Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T19:21:49.402Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The Immediate Effects of Exposure Versus Response Prevention in the Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 June 2009

Ger P. J. Keijsers
Affiliation:
University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Cees A. L. Hoogduin
Affiliation:
University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Cas P. D. R. Schaap
Affiliation:
University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Trix de Jong
Affiliation:
University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Erica de Koning
Affiliation:
University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands

Abstract

Several empirical studies suggest that exposure in vivo and response prevention have a differential treatment effect on the complaints presented by patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). In the present study it was hypothesized that exposure in vivo would result in a greater decrease of obsessional fear, whereas response prevention would result in a greater decrease of rituals. Forty patients, diagnosed with OCD, participated in the study. Half of the patients received exposure in vivo alone, followed by response prevention alone, and half received response prevention alone, followed by exposure in vivo alone. No differential treatment effects between exposure in vivo alone and response prevention alone could be found, although ritualistic behaviour was less strongly affected by exposure in vivo following response prevention.

Type
Main Section
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

American Psychiatric Association. (1987). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd rev. ed.) Washington DC: American Psychiatric Association.Google Scholar
Emmelkamp, P. M. G. (1982) Phobic and Obsessive-compulsive Disorders. New York: Plenum Press.Google Scholar
Emmelkamp, P. M. G. and Rabbie, D. M. (1981). Psychological treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder: a follow-up four years after treatment. In Perris, E., Struwe, G. and Jansson, B. (Eds). Biological Psychiatry (pp. 10951098). Amsterdam: Elsevier.Google Scholar
Foa, E. B. and Goldstein, A. (1978). Continuous exposure and complete response prevention in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive neurosis. Behavior Therapy 9, 821829.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Foa, E. B., Steketee, G., Grayson, J. B., Turner, R. M. and Latimer, P. R. (1984). Deliberate exposure and blocking of obsessive-compulsive rituals: immediate and long-term effects. Behavior Therapy 15, 450472.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Foa, E. B., Steketee, G. and Milby, J. B. (1980). Differential effects of exposure and response prevention in obsessive-compulsive washers. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 48, 7179.Google Scholar
Hoogduin, C. A. L., Haan, E. de, Schaap, C. and Arts, W. (1987). Exposure and response prevention in patients with obsessions. Acta Psychiatrica Belgica 87, 640653.Google ScholarPubMed
Hoogduin, C. A. L. and Hoogduin, W. A. (1984). The outpatient treatment of patients with an obsessive-compulsive disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 22, 455459.Google Scholar
Kraaimaat, F. W. and van Dam-Baggen, C. M. J. (1976). Ontwikkeling van een zelf-beoordelingslijst voor obsessief-compulsief gedrag [Development of a self-rating questionnaire for obsessive-compulsive behaviour]. Nederlands Tijdschrift voor de Psychologie 31, 201211.Google Scholar
Marks, I. M., Hodgson, R. and Rachman, S. (1975). Treatment of chronic obsessive-compulsive neurosis by in vivo exposure: a two year follow-up and issues in treatment. British Journal of Psychiatry 127, 349364.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mills, H. L., Agras, W. S., Barlow, D. H. and Mills, J. R. (1973). Compulsive rituals treated by response prevention: an experimental analysis. Archives of General Psychiatry 28, 524529.Google Scholar
Perse, T. (1988). Obsessive-compulsive disorder: a treatment review. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 49 (Suppl. 2), 4855.Google ScholarPubMed
Rachman, S. (1976). The modification of obsessions: a new formulation. Behaviour Research and Therapy 14, 437443.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rachman, S. and Hodgson, R. J. (1980). Obsessions and Compulsions. New York: Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
Steketee, G. S., Grayson, J. B. and Foa, E. B. (1985). Obsessive-compulsive disorder: differences between washers and checkers. Behaviour Research and Therapy 23, 197201.Google Scholar
Turner, S. M.Hersen, M., Bellack, A. S. and Wells, K. C. (1979). Behavioral treatment of obsessive-compulsive neurosis. Behaviour Research and Therapy 17 95106.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Walton, D. and Mather, M. D. (1963). The application of learning principles to the treatment of obsessive-compulsive states in the acute chronic phases of illness. Behaviour Research and Therapy 1, 163174.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Watson, J. P. and Marks, I. M. (1971). Relevant and irrelevant fear in flooding: a crossover study of phobic patients. Behavior Therapy 2, 275293.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.