title: Exposure and ritual prevention for obsessive-compulsive disorder: effects of intensive versus twice-weekly sessions.
abstract: Exposure and ritual prevention (ERP) is the most effective treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), yet the intensive treatment schedule often described is not transportable to many settings. In the present study, the authors examined whether a twice-weekly (TW) ERP program reduced the effectiveness of intensive (IT) ERP. Forty OCD patients received 15 sessions of ERP: 20 received daily treatment over 3 weeks and 20 received twice weekly therapy over 8 weeks. Results indicated that both programs were effective. The effect of therapy schedule was moderate, with a trend toward more improvement in the intensive group at posttreatment. No differences were found at follow-up; some evidence of relapse was found with IT but not TW.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55901, USA. abramowitz.jonathan@mayo.edu
authors.forename: Jonathan S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Abramowitz
authors.forename: Edna B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Foa
authors.forename: Martin E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Franklin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy*; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019956:Stereotypic Movement Disorder / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors