Cognitive therapy vs exposure in vivo in the treatment of obsessive-compulsives

Eighteen DSM-III diagnosed obsessive-compulsives were randomly allocated to two treatment conditions: (1) Rational Emotive Therapy (RET) and (2) exposure in vivo. RET consisted of analyzing irrational thoughts; exposure in vivo was self-controlled. Treatment consisted of ten sessions. Both treatments resulted in significant improvement on anxiety/discomfort and the Maudsley Obsessional Compulsive Inventory, and in a reduction of social anxiety. In addition, RET resulted in significant changes on depression. Results were maintained up to a follow-up six months later. No significant differences were found between the two conditions.