Exposure and response prevention therapy for OCD

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Exposure and response prevention therapy for OCD

Exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy is an effective way to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). With exposure and response prevention therapy, you repeatedly expose yourself to an obsession, such as something you fear is contaminated, and deny yourself the ritual compulsive act, which in this case would be washing your hands.

ERP helps break the link between your obsessive thoughts and compulsive rituals. This process is repeated every day for several weeks or months until your anxiety is reduced and you do not feel the need to perform the compulsive behavior in response to the obsessive thought.¹

References

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Citations
Jacob RG, Pelham WE (2005). Behavior therapy section of Psychotherapies. In BJ Sadock, VA Sadock, eds., Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, 8th ed., vol. 2, pp. 2498–2548. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

Credits

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Author	Jeannette Curtis
Editor	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA
Associate Editor	Pat Truman, MATC
Primary Medical Reviewer	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer	Lisa S. Weinstock, MD - Psychiatry
Last Updated	June 25, 2008

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Last updated:	June 25, 2008
Author:	Jeannette Curtis
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, Lisa S. Weinstock, MD - Psychiatry
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman, MATC

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