Medizinische Universität Graz Austria/Österreich - Forschungsportal - Medical University of Graz
Gewählte Publikation:
Reinprecht, A.
Zur Frage der Wirksamkeit von Antidepressiva und Antipsychotika in der Behandlung der Zwangsstörung Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
[ Diplomarbeit/Master Thesis ] University of Medicine of Graz; 2010. pp.101.
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- Autor*innen der Med Uni Graz:
- Betreuer*innen:
- Rothenhäusler Hans-Bernd
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- Abstract:
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a widespread, mental illness which affects 2 to 3 percent of the worldwide population. It is a disorder which severely afflicts its victims and may occur in all age groups. OCD hinder not only the life of the afflicted, but also place large amounts of stress on entire families. In this thesis, the effectiveness of antidepressants and antipsychotics used in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder will be discussed in the style of a systematic literature review. To accomplish this, a PubMed search meeting the criteria of evidence-based medicine was conducted to determine relevant studies published between 1999 and 2009. Altogether 41 controlled trials and 3 Meta-analyses met the inclusion criteria and were used as reference literature for this review. In general, the best results obtained in efficacy studies came with the usage of serotonin-reuptake-inhibitors especially with the tricyclic antidepressant clomipramine and the substances of the SSRIs. In contrast to clomipramine, which presented itself as the most potent medication, SSRIs such as fluvoxamine or sertraline were clearly more tolerated in spite of their good efficacy. For this reason they are suited best for the long-term treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Specifically the substance fluvoxamine has a rapid onset of action, and is therefore the first-line agent for treating acute and/or short-term cases of OCD and its symptoms. The usage of antipsychotics such as risperidone is restricted to be combined with SSRIs in treatment-refractory cases, in which they delivered good results. Benzodiazepines, such as clonazepam, are in spite of being an effective option for the treatment of other anxiety disorders, completely unsuited for treating OCD. However, in spite of all of this, the treatment of OCD remains a challenge for physicians and patients based on the many unknowns concerning the disease and the high comorbidity.