Exposure Response Prevention

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“Oh, I’m have to keep my room organized. I am so OCD.” Commonalities such as this one are frequently misused by many people - most of whom are people who do not even have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder or simply have not been educated about what the disorder actually is. OCD is oftentimes seen as simply a facet of every person’s personality that makes him or her desire to keep things clean or organized a certain way. Although a symptom of some people’s OCD can be related to organization, their compulsions tend to be more complex, long-lasting, and detrimental; sometimes including compulsions that can last upwards of an hour (Fennell 1). Because Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is seen as such a casual, everyday, almost normal occurrence, the fact …show more content…
When the brain thinks something is dangerous, it’s initial response is to react to the stimuli and to try and protect itself. If a person is exposed to that same stimuli many more times without anything dangerous actually happening, the person’s brain starts to recognize a pattern of safety and stops firing the warning. Exposure Response Prevention has been proven to be more effective than the traditional practice of talking things out which is carried out in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Studies have shown that Exposure Response Prevention can be just as effective as a treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder as various medications can be. This is especially beneficial information considering that, like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, it is not possible to develop a dependency on Exposure Response Prevention. There is a part of Exposure Response Prevention that could be considered like a side effect. That is the fact that patients using this as treatment will have to face their fears which could initially cause more anxiety. As the patient practices ERP more and becomes more comfortable with the techniques, the less probability there is to feel as anxious. Leading to the conclusion, ERP is just as effective as medication, but it is less harmful to the body and mind than medication has the potential to

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