How does exposure with response prevention (ERP) specifically treat OCD?

• A. Clients repeatedly perform the rituals.
• B. Clients confront obsessional cues without performing compulsions.
• C. ERP focuses on medication adjustments.
• D. ERP reduces exposure to triggers.

Answer: (B)

Exposure with response prevention treats OCD by breaking the loop between obsession and compulsion. In ERP, a person is exposed to obsession-related cues or thoughts but deliberately doesn’t perform the accompanying ritual. Through repeated exposure, anxiety rises and then naturally decreases as the person learns that the feared outcome is unlikely or tolerable without the ritual. This process reduces the reinforcement that maintains compulsive behaviors, helping the person to tolerate uncertainty and resist compulsions over time. ERP is a behavioral therapy and does not focus on adjusting medications; it also requires increasing exposure to triggers, not reducing exposure. Performing rituals would keep the OCD cycle going.