AIIMS Rishikesh & Jodhpur NO - 2017
Mental Health Nursing
Easy

Least effective therapy in OCD is?

Appeared in: AIIMS Rishikesh & Jodhpur NO - 2017

Explanation

  • Psychoanalysis is considered the least effective therapy for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
  • There is no rigorous evidence to support the use of a psychodynamic approach (like psychoanalysis) for treating OCD.
  • This type of therapy focuses on exploring past unconscious conflicts, which does not effectively address the current cycle of obsessions and compulsions.
  • In some cases, the introspective nature of psychoanalysis can worsen OCD symptoms by increasing rumination and self-focus.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

  • Option B: Cognitive therapy is a highly effective and evidence-based treatment for OCD. It is a core component of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which is considered a first-line treatment.
  • Option C: Medication, particularly Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), is a highly effective and first-line treatment for OCD, often used in combination with therapy.
  • Option D: While not a primary, standalone treatment, physical exercise is often recommended as a beneficial adjunctive therapy. It can help manage the anxiety and stress associated with OCD, but it is not considered ineffective.

Related Visual

Visual explanation — Related Visual
Clinical Relevance
  • Nursing practice connection: Knowing Efficacy of different therapies for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
  • Nurses play a crucial role in patient education, reinforcing the importance of adhering to evidence-based treatments like CBT and SSRIs for OCD.
  • It is a patient safety issue to guide patients away from ineffective or potentially harmful treatments like psychoanalysis for OCD, ensuring they invest their time and resources in therapies proven to work.
  • What if? If a patient with OCD also has severe comorbid depression, the initial treatment approach might prioritize medication (SSRIs) to stabilize mood before fully engaging in the demanding work of cognitive therapy like ERP.
How to Approach the Question
  • First, identify the core of the question: it asks to find the 'least effective' therapy for OCD among the given options.
  • Recall or deduce the first-line, evidence-based treatments for OCD. These are primarily Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), especially Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and SSRI medications.
  • Evaluate each option against this knowledge. 'Cognitive therapy' is part of CBT, and 'Medication' represents SSRIs, so both are highly effective.
  • 'Physical exercise' is known to be a helpful adjunctive therapy for many mental health conditions, including anxiety.
  • 'Psycho-analysis' is a historical approach focused on unconscious conflicts. Modern guidelines for OCD do not recommend it.
  • Conclude that psychoanalysis, lacking evidence and a direct mechanism to treat OCD symptoms, is the least effective option.
Concept Tested & Keywords
  • Concept Tested: Efficacy of different therapies for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
  • Stem keywords: Least effective therapy, OCD
  • Lead-in keywords: Least effective
  • Negative lead-in flag: LEAST changes the reasoning strategy; look for the exception or incorrect statement rather than the true statement.

Question ID

Q852l5FtELBq1cNpm7BrjQ

Reference Book

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 5919-5921

E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) p. 1355-1357

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