supporting evidence

• is this a strength or weakness?

  strength
• what is the supporting evidence?

  drug vs placebo
• what is used to compare effectiveness of drug vs placebo?

  randomised control trial
• who conducted research of drug vs placebo?

  Soomro et al (2008)

  Kahn et al (1986)
• how many studies did Soomro et al review?

  17
• what were the studies about?

  use of SSRI's with OCD patients
• what did the studies find?

  SSRI more effective than placebo in reducing symptoms of OCD for up to 3 months after treatment
• furthermore...

  Kahn et al (1986)
• how many patients did Kahn et al follow?

  250
• how long did Kahn et al follow patients for?

  8 weeks
• what did Kahn et al find?

  BZ's significantly superior to placebos for treating stress & anxiety
• why is this a strength?

  demonstrates effectiveness of using drug therapy to treat mental illness
• howevever, one issue evaluating treatment is..?

  most studies only 3-4 months long
• what does short length of study mean?

  little longitudinal data
• what does little longitudinal data mean?

  findings should be applied with caution