professional matters a great deal; if after a few sessions it does not feel right, it is fine to change.
Frequently asked questions
Does the public health system in French Guiana cover psychological care?
French Guiana is part of France and uses the French system. Public psychiatric care is provided through sector-based centres médico-psychologiques (CMP) attached to public hospitals. Under the Mon soutien psy scheme, up to 12 sessions per calendar year with a partner psychologist are priced at 50 euros, 60 percent reimbursed by Assurance Maladie, with or without a doctor's referral.
How do I check that a therapist is licensed in French Guiana?
Agence régionale de santé (ARS) de Guyane, under French national rules: The titles psychologist and psychotherapist are protected in France and practitioners must be registered with the regional health agency. You can check a professional in the national Annuaire Santé directory.