Judy is in therapy for her compulsive hand washing. Her therapist conjures up several images of filthy clothes and digging in dirt. Judy gets the feeling of being "contaminated" but is not allowed to resort to the usual ritual of hand washing. This therapy is called ____.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The therapy described is "exposure with response prevention," which is a common technique used in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It involves exposing the patient to the source of their anxiety or obsession (in this case, contamination) and preventing them from performing their compulsive behavior (hand washing), thereby helping them learn to tolerate the anxiety and reduce the compulsive behavior over time.

Judy Is in Therapy for Her Compulsive Hand Washing