Effectiveness of exposure and ritual prevention for obsessive-compulsive disorder: Randomized compared with nonrandomized samples

The efficacy of exposure and ritual prevention (EX/RP) for reducing symptom s of obsessive- compulsive disorder (OCD) has been demonstrated in several randomized controlled trials (RCTs). However, procedures used in these stud ies to maximize experimental control may have limited their generalizabilit y to typical clinical practice. Treatment outcome data from 110 clinical pa tients receiving EX/RP on an outpatient fee-for-service basis were compared with findings from 4 RCTs of EX/RP. Adult patients in the clinical sample were not excluded because of treatment history, concomitant pharmacotherapy , psychiatric comorbidity, age, or OCD severity. Clinical patients achieved substantial and clinically meaningful reductions in their OCD and depressi ve symptoms following EX/RP, which were comparable with those reported in t he RCTs. Findings indicate that EX/RP is a potent treatment for OCD, and it s benefits are not limited to select patient samples.