Satiation Therapy and Exposure Response Prevention in the Treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

• DOI: 10.1007/s10879-009-9110-z
• Publication Date: 2009-02-26T19:20:53Z
• Authors: Siamak Khodarahimi
• Keywords: 05 social sciences; 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences; 3. Good health

The purpose of present study was to test the comparative effectiveness of Satiation Therapy and Exposure Response Prevention techniques in the treatment of obsessive–compulsive disordered patients. Sixty self-referred male outpatient cases were investigated within a randomized controlled trial. Patients were allocated to Satiation Therapy, Exposure Response Prevention or wait-list control groups. Obsessive–compulsive symptoms were measured by the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale at baseline, post-treatment, and 3 and 6 month follow-ups. The therapeutic groups had more significant improvement than the control group. In addition, there was not a significant difference between therapeutic groups on post-treatment and follow-up assessments which showed that Satiation Therapy and Exposure Response Prevention were similarly effective in reducing obsessive–compulsive symptoms. Analyses revealed that therapeutic groups had improved significantly while the control group had continued unchanged. Finally, the present investigation supported both Satiation Therapy and Exposure Response Prevention in the treatment of obsessive–compulsive disorder.