Psychotherapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with exposure and response prevention is a first-line intervention for adult and childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder. Methodologically rigorous controlled trials have suggested that benefits from CBT exceed those from placebo and attention-control conditions and have similar or greater efficacy than serotonergic monotherapy. This article reviews the nature of CBT and associated outcome data, highlighting recent empiric findings in the treatment literature.