A 30-year-old woman with obsessive-compulsive disorder reports that intrusive thoughts about contamination prompt repeated handwashing rituals lasting hours each day. Her therapist begins a treatment in which she touches a doorknob and refrains from washing her hands, gradually working up a hierarchy of feared situations.
Which medication class is the first-line pharmacological treatment for OCD?
- A
Typical antipsychotics
- B
Benzodiazepines
- C
Stimulants
- Dcheck_circle
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
Explanation
SSRIs (often at higher doses than for depression) are first-line for OCD. Benzodiazepines treat acute anxiety, stimulants treat ADHD, and typical antipsychotics treat psychotic disorders.