Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is primarily used for which disorder?

• A. OCD
• B. GAD
• C. Social Anxiety Disorder
• D. Panic Disorder

Answer: (A)

Exposure and response prevention targets the OCD cycle by having you face the feared thoughts or situations without performing the usual compulsive rituals. In OCD, intrusive obsessions create anxiety, and performing compulsions provides only temporary relief, which reinforces the connection between the obsession and the ritual. ERP gradually exposes you to triggering stimuli and teaches you to resist the urge to perform the ritual, allowing anxiety to decline over time through habituation. This approach is specifically developed for OCD and has the strongest evidence supporting its use for this disorder. Other anxiety conditions use exposure in various forms, but ERP in its standard form is not the primary treatment for generalized anxiety, social anxiety, or panic disorder.