Exposure therapy is best described as a systematic confrontation with feared stimuli to reduce fear. It is contraindicated in which circumstances?

• A. Exposure therapy is only for PTSD and has no contraindications.
• B. Exposure therapy is a medication regimen designed to suppress anxiety.
• C. Systematic confrontation with feared stimuli to reduce fear; contraindicated in active psychosis, unstable mania, or acute safety concerns.
• D. Exposure therapy cures anxiety in all cases with no stabilization needed.

Answer: (C)

Exposure therapy uses gradual, controlled exposure to feared stimuli so a person can learn that the feared outcomes are unlikely, reducing anxiety through habituation and extinction. This approach requires the client to engage with distress and to differentiate real threat from misinterpretation, so it’s not started when safety and cognitive functioning needed for learning are compromised. It is contraindicated in active psychosis, where distorted thinking can make exposure unsafe or ineffective; in unstable mania, where mood instability and impaired judgment can hinder participation and increase risk; and in the presence of acute safety concerns (self-harm or harm to others), where stabilization must come first before attempting exposure.