In OCD, which psychotherapy is the frontline treatment?

In OCD, which psychotherapy is the frontline treatment?

• A. Traditional Psychotherapy ('talk therapy') with insight
• B. Family support & education
• C. Exposure & Response Prevention: habituation
• D. Medication: SSRI (Fluoxetine) or SNRI (Venlafaxine)

Answer: (C)

Exposure and Response Prevention is the frontline psychotherapy for OCD. It uses structured CBT techniques to expose you to situations or thoughts that trigger obsessions, while you refrain from performing your usual compulsive response. Over time, this repeated pairing leads to habituation—the anxiety decreases even when the obsessive thoughts occur—weakening the link between obsessions and compulsions. This approach directly targets the behavior–anxiety cycle that sustains OCD and has the strongest evidence for producing durable improvement. It’s typically delivered by a trained therapist in a graded plan and can be combined with SSRI or SNRI medications for more severe cases. While traditional talk therapy and family education can be supportive, they don’t address OCD symptoms as effectively as ERP, and medication alone is pharmacotherapy rather than psychotherapy.

Exposure and Response Prevention is the frontline psychotherapy for OCD. It uses structured CBT techniques to expose you to situations or thoughts that trigger obsessions, while you refrain from performing your usual compulsive response. Over time, this repeated pairing leads to habituation—the anxiety decreases even when the obsessive thoughts occur—weakening the link between obsessions and compulsions. This approach directly targets the behavior–anxiety cycle that sustains OCD and has the strongest evidence for producing durable improvement. It’s typically delivered by a trained therapist in a graded plan and can be combined with SSRI or SNRI medications for more severe cases. While traditional talk therapy and family education can be supportive, they don’t address OCD symptoms as effectively as ERP, and medication alone is pharmacotherapy rather than psychotherapy.