A 25 year old female presents with 2 year history of repetitive, irresistible thoughts of contamination with di associated with repetitive hand washing. She repos these thoughts to be her own and distressing, but is not able to overcome them along with medications. She is most likely to benefit from which of the following therapies?
High-Yield Explanation
Patient in the question is showing features of Obsessive compulsive disorder and is not responding to treatment with medications. She is most likely to benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy with exposure and response prevention. This type of therapy consist of: Exposure: in which the individual is placed in situations that elicit anxiety related to their obsessions, Response prevention: in which the compulsive behaviors that may serve to reduce or avoid the occurrence of anxiety are determined, Cognitive therapy: which involve training the patient to identify and and reframe anxiety provoking cognitions. Ref: Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, 9th edition page 3671 - 6.