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Review
. 2019 Jan;61(Suppl 1):S85-S92.
doi: 10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_516_18.

Exposure and response prevention for obsessive-compulsive disorder: A review and new directions

Dianne M Hezel  1   2 , H Blair Simpson  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Exposure and response prevention for obsessive-compulsive disorder: A review and new directions

Dianne M Hezel et al. Indian J Psychiatry. 2019 Jan.

Abstract

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by distressing thoughts and repetitive behaviors that are interfering, time-consuming, and difficult to control. Although OCD was once thought to be untreatable, the last few decades have seen great success in reducing symptoms with exposure and response prevention (ERP), which is now considered to be the first-line psychotherapy for the disorder. Despite these significant therapeutic advances, there remain a number of challenges in treating OCD. In this review, we will describe the theoretical underpinnings and elements of ERP, examine the evidence for its effectiveness, and discuss new directions for enhancing it as a therapy for OCD.

Keywords: Cognitive-behavioral therapy; exposure with response prevention; obsessive-compulsive disorder; treatment efficacy.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Effectiveness of exposure and response prevention versus other treatments. SRI – Serotonin reuptake inhibitor; ERP – Exposure and response prevention; SMT – Stress management therapy; RIS – Risperidone; symptom severity was assessed with the Yale–Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS); error bars – Standard error
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