Which CBT technique is central to treating OCD and involves preventing the learned compulsive response?

• A. Cognitive Restructuring
• B. Relaxation Training
• C. Behavioral Activation
• D. Exposure and Response Prevention

Answer: (D)

Exposure with Response Prevention (ERP) is the technique most central to treating OCD in CBT. In OCD, intrusive thoughts trigger anxiety, and performing a ritual temporarily reduces that distress, which reinforces the compulsive behavior. ERP works by exposing you to the obsessional cue or feared situation while you prevent the usual ritual, so anxiety naturally declines over time (habituation) and you learn that the obsession alone doesn’t require a ritual. This directly targets the cycle that maintains OCD.

Cognitive restructuring focuses on thoughts rather than the behavior that sustains OCD, relaxation training lowers arousal but doesn’t address the compulsive response, and behavioral activation targets depression-related inactivity rather than the OCD cycle.